Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2004’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and the eleventh instalment overall. Set within the fictional Liberty City, based on New York City, the single-player story follows Eastern European war veteran Niko Bellic and his attempts to escape his past while under pressure from high-profile criminals. The open world design lets players freely roam Liberty City, consisting of three main islands, and the neighbouring state of Alderney, which is based on New Jersey. Wikipedia
Research exclusive to this game
Osborne, Patrick. “Evaluating the Presence of Social Strain in Rockstar Games'” Grand Theft Auto IV“.” Studies in Popular Culture 34, no. 1 (2011): 109-132.
Ouellette, Marc A. “Removing the Checks and Balances That Hamper Democracy: Play and the Counter-hegemonic Contradictions of Grand Theft Auto IV.” Eludamos. Journal for Computer Game Culture 4, no. 2 (2010).
Teng, Scott Kie Zin, Gabriel Yew Mun Chong, Amy Sok Cheng Siew, and Marko M. Skoric. “Grand Theft Auto IV comes to Singapore: Effects of repeated exposure to violent video games on aggression.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking 14, no. 10 (2011): 597-602.
Research that includes this game in its sample
Pallant, Chris. “Now I Know I’ma Lowlife’: Controlling Play in GTA: IV, Red Dead Redemption, and LA Noire.” Ctrl-Alt-Play: Essays on control in video gaming (2013): 133-145.
Ruch, Adam W. “Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty city and modernist literature.” Games and Culture 7, no. 5 (2012): 331-348.