Where Politics And Video Games Collide

I'm straying way off topic as I don't believe there is a factor in video games violent or otherwise that can affect a rationally minded person's real life actions, but here we go:

"You had the option to develop your own opinion, make your own choice.  The lower layer, the subliminal message, attempted to directly, even though subliminally, influence you to purchase or act a certain way. "

There's an interesting concept being tapped into there. Taking GTA IV as a good current example, you have the "top layer" - a quest for survival and revenge by the player who takes the role of the protagonist, Niko. Underneath that there's the "lower layer" - that your game actions are at least partially influenced by the way in which the protagonist's actions are portrayed outside the player's control (in cut scenes, sound bites, etc). 

So in GTA IV, Niko Bellic (IMO) is portrayed as a man driven to violence as a result of past traumas; he essentially doesn't want to do the things he does but is forced to by the situation and because of who he has become. By assuming his role, the player is subliminally urged towards accepting these as justification for in game actions. Arguably you might make the decisions in the game in certain way because the game TOLD you that's how Niko would act given X choice.

Or at least that's how I played, and found myself trying to think about how Niko's character would have reacted to the decisions presented. As far as Narratological game theory goes (as I understand it) this is kind of the holy grail of Interactive Narrative - that is to give players effectively infinite numbers of choices but guide them down a set path or to a set goal by subliminally pointing them in the intended direction.

That could amount to the "secondary layer" you talk about.

So... the point to this: If, God forbid, there was actually a convincing scientific study that showed exposure to games could in anyway affect a child (or anyone's) real world actions, then we might find that we're getting a lot closer to the unlocking serious subliminal influences than even the JTs and mainstream media sensationalists of this world might have first thought. Perhaps we're not making people think 'durr, i saw dat in a game so I'll copy it' but are in fact predisposing people to not tackle situations with suitable rationality but helping them assume the mindset of a far more unbalanced and fictional influencer. 

Anyway, just a thought. I'm waffling and I'll shut up now.