The Most Outrageous Haters of "Grand Theft Auto V" Since Its Release So Far

Image via Complex Original

Animal rights activist Jack Carone of the In Defense of Animals organization recently announced via TMZ that there will be a boycott of Grand Theft Auto V because it encourages children to behead and kill animals. "The makers of this game have traded decency for money" Jack says. "Encouraging the darkest impulses of young people is not an admirable pursuit."

So far, there haven't been any real-life animal beheadings reported since GTA V's release but we'll keep our eyes peeled. We can't help but think of how this now provides the perfect cop-out for cult leaders who perform animal sacrifices. Just blame the game.

Not that many fans of Grand Theft Auto have heard of the place but the small town of Harwick, Scotland got their kilts in a bunch after learning that a section of the GTA V map was named after them. In the game, Harwick was referred to as a place for a "druggie hipster." David Patterson of the Scottish Borders Council fired back in an interview with the BBC saying, ""I, like many other Hawick residents, was shocked to hear that the name of the town had been used in Grand Theft Auto V". Patterson feels that the backwards nod would result in a bad perception of the town and tourists would not be willing to visit. Patterson continued, "Not only is it a game which includes violence, sex and drugs, but the game's producers themselves describe the area of Hawick in the game as having a 'drug addict hipster vibe'.

While we're sure that tourism would not take a hit from its name being in GTA V, we're even more sure that there there won't be any spikes in travel there either. 

At a recent reception for mobile-ent.biz, video games industry vet Peter Molyneux poo-pooed on the anticipated $1 billion generated by Grand Theft Auto V. 

"The newly released Grand Theft Auto V is a game that's everywhere, you can hardly avoid it. It will achieve around $1 billion in revenue on consoles in just one month. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? No. That's not impressive."

Molyneux who is the man behind the classic video game Fable went on to explain that mobile video games like Hay Day and Clash of Clans make anywhere between $3 million and $5 million per day. That is what he calls impressive. 

So what if he's right about the amount of money made by mobile titles. To GTA's credit, you also have to figure in the non-monetary wealth of brand recognition and cultural relevance. Besides, mobile and consoles are totally different platforms so you can't really compare them. Hollywood isn't going to stop making Star Wars films because the Clone Wars cartoon did well. 

For those unfamiliar with the former Florida-based attorney, Jack Thompson has been crusading against video games for a number of years he's written letters, books and has filed endless law suits against video game companies with the intent of censoring the titles he believes are destroying the youth's moral sensibilities. 

In 2008, Thompson was disbarred for "cumulative misconduct, a repeated pattern of behavior relentlessly forced upon numerous unconnected individuals, a total lack of remorse or even slight acknowledgment of inappropriate conduct," by Judge Dava Tunis.

Jack is back and this time, his nemesis is Grand Theft Auto V. 

Since the video game's release last week, Thompson has been making the rounds linking the Washington DC Navy yard shooting by Aaron Alexis and other tragedies to GTA V. "What Grand Theft Auto did for the first time, was to give you—in effect—360 degrees of capability to go anywhere in this virtual world and do anything that you wanted as long as it was violent" Thomspon said on a recent episode of the Pat Campbell show on KFAQ in Oklahoma. "There is a freedom in the Grand Theft Auto game that is incredible. It is anarchic, it is unlimited and it is unspeakably violent and sexual." 

Thompson also revealed that he is working together with an unnamed person in congress to stiffen laws around video game sales. It looks like things are about to get really interesting in the coming months.