Image via Complex Original
It's only been a few days since Grand Theft Auto V was released and the haters are already chiming in. It only took one day for the fifth official GTA title to rake in over $800 million and judging by critics along with fans, Grand Theft Auto V is positioned to be game of the year on everyone's list.
It's often been advised by celebrities for people to ignore haters but sometimes, they can be so ridiculous that one can't help but lend an ear out of curiousity.
What is about to follow are examples of people blaming GTA V for everything under the sun. Athletes are coming under fire for risking their seasons, tourism to countries are plummeting and old anti-video game activists have become re-energized due to GTA's latest release. Hold on to your socks folks, because this one is a doosey.
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The In Defense of Animals organization
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.
Harwick, Scotland
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.
Fans of Benoît Assou Ekotto
The day after Grand Theft Auto V came out, Queens Park Rangers/Tottenham Hotspurs soccer star Benoît Assou Ekotto tweeted out that he woke up an hour ago from a marathon play of the game.
Fans were instantly outraged, thinking that the baller meant that he had been up since 1am playing GTA V and that his field game would suffer from it. Assou-Ekotto quickly corrected everyone with another tweet explaining that he had awaken an hour ago, not that he'd been up so late playing.
There was no other gripes after Assou-Ekotto's last tweet but this is all a testament to how insanely obsessive futbol fans are. Come on, the guy is a professional, he knows if he can handle a bit of virtual mischief before a game.
Peter Molyneux
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.
Jack Thompson
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.
