An online petition that claims open-world action game Grand Theft Auto V “encourages players to commit sexual violence and kill women,” has forced Target Australia to withdraw it from sale.
The online petition, started by three female survivors of violence, “including women who experienced violence in the sex industry,” now has over 40,000 signatures. The petition specifically focuses on retail giant Target and its sale of GTA V, saying, “This sickening game encourages players to commit sexual violence and kill women.”
The petition goes on to claim that GTA V is a game that encourages players to murder women for entertainment: “The incentive is to commit sexual violence against women, then abuse or kill them to proceed or get ‘health’ points – and now Target is stocking it and promoting it for your Xmas stocking. This game means that after various sex acts, players are given options to kill women by punching her unconscious, killing with a machete, bat, or guns to get their money returned.”
The campaign highlights one particular YouTube video that shows the use of GTA V’s new first-person mode in picking up and then killing a prostitute. The first-person perspective is a new feature for GTA V’s recent release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and it has given certain activities in the game a more realistic, and potentially more brutal, edge.
Some gamers have questioned the petition’s accuracy, however, with one commenter, going by the name Professional Bob, pointing out that having sex is not a requirement of GTA V, and that “it certainly does not increase health.” He also explains that “it is impossible to commit acts of sexual violence on anyone in this game. The only sexual acts which can be carried out are consensual, either in the form of a lap dance or paid sex from a prostitute. The fact that the game allows these sorts of things to be done does not mean they are actively encouraged.”
Target initially fended off the petition, with general manager of corporate affairs Jim Cooper telling News.com that there are two sides to the argument. “We’ve got to listen to our customers and there are as many defending the right to buy the game as there are who want it removed,” he said. “We respect the sincerity of people who do not want it sold and their opinion is valid, but we are a retailer for everyone, as long as we are selling the game responsibly.”
However, that position has now changed, and Target has withdrawn GTA V from sale. “We’ve been speaking to many customers over recent days about the game, and there is a significant level of concern about the game’s content,” Cooper said in a statement.
“We’ve also had customer feedback in support of us selling the game, and we respect their perspective on the issue. However, we feel the decision to stop selling GTA V is in line with the majority view of our customers.”
“While these products often contain imagery that some customers find offensive, in the vast majority of cases, we believe they are appropriate products for us to sell to adult customers. However, in the case of GTA V, we have listened to the strong feedback from customers that this is not a product they want us to sell.”
GTA V publisher Take-Two Interactive Software provided GamesBeat with a statement from chairman and chief executive officer, Strauss Zelnick: “We are disappointed that an Australian retailer has chosen no longer to sell Grand Theft Auto V — a title that has won extraordinary critical acclaim and has been enjoyed by tens of millions of consumers around the world. Grand Theft Auto V explores mature themes and content similar to those found in many other popular and groundbreaking entertainment properties. Interactive entertainment is today’s most compelling art form and shares the same creative freedom as books, television, and movies. I stand behind our products, the people who create them, and the consumers who play them.”