Grand Theft Auto 5 Pulled Off From Target Australia Stores Due To Sexual Violence Against Women

The retail company decided to pull off the controversial game from sale in answer to the petition filed by Change.Org, which gained tens of thousands of signatures. The petition was supported by many people who want to put an end to the game that clearly encourages players to murder women for entertainment.

GTA V is an award-winning game which has set an enormous record for entertainment product sale passing the $1 billion sales mark. Originally released in September 2013 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, just recently the game was released for the next-generation PlayStation 4 and Xbox One machines last month.

The game passed the Australian Classification Board which was marked with an R18+ rating limiting the game to adults and went on sale across Australia. But three women, being survivors of violence themselves, started the petition against the dangerous message conveyed by the game. Nicole, Claire and Kat (all refused to provide their last names) expressed their disgust against the GTA V which clearly makes a game of bashing and killing of women a form of horrific entertainment for its players. The three women are also against the game's concept of committing sexual violence against women, abusing or killing them in order to jump to the next stage or earn "health" points.

Apparently, Jim Cooper, Target's general manager for corporate affairs, explained that the company arrived to the decision to pull the game from its shelves to support the community's concern about the game. Despite the fact that many are in favour of the game, the retail giant believes that the decision was in line with the majority view of customers and to show that the company listens. However, Cooper mentioned that Target will still continue to sell other R-rated DVD's and games, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

On the other hand, avid fans of the GTA series have already expressed their anger via social media due the removal of the game. Gamers said that the game was unfairly targeted and those who find the game offensive and violent did not have to purchase the game. This is not the first time that the series started a controversy and has already in the past gained worldwide criticism for its graphic violence, criminal behavior and sexual violence.