Earlier today, Gamer Headlines reported on the news that the Australian branch of retail chain, Target, announced that Rockstar’s immensely popular GTA 5 would be removed from its inventory in response to customer feedback regarding its depiction of violence against women.
According to an official press release made by Target’s general manager of corporate affairs, the decision was made following “extensive community and customer concern about the game.”
Target Australia’s decision is surmised to have stemmed from a petition on the popular site, Change.org, which was started by Australian women who were subject to violence and sexual abuse in their lives. Their goal? Remove GTA 5 from Australian Target stores. The petition gained nearly 42,000 supporters, and (obviously) succeeded at its ultimate goal.
From the aforementioned petition:
“Please Target – we appeal to you as women survivors of violence, including women who experienced violence in the sex industry, to immediately withdraw Grand Theft Auto V from sale.”
In an interesting turn of events, it appears that a counter-petition started on the same site (Change.org) is doing the exact opposite, attempting to get GTA 5 back on shelves down under.
Read more details surrounding the situation after the break.
Petition To Get GTA 5 Back In Australian Stores
The following comes the previously mentioned petition:
“A game made for adults is being taken off the shelves by Target…because it apparently encourages players to cause violence against women.
I fear that other retailers will follow this trend. Soon, this game won’t be sold anywhere in Australia. The R18+ rating is there for a reason!
This game allows you to kill, hurt, bash and shoot anyone, not just females. GTA 5 should be on the shelves all over the country. It’s made for adults, not children.
We have the right to buy games despite their content.”
On the petition’s page, a supporter stated the following:
“The petition that started this was initiated by very misinformed people. They claim that the game ‘encourages’ you to commit sexually violent or generally violent acts against women.
As someone who has played the game in question extensively (Almost 200 hours), I can confirm that this is a false claim. The game NEVER encourages this.
They also completely ignore the fact that there’s much more violence against men than women, but it’s definitely not on a level that should have the video game removed from stores.”
At the time of this writing, the “Continue to Sell GTA 5 in Australia” petition has 175 supporters out of a desired goal of 40,000.
Update #1 – 12/4/14 – The petition to get GTA 5 back on Australian shelves has received over 12,000 supporters out of a desired goal of 60,000.
What are your thoughts on the situation? Which side do you agree with? Are you for or against GTA 5 being sold in Australia? Why?
Let us know in the comments section below! As always, stay tuned to GamerHeadlines.com for the latest in video game and technology news.