GTA V removed from Target stores in Australia

Daaryl

What a joke, It's only a game really, It's not like when you're done playing the game, You're gunna say i'm gunna give me girlfriend, wife a baiten...

Link of source : http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/games/gta-v-removed-from-target-stores-in-australia-30796438.html

Grand Theft Auto V, holder of seven Guinness world records and recently confirmed as breaking the UK's all-time software-sales record, has found itself removed from Target stores in Australia.

According to a media release from Target, the R-rated game has been removed due to customer feedback about the game's depiction of violence against women.

The release (seen in full here) does mention positive support for the game, but believes the decision to stop selling the game is in line with the majority of its customers.

Target will continue to sell other R-rated games.

Target General Manager Corporate Affairs Jim Cooper said, ""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 GTA5, we have listened to the strong feedback from customers that this is not a product they want us to sell."

A campaign to remove GTA V from Target was started by a group of women survivors of violence. The petition found on change.org had over 41,000 supporters at time of writing.

Rockstar have yet to release a statement.

Cyber Ghost

Lol you'd swear it's only women that were singled out for violence in it.

In fact most of the violence is done to men!

Links234

Australia have quite a history of video game censorship: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_video_games_in_Australia#Currently_banned.2Fcensored_video_games

kowloon

I'm surprised it's not banned entirely, don't Australia have some harsh censorship?

Edit: need to refresh threads before I post in them . What Links said.

anonyanony

Daaryl wrote: »

What a joke, It's only a game really, It's not like when you're done playing the game, You're gunna say i'm gunna give me girlfriend, wife a baiten...



Grand Theft Auto V, holder of seven Guinness world records and recently confirmed as breaking the UK's all-time software-sales record, has found itself removed from Target stores in Australia.

According to a media release from Target, the R-rated game has been removed due to customer feedback about the game's depiction of violence against women.

The release (seen in full here) does mention positive support for the game, but believes the decision to stop selling the game is in line with the majority of its customers.

Target will continue to sell other R-rated games.

Target General Manager Corporate Affairs Jim Cooper said, ""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 GTA5, we have listened to the strong feedback from customers that this is not a product they want us to sell."

A campaign to remove GTA V from Target was started by a group of women survivors of violence. The petition found on change.org had over 41,000 supporters at time of writing.

Rockstar have yet to release a statement.

Seems odd as the game was R Rated and games don't hurt real people but this will hurt Targets sales coming up to the most profitable time of the retail sectors year.

They are kinda shooting themselves in the foot, but Rockstar will be happy this will bring them loads of sales like hot coffee did with GTA:SA

Daaryl

What i don't understand is the game is out over a year on xbox 360 and ps3, So why did they not do the petition back then and why now?

Xios

My 4 year niece plays this game. I let her run around and drive around the city and wilderness. She's quite fond of that aspect.

shruikan2553

Aus only got an 18+ rating recently.

The easiest thing to do is just not buy it, its what I do when a shop sells something I dont want, but then I suppose that is too easy.

Doesnt a man get raped and toutured in the game?

DEFTLEFTHAND

Weird how Target would capitulate to this mob of crazies. Do they think they'll get good PR out of it or what?

martyos121

Oh Jesus, the feminazis are out in force again I see.....:rolleyes:

lertsnim

Lots of free publicity for GTA 5

anonyanony

Daaryl wrote: »

What i don't understand is the game is out over a year on xbox 360 and ps3, So why did they not do the petition back then and why now?

They are not happy you can have first person sex with a hooker in the ps4 and x1 version.

castletownman

It depends on how people play the game itself as to whether it is glorifying domestic violence or whatever.

I mean I never hijack a car in it, never break a red light, and always pay the hookers in a prompt and generous manner. Don't see the fuss over it at all.

Daaryl

anonyanony wrote: »

They are not happy you can have first person sex with a hooker in the ps4 and x1 version.

You don't need to have sex with a hooker... There's alot more fun things to be doing in the game..

Xios

anonyanony

Daaryl wrote: »

You don't need to have sex with a hooker... There's alot more fun things to be doing in the game..

Just like you don't have to kill women in the game but won't stop the people that don't like games and want them censored and banned

The Diabolical Monocle

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Weiadvertisingarget would capitulate to this mob of crazies. Do they think they'll get good PR out of it or what?

Theyre doing a mick oleary.
Free advertising.

Karl Stein

We shouldn't be too quick to condemn this. When I was a kid Pac-Man was very popular. Many of the kids who played Pac-Man ended up listening to repetitive music and swallowing pills.

My name is URL

God forbid a female character, child or animal should ever 'die' in a video game.

The alternative is obviously better. Leave them out of games altogether or only portray them in in the backgrounds of cutscenes...

'shhh now, men are speaking'

Duggy747

Australia would ban itself if it could.

Tombi!

Well, it's just one company doing it.
I don't see a problem. If one company wants to to be idiots and lose sales, go for it. It'd be no different to Argos stop selling a game. I can buy it elsewhere.

Vincent Vega

Seeing the poll got me thinking...

What if this petition is just some elaborate ruse. a clever bit of trolling.

Perhaps published by and voted for by the members of a certain online community in order to showcase the utter insanity and faux outrage often spouted in the name of 'feminism' these days.

Cienciano

Daaryl wrote: »

What i don't understand is the game is out over a year on xbox 360 and ps3, So why did they not do the petition back then and why now?

Because they wanted to sell stack loads of the game and then take the moral high ground when the sales have died down

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

anonyanony

So the people that got this banned are now the modern day Jack Thompson, I know the likes of Anita and McIntosh have said they totally different then him and don't want to takeaway games but they just did what Thompson failed to do many a year ago.

In a way this might force devs to comment on the whole social justice backlash they been facing in recent years as I cannot see them stop making new GTA games.

EazyD

I remember couple of years ago when Manhunt was released by Rockstar and the very same thing happened in Aus and NZ. What a joke

anonyanony

EazyD wrote: »

I remember couple of years ago when Manhunt was released by Rockstar and the very same thing happened in Aus and NZ. What a joke

That was before the over 18 game rating in aus right, it's not like a kid can buy gta in target anyway

Bitches be getting all mad down in OZ

VinLieger

Wheres all the concern for the vast amount of violence against male characters that get murdered, stabbed, kicked to death, shot, run over, thrown off cliffs, viciously tortured, blown up etc etc.... or is it only sexual violence against women that should be condemned publicly now?

anonyanony

VinLieger wrote: »

Wheres all the concern for the vast amount of violence against male characters that get murdered, stabbed, kicked to death, shot, run over, thrown off cliffs, viciously tortured, blown up etc etc.... or is it only sexual violence against women that should be condemned publicly now?

The ones that want to ban games only care about imaginary violence against binary that looks like women.

Gbear

Daaryl wrote: »

What i don't understand is the game is out over a year on xbox 360 and ps3, So why did they not do the petition back then and why now?

Presumably so they could rake in the cash first and act like supercilious cunts afterwards.

conorhal

I always thought that Aussies couldn't give a 'Castlemaine XXXX' about PC drongos. When did that change?

bear1

And we call Ireland a basketcase of a country.

Greenmachine

Cue a wimpy cross-dressing Australian man in GTA 6. You have been warned.

wes

Its rather sad, that the game has been removed from stores due to something that isn't even in the game. The game doesn't encourage you to kill prostitutes or even Women in general. The vast majority of people who you kill in these and most games are men.

Either way, none of it is real in anyways, and its frankly absurd for anyone to get worked up about a video game.

lee_baby_simms

Australias long history of racial violence is far more offensive than anything in GTAV.

Grayson

I've had a few female friends, who don't play games often, play GTA 5 on my xbox.
they loved it. they went nuts. they were driving around and moving down civilians like there was no tomorrow. they shot up cars, blew up petrol stations. they were nuts. One even wanted to try and pick up a hooker.

When I'm playing there's plenty of girls online playing too. It's a very popular game with women.

And like someone said in the first page, it's not like the violence is directed at women. As for the portrayal of female NPC's as dim etc... It's not like the male characters come off looking good. None of the characters in that game have the moral or intellectual high ground.

bear1

Grayson wrote: »

I've had a few female friends, who don't play games often, play GTA 5 on my xbox.
they loved it. they went nuts. they were driving around and moving down civilians like there was no tomorrow. they shot up cars, blew up petrol stations. they were nuts. One even wanted to try and pick up a hooker.

When I'm playing there's plenty of girls online playing too. It's a very popular game with women.

And like someone said in the first page, it's not like the violence is directed at women. As for the portrayal of female NPC's as dim etc... It's not like the male characters come off looking good. None of the characters in that game have the moral or intellectual high ground.

+1, I've played the game on my brothers Xbox and I loved it. I think the most appealing thing in the game is you can break any law you want to in the safety of your own home.
It gives you the chance to go absolutely crazy with no strings attached.
Stealing cars, blowing everything up, prostitution, kicking the living daylights out of whoever you want, murder etc. It's like The Purge in many ways.

Manach

The use of the term "majority" in the initial Target statement is reminiscent of a dictatorship's such as North Korea's use of the term. In that this is what we have been told is good-thought so anyone not agreeing is not worthy to be in our intellectually correct majority.

Grayson

bear1 wrote: »

+1, I've played the game on my brothers Xbox and I loved it. I think the most appealing thing in the game is you can break any law you want to in the safety of your own home.
It gives you the chance to go absolutely crazy with no strings attached.
Stealing cars, blowing everything up, prostitution, kicking the living daylights out of whoever you want, murder etc. It's like The Purge in many ways.

I was a bit shocked. I tend not to be as wanton with the violence. the girls were squealing with delight as they mowed people down

bear1

Grayson wrote: »

I was a bit shocked. I tend not to be as wanton with the violence. the girls were squealing with delight as they mowed people down

I remember vividly shouting abuse as I was mowing the cars down Great craic altogether

Irishcrx

No chance of a manhunt remake so....damn that was an excellent game.

I actually still have the original on Ps2 at home. Only game I have for the PS2.

pragmatic1

Manach wrote: »

The use of the term "majority" in the initial Target statement is reminiscent of a dictatorship's such as North Korea's use of the term. In that this is what we have been told is good-thought so anyone not agreeing is not worthy to be in our intellectually correct majority.

Exactly. I'd wager that I'm much further left than you, but I think it's really dangerous when opposing opinions aren't given enough time. No real progress can ever be made.

IrishCule

martyos121 wrote: »

Oh Jesus, the feminazis are out in force again I see.....:rolleyes:

No no, they are only a minority and don't effect anything nor do they represent the views of "Real feminists"™ so we shouldn't worry about them. :rolleyes:

ALiasEX

Greenmachine wrote: »

Cue a wimpy cross-dressing Australian man in GTA 6. You have been warned.

Does that mean women=wimpy to you?

mikom

Heard the wan that got it banned was named Abby Winters........

Skullface McGubbin

On a similar note, "The Warehouse" (New Zealand's equivalent of Target) Has been taking 18-Rated games & DVDs off the shelves.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11363676

I'm more concerned about it not being sold to kids than this. This is silly

The_Valeyard

Been in sale for a year. Everyone who wants it, has it, excluding the ps4 and pc group.



Simple solution, Rockstar refuse to let target sell their game. See how Mich it hurts Targets pockets next time a big release it planned.


Still haven't forgiven them for how they treated the PC market though

shruikan2553

Got a laugh from the counter petition. I don't see why not, 30k people deciding what can or cant be sold. What could go wrong?

https://www.change.org/p/target-withdraw-the-holy-bible-this-sickening-book-encourages-readers-to-commit-sexual-violence-and-kill-women

The One Doctor

All of the the GTA series were unbanned after an appeal.