Grand Theft Auto V
The Grand Theft Auto series is no stranger to ruffling people’s feathers, but Grand Theft Auto V saw itself embroiled in some of the strangest and most shocking controversies tied to the series to date.
Shortly after release, the game made national headlines for its “By the Book” mission, which sees players torture a suspected terrorist in a myriad of ways. This includes waterboarding, extracting teeth and electrocution.
Many were shocked and offended by the mission’s inclusion, pointing to its graphic portrayal of the torture and the fact that the game empowered players to carry out the act as several steps too far.
And yet, there were also those on the other side of the spectrum who defended the mission, saying its graphic portrayal was necessary to convey the atrocity of torture and the satire inherent to the mission and game as a whole.
The game likewise sparked a fierce debate on the misogynistic portrayal of women in the series, with its female characters acting largely as sex symbols, mission objectives or side characters who remain on the sidelines.
Several critics and video game writers brought this point up in their reviews, sparking a heavy backlash from fans of the game and igniting a widespread discussion of the hostility inherent to critique in the gaming community.
These controversies have admittedly died down as the years have passed, but the game still more than earned its place at the table among Rockstar’s most infamous releases.
