# GTA V removed from Target Australia stores



## Gahars (Dec 4, 2014)

​2005 called, they wanted to remind us that they ain't no hollaback girl. Also, they want their moral panic back.



> Target Australia will stop selling the R-rated video game Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA5) following feedback from customers about the game's depictions of violence against women.
> 
> Target General Manager Corporate Affairs Jim Cooper said the decision was made following extensive community and customer concern about the game.
> 
> "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," Mr Cooper said.


Target.com.au

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And here is the petition that seems to have spurred this action:


Spoiler



*Target: Withdraw Grand Theft Auto 5 – this sickening game encourages players to commit sexual violence and kill women*


It's 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 are stocking it and promoting it for your Xmas stocking.

This is Grand Theft Auto 5. 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.

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.

One of many fan clips on YouTube shows the woman being run down, run over, set alight and, still screaming, repeatedly shot. This misogynistic GTA 5 literally makes a game of bashing, killing and horrific violence against women. It also links sexual arousal and violence.

We have firsthand experience of this kind of sexual violence. It haunts us, and we've been trying to rebuild our lives ever since. Just knowing that women are being portrayed as deserving to be sexually used by men and potentially murdered for sport and pleasure – to see this violence that we lived through turned into a form of entertainments is sickening and causes us great pain and harm.

This game spreads the idea that certain women exist as scapegoats for male violence. It shows hatred and contempt for women in the sex industry and puts them at greater risk. Women in the industry are 40 times more likely to be murdered by a man than any other group of women.

Games like this are grooming yet another generation of boys to tolerate violence against women. It is fuelling the epidemic of violence experienced by so many girls and women in Australia - and globally.

Target, you pride yourself on being a family company, caring for local communities, and have a strong ethical sourcing policy. How can you do this while contributing to hostile and callous attitudes toward victims of violence and, more broadly, to all women?

We urge you to follow the example set by the New Zealand’s largest retailer, NZ Warehouse Group, in upholding Corporate Social Responsibility and ethical corporate leadership, by removing these games.

This would also set an example to other stockists of GTA V.

Please put ethics before profits and make a strong statement that you do not condone sexual violence, sexual exploitation or the abuse of women as ‘entertainment’.

Nicole, Claire and Kat


"They don't gotta burn the books, they just remove 'em," indeed. This is some real bullshit on parade, especially considering the fact that the stores stocked the game for well over a year. Beyond that, Australia already has an R rating equivalent for games with graphic content, so it's not as if this is being sold to lil' Mikeys left and right. If people don't want to buy the game, awesome, but to refuse to sell it altogether? Crikey, mate.

At least the petition's good for a laugh.


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## purupuru (Dec 4, 2014)

Get over it clown. Target is a private business and as such they have the right to carry or not carry any product they want. As a manager of a retail store I had to make these types of calls all the time and no books were ever harmed in the process.


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## Veho (Dec 4, 2014)

Gahars said:


> 2005 called, they wanted to remind us that they ain't no hollaback girl. Also, they want their moral panic back.


I thought 2005 was about the general violence in the game, not violence against women specifically.


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## Tom Bombadildo (Dec 4, 2014)

Meh. So Target loses a little business, not much harm in it other than some whiny mothers get to feel good I guess. With digital distribution and online shopping nowadays, this won't affect jack.


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## Gahars (Dec 4, 2014)

purupuru said:


> Get over it clown. Target is a private business and as such they have the right to carry or not carry any product they want. As a manager of a retail store I had to make these types of calls all the time and no books were ever harmed in the process.


 
Of course they're a private business, but a company being pressured into removing a game (or movie, book, etc.) over false outrage is still, you know, concerning. GTA V is a big game, it'll be fine, but it sets a bad precedent; the next developer might not be so large or capable of weathering through.

If as many people opposed the game as the petition claims, then they could simply refuse to buy the game and the market would take care of the problem. Instead, they want to dictate what other adults spend their money on over claims that are simply false or, at best, extremely misleading. I don't know about you, but I find that objectionable.

Also, where did I say books were harmed? I think you misread my Bulls on Parade joke.



Veho said:


> I thought 2005 was about the general violence in the game, not violence against women specifically.


 
Eh, tomato, tomahto.


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## Thesolcity (Dec 4, 2014)

INB4 every major retail outlet in Australia follows suit, leading to a nationwide ban of the game.


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## Veho (Dec 4, 2014)

Gahars said:


> Eh, tomato, tomahto.


One of those complaints has merit (_very _little, but some nonetheless), the other is hypocritical bullshit.


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## Catastrophic (Dec 4, 2014)

"It's a game that encourages players to murder women for entertainment."

It's a game that encourages players to murder *everything *for entertainment. That's been a common theme for every single GTA game up till this point. This is why nobody takes social justice warriors seriously.


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## jonthedit (Dec 4, 2014)

Solution : GTA VI : Social Warrior's Revenge.


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## Trevor Belmont (Dec 4, 2014)

I can't wait to get a copy just so I can kill people for fun!
I mean, enjoy my video game...

P.S. Don't tell my mom.


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## RevPokemon (Dec 4, 2014)

Honestly here is my problem with acts like thus. They act like video games are making people violent while not considering other media. For example sure GTA has stuff that's not OK in real life but so does movies (Godfather which is considered one of the greatest movies ever is also extremely violent) music (listen to rap you hear the b word, n word and often lyrics with violence) and books (Stepehen King anyone) yet many people is the media and what not act like video games are the only form of media that has violence when in fact its been around forever in other types of media.


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## Tom Bombadildo (Dec 4, 2014)

RevPokemon said:


> Honestly here is my problem with acts like thus. They act like video games are making people violent while not considering other media. For example sure GTA has stuff that's not OK in real life but so does movies (Godfather which is considered one of the greatest movies ever is also extremely violent) music (listen to rap you hear the b word, n word and often lyrics with violence) and books (Stepehen King anyone) yet many people is the media and what not act like video games are the only form of media that has violence when in fact its been around forever in other types of media.


 
And movies and TV shows and books and music and the internet have all gotten the same treatment and have survived. Video games are just the new scapegoat when all the rest failed. Next it'll be all about those dirty "brain wave transmission units!" and whatever other technology people want to blame their problems on.


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## redact (Dec 4, 2014)

Kmart has now followed and pulled it too.

Rip australia. We're not mature enough for that R18 rating we fought years to get ;-;


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## RevPokemon (Dec 4, 2014)

Tom Bombadildo said:


> And movies and TV shows and books and music and the internet have all gotten the same treatment and have survived. Video games are just the new scapegoat when all the rest failed. Next it'll be all about those dirty "brain wave transmission units!" and whatever other technology people want to blame their problems on.


 
Not sure about new as people in politics and the media have stated that video games caused people to become sociopathes ever since Columbine



mercluke said:


> Kmart has now followed and pulled it too.
> 
> Rip australia. We're not mature enough for that R18 rating we fought years to get ;-;


Also forgot Australia is pretty bad bout censorship of games think the censored

South park stick of truth

Left for dead

Overkill

And many other games


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## BlackKnight666 (Dec 4, 2014)

LOL. Excuse my language, but this is just fucking stupid. Where abouts in the game does it tell you to go out on the street and beat the crap out of women? Nowhere? That's what i thought.


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## Trevor Belmont (Dec 4, 2014)

BlackKnight666 said:


> LOL. Excuse my language, but this is just fucking stupid. Where abouts in the game does it tell you to go out on the street and beat the crap out of women? Nowhere? That's what i thought.


 

I guess identification cards, the ESRB rating system AND parenting aren't good enough these days.
Such a shame and a waste. Tsk-tsk-tsk!


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## Hells Malice (Dec 4, 2014)

We should inform Australia that there are many, many games with freedom of choice. It's not even graphic in GTA. In Fallout 3 you can blow a chicks head off and teabag the headless corpse while doing copious amounts of drugs. Bit worse than GTA i'd say.

On second thought lets_ not_ tell Australia.


Either way importing and digital purchases basically just mean the stores are losing sales for basically no reason. Their loss honestly.


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## The Catboy (Dec 4, 2014)

Australia removed a GTA game? I'm _sooooooo_ shocked


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## Nathan Drake (Dec 4, 2014)

Hells Malice said:


> We should inform Australia that there are many, many games with freedom of choice. It's not even graphic in GTA. In Fallout 3 you can blow a chicks head off and teabag the headless corpse while doing copious amounts of drugs. Bit worse than GTA i'd say.


That reminds me: in New Vegas, I got the first chick who gives you quests out in the middle of nowhere, chopped off her dog's head with a machete, then met her violent response by chopping off her head with the same machete and teabagging the corpse. This is why I can't play games like this.


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## RevPokemon (Dec 4, 2014)

Australia does not have explicit freedom of speech in any constitutional or statutory declaration of rights, with the exception of political speech which is protected from criminal prosecution at common law per Australian Capital Television Pty Ltd v Commonwealth.


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## HBK (Dec 4, 2014)

You can kill men too, but hey everything is fine there, right? Women are obviously weak and can't defend themselves, so let's ban a game for shits and giggles. Maybe that will decrease domestic violence rates!

/s


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## SavvyTaco (Dec 4, 2014)

Are you shitting my fuck? I'm so mad right now. It's just like that one anon said: 



Spoiler


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## Last_Seraph (Dec 4, 2014)

One of the companies in New Zealand also recently removed R-18 games, movies, music and literature from shelves. While GTA V was the main culprit behind this decision, instead of removing just one game and monitoring any other R-18 content, the decision was just made to get rid of R-18 content altogether so the company can present a more 'family friendly' image. Here's a link for further reading.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/63487424/the-warehouse-to-pull-r18-games-dvds


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## aiat_gamer (Dec 4, 2014)

HBK said:


> You can kill men too, but hey everything is fine there, right? Women are obviously weak and can't defend themselves, so let's ban a game for shits and giggles. Maybe that will decrease domestic violence rates!
> 
> /s


 
But of course, it is sexist if it is only against women, who gives a shit about men getting killed! The mind of a feminist is a very weird place.


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## Taleweaver (Dec 4, 2014)

> Games like this are grooming yet another generation of boys to tolerate violence against women


 
Erm...isn't GTA V a mature game? 

I also put question marks on roughly a dozen other things mentioned in the poll, but I haven't played the game myself so can't really comment on it.

What I want to know from target is the following: they mention it's CUSTOMERS who have concerns with the game's content. So exactly how many people (adults, mind you, as children aren't allowed to play it) returned their copy stating that it didn't contain the content they thought they were going to get?


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## DJPlace (Dec 4, 2014)

has i would say.

Good day MATE!!

and also this sucks for people living there.


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## Essometer (Dec 4, 2014)

So what do we learn from this?
Violence against men is o.k, but violence against woman is not o.k.
This concept is called gender equality.


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## spotanjo3 (Dec 4, 2014)

I am glad that they made a right decision. This game is cruel and disgusting.


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## tbb043 (Dec 4, 2014)

purupuru said:


> Get over it clown. Target is a private business and as such they have the right to carry or not carry any product they want. As a manager of a retail store I had to make these types of calls all the time and no books were ever harmed in the process.



Target has the right to act stupidly, true, but we have the right to be able call them out on their stupidity. If you pulled things from the shelves just because a few assholes complained, well, you're part of the problem, not the solution.


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## Kippykip (Dec 5, 2014)

This is bullshit
I kill everyone equally


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## Trevor Belmont (Dec 5, 2014)

If only my boss was in the game, then I'd kill his ass too.
Oops! Don't tell my mom...


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## DJPlace (Dec 5, 2014)

i think i know where the WWE gets this shit from...


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## einstein95 (Dec 5, 2014)

The Dark Seraphi said:


> One of the companies in New Zealand also recently removed R-18 games, movies, music and literature from shelves. While GTA V was the main culprit behind this decision, instead of removing just one game and monitoring any other R-18 content, the decision was just made to get rid of R-18 content altogether so the company can present a more 'family friendly' image. Here's a link for further reading.
> 
> http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/63487424/the-warehouse-to-pull-r18-games-dvds


I was just browsing this thread wondering if someone would bring that up. Oh well, we still have EB Games, JB Hi-Fi and Dick Smith at least.


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## Last_Seraph (Dec 5, 2014)

einstein95 said:


> I was just browsing this thread wondering if someone would bring that up. Oh well, we still have EB Games, JB Hi-Fi and Dick Smith at least.


 
As well as online retailers as well such as Nzgameshop and Mightyape.


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## GHANMI (Dec 5, 2014)

Essometer said:


> So what do we learn from this?
> Violence against men is o.k, but violence against woman is not o.k.
> This concept is called gender equality.


 
They call this "benevolent sexism". "Benevolent racism" exists as well.
Some people do in fact, unironically, advocate for racism/sexism (or sometimes plain hate towards anyone not agreeing with them) as a means for "(social) justice" and fixing "injustices". It's sickeningly close to what a certain nation around WW2 did towards people of some religions, or even eastern European "impure" ethnicities, as a mean to fix a hypothetical "privilege" they had over the population by the sole virtue of being of said group, regardless of economical status or basic human individuality.



Ah, the good old mantra "i don't like this, it shouldn't exist". Or how they immediately after campaigning so hard to get games like GTA and Dragon Crown and Bayonetta (as well as Mario/Zelda with "problematic" princess representations) come to the defensive "the ban is the natural thing to do." "their own decision" "this is freedom"
Except the difference here is the so-called videogame journalism is heading the charge against the entertainment medium, and no longer Jack Thompson.


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## Guild McCommunist (Dec 5, 2014)

The Dark Seraphi said:


> One of the companies in New Zealand also recently removed R-18 games, movies, music and literature from shelves. While GTA V was the main culprit behind this decision, instead of removing just one game and monitoring any other R-18 content, the decision was just made to get rid of R-18 content altogether so the company can present a more 'family friendly' image. Here's a link for further reading.
> 
> http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/63487424/the-warehouse-to-pull-r18-games-dvds


 

So... they make a new rating so Australia can get graphic video games but still protect their children from accessing them but then just pull games of that rating anyway?

Seems a bit... useless?

I mean I don't think we should be selling GTA V at Toys R Us but there's a rating in place to ensure as a consumer you know what the game contains.


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## RevPokemon (Dec 5, 2014)

Guild McCommunist said:


> So... they make a new rating so Australia can get graphic video games but still protect their children from accessing them but then just pull games of that rating anyway?
> 
> Seems a bit... useless?
> 
> I mean I don't think we should be selling GTA V at Toys R Us but there's a rating in place to ensure as a consumer you know what the game contains.


Why not?
 They have a lot of stuff at TRU that I personally won't say is for kids (family guy DVDs, robot chicken figures, m rated games and etc.)


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## Last_Seraph (Dec 6, 2014)

Guild McCommunist said:


> So... they make a new rating so Australia can get graphic video games but still protect their children from accessing them but then just pull games of that rating anyway?
> 
> Seems a bit... useless?
> 
> I mean I don't think we should be selling GTA V at Toys R Us but there's a rating in place to ensure as a consumer you know what the game contains.


 
Note that New Zealand and Australia have a different rating system. I'm a bit bitter at Marvelous EU over this, but that's on another issue altogether. It's a pretty rare occurrence when a game gets pulled off the shelves here. But I think complaints wouldn't be happening if some parents were responsible enough to monitor what they buy for their children and what they're playing. Working in the company featured in the stuff.co.nz link I posted earlier, companies can face a hefty fine if you're caught selling games to people under the restricted age and I'd rather not risk my job over selling GTAV to 13 year old little Timmy.


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## einstein95 (Dec 6, 2014)

Australia tends to be more strict than New Zealand.


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## Taleweaver (Dec 6, 2014)

The Dark Seraphi said:


> One of the companies in New Zealand also recently removed R-18 games, movies, music and literature from shelves. While GTA V was the main culprit behind this decision, instead of removing just one game and monitoring any other R-18 content, the decision was just made to get rid of R-18 content altogether so the company can present a more 'family friendly' image. Here's a link for further reading.
> 
> http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/63487424/the-warehouse-to-pull-r18-games-dvds


 
I'm not familiar with "The Warehouse" (I assume that's the brand name). Is that a local toy store or warehouse, specifically aimed at kids? (sort of the local equivalent of Toys 'R us in the US, or Bart Smit here in Belgium)

If so...I can understand that store clerks are fed up that parents continue to think that games are for kids and learn the fallacy of that thought the hard way. But if they sell stuff for grown-ups, they should really consider getting a different rayon for adult games*. The average age of computer gamers is increasing, so it's more future-proof...




*the stupid thing is that currently "adult games" refer to games that are about sexuality, rather than it being actually dealing with mature content (among which sexuality).


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## Bladexdsl (Dec 6, 2014)

Taleweaver said:


> I'm not familiar with "The Warehouse" (I assume that's the brand name). Is that a local toy store or warehouse, specifically aimed at kids? (sort of the local equivalent of Toys 'R us in the US, or Bart Smit here in Belgium)


not even close think of it as a giant discount store that sells really cheap (and cheap made) crap. it went bankrupt in Australia now it's only in NZ


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## einstein95 (Dec 7, 2014)

Bladexdsl said:


> not even close think of it as a giant discount store that sells really cheap (and cheap made) crap. it went bankrupt in Australia now it's only in NZ


Also known as "New Zealand's K-Mart/Target", except we have K-Mart too.


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## Taleweaver (Dec 7, 2014)

Bladexdsl said:


> not even close think of it as a giant discount store that sells really cheap (and cheap made) crap. it went bankrupt in Australia now it's only in NZ


 
Okay...so... that Mark Powell quote ("Look The Warehouse never traditionally sold R18 products and it was part of our brand position and it crept in in the 2000s") isn't exactly something that the average customer would agree on?

It sure does sound strange, btw. If you reword it a bit, it actually says "we never sold stuff aimed at adults.......except for like the last ten year or so".


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## Kippykip (Dec 8, 2014)

The "remove the bible" target petition has beaten the original petition


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## Gahars (Dec 8, 2014)

Kippykip said:


> The "remove the bible" target petition has beaten the original petition


 

*tips the scales*


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## RevPokemon (Dec 8, 2014)

On August 29th, 2014, the uncensored version  of left 4 dead was passed with an R18+ so whats the problem with GTA?


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## LightyKD (Dec 8, 2014)

Kippykip said:


> The "remove the bible" target petition has beaten the original petition


 
Petition signed!


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## RevPokemon (Dec 9, 2014)

Interesting

Also the target USA website sells multiple versions of the bible but target au sells no version of the bible.


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## Gahars (Dec 9, 2014)

RevPokemon said:


> Interesting
> 
> Also the target USA website sells multiple versions of the bible but target au sells no version of the bible.


 

Well, the point wasn't to actually ban the Bible, but to show how meaningless and outrageous. these sorts of surveys can be. If anything, this only strengthens the point.


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## RevPokemon (Dec 9, 2014)

Gahars said:


> Well, the point wasn't to actually ban the Bible, but to show how meaningless and outrageous. these sorts of surveys can be. If anything, this only strengthens the point.


I know and I do agree GTA V should be sold also why do they sell other things with worse depictions of violence and what not.


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## DarkFlare69 (Dec 9, 2014)

LOL, Target shoppers are being total pussys overreacting.


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## RevPokemon (Dec 9, 2014)

DarkFlare69 said:


> LOL, Target shoppers are being total pussys overreacting.


Not really a lot of it is the lobbyist as both the labour (which is the liberal party) and Conservative party leader have supported the ban and censorship in games.


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## redact (Dec 9, 2014)

)


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## RevPokemon (Dec 9, 2014)

Honestly Australia is basically like early 90's america in terms of video game censorship.


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