Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games / YouTube
Since the trailer of GTA 6 dropped last Tuesday, fans have been sharing their love for it.
Hoping to bounce off the success of GTA V and GTA Online, Rockstar's new title is riding high on expectations.
Despite a few leaks - and only about a minute of footage - GTA 6 is already anticipated to be a major hit.
However, it's not the first time the Grant Theft Auto franchise has been met with angry and controversial viewers, especially parents. The mature content of the games has been an ongoing point of conflict - with many deeming them unsuitable for children - and disagreeing with the entire idea of the games altogether.
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Now, GTA VI is facing the same online uproar.
Thousands of posts have been made on X regarding people's negative views of the game's trailer. So much so, that there's been a trending hashtag of '#BanGTA6' swarming the platform.
A common theme of the posts is concerned parents worried about kids stumbling across the trailer and wanting to play the game - or at the very least, having friends that will.
X has been overwhelmed with angry viewers posting: 'WE NEED TO BAN GTA6!
CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE PLAYING THIS GAME!!!'
And other posts read: 'WE NEED TO BAN GTA6!
CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE PLAYING THIS GAME!!!'
There's much debate as to whether video games can influence a young mind's perspective of the world. Regardless, the GTA franchise has a strict age rating for this very reason. And Rockstar have defended their argument with every game in the GTA franchise labelled with an M rating.
In saying that, there's seems to be a lot of misunderstanding amongst people that don't play the GTA franchise and those that are parents of those that do play GTA.
To the extent that there's even been an X Community Note attached to many of the #BanGTA6 posts saying: 'GTA is a franchise with high age rating - usually M - so it isn't a game focused to kids and shouldn't be banned for this. For example GTA V, the last game of the franchise has a rating of M.'
On the flip side, there are others trying to defend the GTA titles and opposing the ban. Mostly, on the grounds that it's unfair to judge a game on an audience it's not intended for. One commenter notes: 'It's not for children though. And all the people that were kids playing GTA V are now adults that are gonna be playing GTA VI.'
Another adds: 'It’s M for mature for adults not M for made for kids.'
All in all, it seems very unlikely that GTA 6 will face a boycott or ban from these viewers, as this is the typical controversy Rockstar is used to. Though, surely when the game officially drops into stores, the arguments will only intensify.
