The soccer mom brigade has convinced major Australian retailer Target to pull Grand Theft Auto V from its store shelves.
Update: Kmart Australia (another major Australian retail chain) has joined with Target in removing the game from its store shelves nationwide, again stating the depiction of violence against women as its reasoning.
Original Story: Target Australia – which while eerily similar to Target America isn’t part of the same company – is one of Australia’s major retail chains, selling everything from clothes, to candy, to video games. But, as of December 3, you won’t be finding Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V, which was recently re-released for the PS4 and Xbox One, in the video game section. The reason? Target claims that many customers complained about the game’s “depiction 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,” Cooper said. “We’ve also had customer feedback in support of us selling the game, and we respect their perspective on the issue.”
“However, we feel the decision to stop selling GTA5 is in line with the majority view of our customers.”
Cooper added that Target will continue to sell other R-rated DVDs and games, stating that “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.”
So there you have it. Violence against women in R-rated movies = okay! Violence against women in R-rated video games = won’t someone please think of the children! Glad to see that Target can make the decision for me of what is appropriate for me to consume.
Source: Target Australia
