Grand Theft Auto 5 Degrades Female Characters With Misogynistic Roles, Say Critics

By Justin Sarachik, Christian Post Reporter Friday, October 04, 2013

Grand Theft Auto 5 may be the best selling video game of all time, but it is not without its controversy. Themes in the game range from violence, drugs, sex and even torture, and now one writer feels the game is degrading to women.

"There has also been much discussion about how GTAV treats women. That GTAV is misogynistic is an eminently defensible position. Women in the game are either bit-part players or set dressing: strippers to throw money at, prostitutes to pick up," said Tom Hoggins in The Telegraph.

The author makes the point of GTA taking place in a hyper-masculine world where problems are solved through guns, robberies, and crime. The main characters are male, and the woman are there to serve as the eye candy and filler in the background. The woman of GTA have no significance to the plot of the game other than being a character of "loose" tendencies.

Carolyn Petit of GameSpot reviewed the game, but commenters called her a "moron" who had no business reviewing the game simply because of her sex.

In Petit's review, she called the game "politically muddled and profoundly misogynistic."

Hoggins suggested that perhaps Rockstar Games used the company's future download plans to include a female lead to even the playing field. However, it is unclear whether this suggestion will fall on deaf ears.

The game recently came under fire for a graphic torture scene involving two of the characters.

"Rockstar North has crossed a line by effectively forcing people to take on the role of a torturer and perform a series of unspeakable acts if they want to achieve success in the game," Freedom From Torture chief executive Keith Best told The Guardian.

In the aforementioned scene, the player is allowed to pick different instruments to inflict pain on a suspected terrorist under the instruction of an FBI agent. At one point during the gruesome game play, the gamer is given the option of bringing the terrorist back to life with adrenaline if their heart stops.