From prison cells to neon streets, rooftop parties to illegal break-ins, raucousMaking a harsh and loud noise. music, flamingos, alligators and unrealistically fast cars, Grand Theft Auto's sixth instalment is a veritableUsed for emphasis: complete, definite. feast for the eyes.

It promises everything that fans have been waiting a full decade for. By 2025, players will be able to immerse themselves in Florida's fictional Vice City from the perspective of the game's lead, ex-convict Lucia.

The latest instalment will boast a female lead for the first time in the history of the series. Not too long ago, a columnist described women as the "wallpaper" of Grand Theft Auto (GTA), constantly pushed to the margins and deprived of any subjectivityIndividuality, ability to define themselves..¹ Now, female fans will finally see themselves represented.

It is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, and it only seems to be getting more popular. The last game alone, Grand Theft Auto V, has sold more than 190 million copies of the series' more than 400 million overall sales. It has generated more than £6.3bn in revenue for its publisher, Take-Two.

But it is also one of the most controversial. GTA has an adult rating for themes of violence, drug abuse and more, but the prevalence of children among its players is an open secret.

Video games, especially of the violent kind, get a bad press. Many believe they encourage their audience, particularly young people, to take up violent and illegal activities, mimicking what they have learned at the controller.

After all, a significant proportion of gamers is made up of young people. A study from 2022 showed that at least a quarter of gamers is between 10 and 20 years of age, with many favouring games with mature or adult themes.

The debate long precedes video games. A 1954 book written by German-American psychiatrist Frederic Wertham sparked a widespread moral panicA widespread, often irrational fear over the future of a society's values, interests or security. after it claimed that comic books were causing juvenile delinquencyWhen a young person habitually commits criminal acts. through their graphic depictions of violence.

Wertham later moved onto other forms of popular mass media, writing that television was making violence into a "casual commonplace of daily living [...] killing is as common as taking a walk."

But Wertham's work was later criticised for manipulating, sometimes even fabricating, evidence. Modern psychiatrists believe that there is simply not enough research to draw any conclusions about the impact of violence in mass media, including video games.

It does seem intuitive that carrying out violence in an interactive game might start to bleed into real life. The American public concluded as such after the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 in Colorado, when it transpired that the perpetrators of the attack, who killed twelve fellow students, were video game enthusiasts.

But many studies have found no correlation at all, whilst others have suggested that gaming may even have positive effects. Some studies suggest that certain games actually boost children's ability to empathise.²

Meanwhile, some researchers have found that 3D games can improve the functioning of the hippocampusA ridge of grey matter tissue in the brain associated with memory. , which helps with learning and memory. Others theorise that video games aid mental agility and strategic thinking.³

Yes: Games like GTA give people the opportunity to experience a different side of life without any of the risks. It is pure imagination and fantasy, like reading a book.

No: There may not be conclusive evidence either way yet, but nobody can deny that partaking in gratuitous violence, drug use and other crimes on screen could bleed into real life.

Or... The issue entirely depends on the context. The game is meant to be restricted to adults who can understand its themes without copying them, but instead children are playing. This is the real problem.