GTA 5 and Its Real-Life Effects: GTA players enjoy the game, according to Reddit threads, precisely because of this freedom to commit crime and let loose, to take part in actions that they are prevented to commit by common law.

One key point is the fact that these choices are even given to players, that players can hire a sex worker, murder her, and take their money back, the fact that players are always male, and women are only strippers, wives and girlfriends, or citizens that can be murdered or hurt in the game. Thus, the game doesn’t depict these events as happening or part of the narrative of the game, but rather create an option for players to participate in the problem itself.

"The results were that Dr. Suziedelyte found no evidence that violence against other people increases after a new violent video game is released. Parents reported, however, that children were more likely to destroy things after playing violent video games."

"Commenting on the results, Suziedelyte said that: “Taken together, these results suggest that violent video games may agitate children, but this agitation does not translate into violence against other people -- which is the type of violence which we care about most.”"

The first occurred in 2014, where Eldon Samuel III, aged 14, killed his dad and brother. He reportedly confessed to pre-planning the murder based on Grand Theft Auto V’s character Trevor, who he idolised.

The second occurred in 2016, where teens in Melbourne stole cars and said they were inspired by Grand Theft Auto. However, it is difficult to determine whether or not Grand Theft Auto V was a direct influence, or if journalists have simply deemed each crime to be “similar” to missions in the game.

"On the contrary, some researchers have argued that rather than contributing to crime, violent video games have reduced crime. The theory is supported by evidence that shows that in the weeks following popular video game releases, crime rates decrease."

"Games like Grand Theft Auto can be used as a release for aggression and frustration so that actual expressions of aggressive and violent behaviour are reduced."

Although we used a comprehensive test battery consisting of questionnaires and computerised behavioural tests assessing aggression, impulsivity-related constructs, mood, anxiety, empathy, interpersonal competencies and executive control functions, we did not find relevant negative effects in response to violent video game playing. In fact, only three tests of the 208 statistical tests performed showed a significant interaction pattern that would be in line with this hypothesis. Since at least ten significant effects would be expected purely by chance, we conclude that there were no detrimental effects of violent video gameplay.