Several transphobic content has obviously been removed from the PS5 and Xbox Series versions of GTA V. It was about time, almost ten years after the release of the original game.
In September 2021, the association Out Making Games, which helps LGBTQ+ people in the video game sector, published an open letter to Rockstar Games. In it, she implored the studio to remove transphobic content from GTA Vbrought to light by a Kotaku article published a few days before.
Journalist Carolyn Petit depicted a game carrying annoying stereotypes, like prostitutes wearing vulgar makeup and sporting an excessive bulge in the crotch. She had even come across a YouTube video in which a player had fun brutalizing these trans characters for free.
The lobbying of Out Making Games has obviously been heard.
In a press release published on April 18, the association is pleased to see that several transphobic content has been removed from the most recent versions of GTA V. Originally launched in 2013 on PS3 and Xbox 360, Rockstar Games’ blockbuster has recently been treated to a re-release on PS5, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. Beyond the expected graphical improvements, there have therefore been these welcome changes, which Rockstar Games has yet to publicly comment on.
No more transphobic GTA V?
” GTA V is a hugely popular game with millions of players worldwide, and this development can have a big impact on how people view transgender people. says Out Making Games.
A first change was spotted on April 6 by Reddit user JayProspero. Captures in support, it shows that a figurine from the fictitious Captain Spacetoy collection has disappeared. His particuliarity ? You could change your genitals. In a tweet posted on April 8Kirsty Cloud, administrator of a large GTA community, indicates that the trans characters of GTA V, who can also be perceived as drag queens, now only appear in an area around a nightclub (Cockatoos). So much proof that prompted Out Making Games to finally applaud Rockstar Games.
” GTA V is a very popular game and this evolution can have a big impact on how people view transgender people »
In this article published by BuzzFeed in 2013 and titled “ Grand Theft Auto V Is Just As Transphobic As You’d Expert ” (is ” Unsurprisingly, GTA V is transphobic “), we can come across several shocking lines of dialogue, spoken by the heroes of the game. ” Good morning sir. I mean… ma’am. Finally, no matter “, loose for example Michael when Franklin can say: “ Hey, you should keep taking your hormones! These insulting phrases would also have been removed.
Of course, the GTA saga is known for being raw, violent and satirical. She has shown her ability to make fun of anything and everything and to offend people’s consciences. No doubt excessively, sometimes. Rockstar Games tends to push the clichés a little too much and pass them through the prism of humor, neglecting the impact that this could have on the people directly concerned.
This lack of dosage has sometimes played tricks on the developers. In Australia, the Target brand had withdrawn GTA V of sale for his treatment of women. In another register, any representation of the Confederate flag — a symbol of slavery and racism — has been removed (examples: in GTA Vthen in the compilation GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition).
Rockstar Games will certainly have to show more subtlety to GTA 6 (Where GTA VI), under penalty of provoking, once again, legitimate outcry. Less sexism, less xenophobia for a GTA better and more in line with contemporary expectations in society.