September 17, 2013 wasn’t just a typical day for gamers at VHS.   It was the day the new version of Grand Theft Auto, the game’s fifth version, was released. Stores all around the world opened at midnight for the releasing of this game, which made over 800 million dollars on its launch date.

VHS freshmen student Robert Farley was willing to do whatever it took for him to get the new game the night of its release.  He made his older sister, senior Catherine Farley take him to go pick up the new game.  Fans of the game were willing to go to extremes to get this new game, some driving two hours to find a store that had it, others waiting in three-hour lines.   Some students at VHS that had bought the game admitted to missing school after its release to play it.

This game is supposed to be bigger and better than all the other Grand Theft Auto games the company has released. GTA V has the advantages of being able to switch between three different characters. The game in general is supposed to be a lot more lifelike, its players’ characters having special skill sets which make the game that much more interesting.

Aside from the release on September 17, an online version was released on October 4. On the day this came out, there were so many problems with the actual online game and so many complaints about the software, the company decided to shut down the game for a short period.

One game, VHS junior Mike Gibson, explained what he liked and disliked about the game. He liked the three characters instead of one, but said the cops in the game aren’t that great. “It’s awesome that there’s nice cars, and weapons in this game that are better than they have been in past GTA games.”

Throughout its history, this game has been accused of corrupting its gamers, glamorizing violence, and even inciting real life crimes. There have been no proven studies of these accusations, but controversy still continues to follow GTA.