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Gamers going Grand Theft Auto crazy

Grand_Theft_Auto_VThe much anticipated Grand Theft Auto V was released on Sept. 17. After a 5 year wait, GTA super fans went crazy over the new game. Although there is a campaign mode where players are sent on missions, the game has no real rules. Players can do whatever they want; whether it’s blow up a cop or play a friendly game of tennis.

Rockstar Gaming clearly wasn’t ready for the masses regarding GTA Online. The online multiplayer mode is included free with every single copy of the game, but it wasn’t launched until Oct. 1, two weeks after the game was released.

President of Rockstar North, Leslie Benzies, explained the reason for the delay was to allow users to adjust to the new system since the game is much more advanced than the preceding GTA.

“We don’t want to overdo it. It’s a complex system. That’s another reason for the two week delay between single-player and Online. We want to give people an opportunity to actually get their heads around what’s happened, because even single-player is a big advancement from the old game. There’s a lot of new things to learn.” Benzies said.

The delay sent many frustrated GTA users into a frenzy venting their frustrations on twitter and YouTube. Complaining that giving everyone a chance to beat the campaign wasn’t fair and that a billion dollar company should have been better prepared for the millions of users.

The game has also had heavy influence on some users yearning to have a real life GTA experience. Auburn University lacrosse player, Zachary Burgess was charged with kidnapping and theft of a motor vehicle.

According to the police report, Burgess jumped into a running truck while the driver had stepped away but his female passenger was still inside. Monique Jiarusso was then held captive in the vehicle before jumping out.

“I think I was lucky to get out, I didn’t think I was going to be able to get out… He wasn’t listening to me. He was ignoring me. It was like he was in a whole other world. Honestly, it was the weirdest thing. He had rage in his eyes.” Jiarusso said.

Jiarusso was not hurt during the incident. Burgess also allegedly slammed into several parked cars. L’Jean Mckneely of the Baton Rouge Police Department took his statement.

“One of his statements was that, he wanted to see what it was to be a Grand Theft Auto individual, what it felt like. I guess to take a car and strike several vehicles at a high rate of speed.” Mckneely said.

In this instance Burgess failed to distinguish the game from reality. But most users would rather confine the parameters of the game to their console.

Grand Theft Auto V has only been out for about a month and it has rocked the charts. For players, part of thrill is the endless possibilities of what you can do. The game easily hit $1 billion within the first week and reviewers love it. Rockstar has really outdone themselves with this one.

Written by Dominique Barrett

Dominique was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. She moved to San Diego her freshman year and started off high school as a Sundevil. She's played volleybal for the school since she's been here and is now on Varsity, she also joined staff as a sophomore. By her junior year she was appointed to the News editor. Another accomplishment would be when she was chosen to be a Sundevil Standout her sophomore year. Dominique has had a colorful Sundevil experience and looks forward to many more.

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