Videogames let players simulate being almost anyone: a battle-hardened soldier ( Call of Duty), a boy navigating his father’s alcohol addiction ( Papo & Yo), and even a god ( Populous). But a disturbing hack involving sexual assault in Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA5) threatens to achieve the impossible: swaying the opinion of gamers themselves. Are video games societal microcosms wherein deviant behaviour flourishes and spills into “real life”? Or are they just harmless fun in which nobody really gets hurt? This endless debate usually concerns violent games so much so that many are now inured to the discussion.
