'GTA 5' Ban on Australia: Gamers Petition to Ban the Bible Too

Target and Kmart Australia caused a stir in the local gaming community when it pulled out from its store shelves "Grand Theft Auto V" as the video game allegedly contains depictions of violence against women.

Australian gamers have started a satirical petition to have the Bible banned as the book allegedly contains horrific violence against women too, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

The petition, posted on a blog site at Change.org on December 4, avers that Target should also consider withdrawing the Holy Bible from its store shelves since the book allegedly encourages readers to commit sexual violence and kill women, in an obvious parody of arguments over the banning of "GTA 5."

"This misogynistic book literally makes a game of bashing, killing and horrific violence against women. It also links sexual arousal and violence," reads the petition.

The Hollywood Reporter says that the petition has already attracted more than 20,000 signatures just one day after it was posted.

"The Change.org petition is the latest in a series of attacks by gamers Down Under designed to protest the ban by retailers Target and Kmart on 'Grand Theft Auto V,'' notes the report.

The Target and Kmart ban on the video game also stemmed from an online petition by almost 50,000 Aussies against "GTA 5" citing that the game is "misogynistic and responsible for fuelling the epidemic of violence experienced by so many girls and women in Australia," adds the Hollywood Reporter.

Change.org contends that if those were the reasons for the banning of the video game, the retailers should also do the same on the Bible as it claims that it's a book that encourages readers to murder women for entertainment.

The ban on "GTA 5" actually comes off as a bit misplaced since the video game has already been on sale in Australia for over a year already.

Australian gamers were also right on the money when they pointed out that the popular video game carries an R18+ rating, which means it cannot be sold to minors, observes The Hollywood Reporter.

Developed by Rockstar, "Grand Theft Auto V" is the best-selling video game in history. In a September 18, 2013 report of The Hollywood Reporter, the video game actually grossed US$800 million in sales within 24 hours following its launch on Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

Not counting the sales of "GTA 5" launched on November 18 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the game for the last-gen gaming consoles has since grossed close to $2 billion, notes report.