How GTA Saved my Life

Grand Theft Auto, or better known as GTA, has saved my life. Not in a kid-pulls-parents-out-of-an-upside-down-car way, but in a I-get-to-murder-steal-shoot-drive-fast way. I want to talk about the good that GTA has brought me, and hopefully car-jack some focus from the negatives that get thrown its way, and unwarrented negatives, GTA hasn’t even got one star.

GTA Saved Your Life?

I put one thing into the other…

Several years ago my mum passed away, to cancer, I was around 10 at this point. With nowhere to turn, or so I thought, I found this thing called a PlayStation 2 in my house, and then found this thing called Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas near it. I put one thing into the other (GTA has many innuendos so I put one here). I picked up the controller and I vented… and vented… and vented… then vented some more.

I know this is GTA V, but venting lead (well copper) is fun.

Anger, Depression, Hatred, Relief

Naturally one thing all humans get at the loss of someone close, is anger. We are angry at everything. I was no exception. I once had an open mind, but I was so angry I closed it to all things deity, I only have recently started opening it up again.

I needed somewhere to lash out without the repercussions. I found it…

I blamed and hated everyone and everything for my mums death. I lashed out at everyone which, for obvious reasons, didn’t end well for me, I got in trouble a lot. I needed somewhere to lash out without the repercussions. I found it, in the shape of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and later Grand Theft Auto: IV.

The games covers for GTA San Andreas and GTA IV.

I received anger counseling, as well as general counseling but that didn’t help as much as GTA did. Those helped me, but so did GTA.

Depression can lead to people doing some very stupid things, like attempted suicide or hurting ones self. Luckily instead of doing that in real life, I was at the point where I was thinking about it, I did it in GTA.

How Did GTA Save My Life Exactly?

…through GTA I could act as violent as I wanted without repercussions…

GTA has largely violent content, but what does it not have? If you guessed real life jail time you are correct. It also doesn’t have real deaths, real injuries or real anything. Well it does have one thing that is real, for me, it has stress and anger relief.

GTA allowed me to vent my anger, and thus lifting me from my depression, through GTA I could act as violent as I wanted without repercussions, I could run over helpless civilians, shoot police with guns I pulled out my arm pits. I could steal cars and crash planes. I could grab a jet, or tank and blow everything up jump of buildings. It didn’t matter what I did, what mattered is that I was happy, and not causing myself or anyone else any real harm.

GTA stopped me from committing suicide, it stopped me from attacking people they said something about my hair, nationality or anything else I didn’t like. And of course it allowed me to learn to control my anger, a skill which I now find invaluable.

I spent some of my time doing things like this.

I am now one of the most accepting, kind and happy people you will meet, or so I’ve been told. People often ask me how I always seem happy, I tell them:

“I’m not always happy, I just believe that I can always be happy.”

GTA gave me back my sanity, and for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you Rockstar for creating GTA and thank you GTA.