What began as a disagreement between mother and son brought me into the controversial world of Grand Theft Auto. My 15 year old son desperately wants this game. All I hear are the stories of violence related to this game, which make this mother's heart tremble. So began the quest to back up my denials regarding his ownership of this game. The Grand Theft Auto game series has been surrounded by controversy, however research does not always support public opinion, as will be demonstrated in this article. Grand Theft Auto began in 1998 with its original title released for PlayStation One. The game was controversial from the start with many countries protesting and Brazil even going so far as to ban it. Interestingly, all this controversy caused the game's sales to skyrocket, and it became the best-selling PlayStation One game that year, with sales to date reaching over 65 million copies worldwide (Gamesradar.com) . graphics and were visually unappealing. The premise of the game was there with the goal of running over pedestrians, selling drugs, picking up prostitutes, stealing cars and escaping from the police. The games all have these themes in common, often set in realistic cities with music and dialogue. In October 2001 Rockstar North, the game's developer, released GTA III for PlayStation Two, with one big change, 3-D. Games now had a more realistic environment with the new system's more advanced memory. According to Gamesradar reviewers, "The city feels alive, almost real." This brand new game allows you to play in many different ways: as a driver for the rescue team, putting out fires with real fire... middle of paper... and with the use of drugs. The warning is right on the packaging. My son thought I would change my mind after doing this research, but I've found that this only solidifies it further. As with any form of entertainment, moderation is certainly important, but when it comes to children, parental warning about what they are doing is vital. Works Cited Colwell, J., Kato M. “Investigating the Relationship Between Social Isolation, Self-Esteem, Aggression, and Computer Games in Japanese Adolescents.” Asian Journal of Social Psychology (2003): 14-158. Magazine article.29 January 2012.UK, CVG. Game Radar. April 25, 2008. Web. January 29, 2012. Zin Teng, Scott, et al. “Grand Theft Auto IV comes to Singapore: Effects of repeated exposure to violent video games on aggression.” Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking 14.10 (2011): 597-602. Newspaper article. January 29th 2012.