Muggings and robberies are never good news, but what's especially more unfortunate is when you can actually see just how likely such an event is.
A 23-year-old North West London man was slammed in the head with a brick and stabbed shortly after purchasing his copy of the hotly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V from a local Asda supermarket. Like many of us, the man was present as part of a midnight launch that several retailers were holding to provide customers with their copies as soon as possible.
The Telegraph reports that after getting his copy, "The 23-year-old was attacked as he made his way home from a supermarket in the early hours of this morning." Thankfully, the man was taken to a local hospital and as of this morning is reported to be in stable condition. Unfortunately, the police are still looking for the suspects thought to be responsible. Detectives have asked witnesses to contact Crimestoppers with any information on the attack. If any UK gamers happen to be reading this and have any information, you can reach out to Crimstoppers at this link.
To clarify, it's not because of the content or nature of the game that makes it seem like this was unfortunately going to happen somewhere, but rather, that this sort of thing is sadly becoming increasingly common with hotly anticipated products. You may recall hearing about various robberies during the launch of the PlayStation 3 in Oregon and Connecticut back in November of 2006. This is why I was a bit nervous standing in line at a local GameStop during its own midnight release. During the day, the parking lot is just that. But during the night, I admit I was a bit apprehensive walking back to my car with my GameStop bag and GTA poster in tow.
In light of this recent event, gamers should consider digital downloads as an alternative, and arguably safer option. With the launch of next-gen consoles also just around the corner, let's hope everyone tries to be safe.
Grand Theft Auto V is out now for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
