Rockstar’s newest open-world thriller and the latest addition to the famed franchise, Grand Theft Auto 5 has made a few enemies and dealt with a few problems on the way. However, problems are bound to get weirder when a Scottish border town blames you for tarnishing their reputation.
As weird as that may sound, according to reports, a Scottish border town is worried that Grand Theft Auto 5 many spoil their reputation in the world’s eyes. The town, known as Hawick, also shares a name with a character in GTA 5 who has been portrayed as a “druggie hipster”.
In a recent interview related to the matter, local councilor David Paterson told BBC: “I am absolutely disgusted - there is a lot of history and a lot of good things happening in the town. We have got a lot of good things planned for this coming year. It is going to destroy the good reputation of the town."
Although the councilor said he did not play computer games, he confirmed that he knew there were millions of young people who would buy the game and play it.
Apparently, the councilor is so bent upon as to what people will “perceive” from the game, he was disgusted by the fact that Rockstar had picked his “lovely town” of Hawick to feature in the game.
“It is perceptions, it is how people will perceive the town. They might perceive Hawick in a bad light and Hawick is a lovely place - a lot of people are very, very proud of Hawick," he added.
Hawick Member of Scottish Parliament John Lamont added, “I, like many other Hawick residents, was shocked to hear that the name of the town had been used in Grand Theft Auto V. Not only is it a game which includes violence, sex and drugs, but the game’s producers themselves describe the area of Hawick in the game as having a ‘drug addict hipster vibe’.”
“While some may take the view that any publicity is good publicity, I am sure that many local residents will see this as an insensitive move from Rockstar North,” while also adding, “They clearly do not know Hawick well, and that is why I have invited them to meet with me at my office on the town’s High Street. Hawick is one of the most beautiful towns in Scotland and I am sure that by showing them the town and telling them of its proud history they will realize the mistake they have made.”
Grand Theft Auto 5 saw a worldwide release on Sept. 17 this year. Don't count on a "Glasgow smile" DLC.
