I just don't understand the appeal. I get to play as a dick, steal cars, rob banks, murder pedestrians? No thanks...
I remember when GTA3 was released on the same day as The Two Towers. My friends berated me for buying The Lord of the Rings game instead of GTA. To this day I still believe it's one of the best decisions I ever made =)
Yeah, this is pretty much one of the biggest misconceptions you can have.
1. GTA is a satirical action comedy. Everything you can do it in is dripping with sardonicism and wit. The stuff people say, the missions you do, the actions you take - all a black mirror on our society.
2. It's free form sandbox game. You can hit people. Strippers exist in the game. If YOU choose to, you can go hit them. That's not the point of the game. The point is to play a character in this city.