But the only people who think it's bad haven't even played it. They only think it is violent because they only read articles or watch videos online that specifically explain how people shouldn't play it. Those articles were written by the same kind of people, and it perpetually continues in a path all the way to the original release of Grand Theft Auto, and the first person to think it was "Too violent".
Also Originally it was one of the first M-rated games released, therefore, it got more press acknowledgement than any other game. Because of that, all of its sequels got just as much, if not more, controversy as the original. If it hadn't come out before all of the other m-rated games, it would get much less acknowledgement than it does now.
Lastly, it isn't any worse than any other M-rated game. That's why it's rated M. Games are rated M based on their total amount of mature content. GTA lists a lot of types of mature content, but in reality, it has only a small amount of each one. But a game like Team Fortress 2 is rated M because it has lots of gore, a little swearing, but not much other mature content. If GTA is any worse than any other M-rated game, it would have a rating one step above M.
In conclusion, I think some people are wrong about the Grand Theft Auto series. I don't think it is bad, just misunderstood. I'd also like to know your opinions on it.