“When it comes to boffo openings, forget ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ - think ‘Grand Theft Auto IV’” says variety.com’s Ben Fritz by way of introducing the concept that GTAIV may soon turn out to be the biggest entertainment launch in history!

But what the flip is a “boffo opening” when it’s at home, you’re probably asking. In this instance it’s around 6 million units and $400 million in revenues - which, fact fans, is a piffling £100 million more than the previous high achiever, Halo 3, managed last year.

But GTAIV isn’t even out yet, you say, so wherefore doth these gargantuan figures arise? The answer appears to be a combination of the game’s multiformat release coupled with existing retail orders, industry analyst predictions and a slice of good old-fashioned market confidence. As Blockbuster’s CEO, Jim Keyes, puts it he expects GTAIV will do “two times the volume” that Halo 3 did. Like, wowsers!

Now that’s a cultural phenomenon, for sure. But what, we wonder, does it say about society at large that so many millions of us are willing to invest our time, cash and energies into a product that allows us to indulge in random acts of casual brutality and criminal behaviour? Not to mention those now-infamous interactions with, er, ladies of the night. Ahem. Answers on a postcard etc…