Is GTA for Normies? Are Retro Gamers Being Weird on Purpose?

I wonder how other people play GTA. I have to admit that I have enjoyed several of these games but it’s been mostly for the story. Without the story and light role play elements, I would’ve jumped ship very early on all of them. It’s essentially like playing a crime drama / movie, although they often veer on parody. Like, you can see clear inspirations from Scarface and The Godfather and probably other crime movies that I’ve never watched (it’s not really my preferred genre).

I get this impression that most people who play GTA play it to cause mayhem. Maybe I’m wrong; maybe I’m being elitist. It’s just the kind of impression I’ve gotten. It’s essentially the same kind of thing as Red Dead Redemption or Spider-Man (the open world ones). The subject matter seems very popular, especially in the US where criminality sometimes seems romanticized (which is funny considering how the message of most crime dramas is that crime is never worth it).