Playing GTA V Causes £8m of Damage

The joy of playing GTA is the ability to smash up, destroy at will and generally act like a lunatic for hours on end.

But what if, after all the fun and games have stopped, someone had to pick up the pieces and start repairing San Andreas back to its former glory? Experts at Allianz Insurance have estimated the 'real life' cost of the damage caused by playing the game, and it clocks in at a staggering £8m for an average 99 minute game - or £81,000 per minute.

They calculated the cost of every burnt-out car, destroyed helicopter and Molotov cocktail - and two particular events stood out: the two gas turbines crashing into each other head-on would cost £6.3m, and the destruction of a helicopter by a jet fighter (and the subsequent fall-out from debris landing in residential areas) would be a cool £1.3m.

Most sobering, it would take 500 years to pay back the bill, at £1,333 a month.

Maybe we'll just go for a quiet drive and stay out of trouble next time.