You called it something it wasn't, either because you misunderstood the definition or willfully misrepresented it. That was the argument. The game can be criticized in all sorts of ways, but "grift" makes no sense here, assuming they're doing what GTA V did and didn't come up with some crazy new scheme that hasn't been detailed yet. And even if the online mode was a deterrent to you, there's a whole other part of the game above and beyond the online mode where you never have to even see that stuff that could make the game worth playing, meaning it wouldn't be "just" a grift.

What makes you say that? What sort of things could they add that would make it better for you? I for one, would love the content that's in GTA online to be available in singleplayer.

Honestly, I'm not. Rockstar has changed their formula very little since 2008. But I don't exactly have a lot of options for crime stories anymore, and they've been telling good stories for just as long as they've had this format.