Photo via Rockstar North and Rockstar Games
Just over a decade ago, in Sept. 2013, video game developer Rockstar Games released “Grand Theft Auto V” (GTA V). The gaming industry would never be the same. As Screen Rant reported in 2018, the game achieved the status of being the single most profitable piece of entertainment ever, grossing over $6 billion. To be clear, this does include every single movie, album, book, or video game on record. GTA V was hailed as a technical marvel, released on the seventh-generation Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles.
The “Grand Theft Auto” franchise is a crime action video game series, with its multiple installments considered landmarks in video game design. Despite the record-breaking popularity of the 2013 release, fans had received no word on the timeline of the next game for over 10 years. However, a few weeks ago, on Nov. 8, Rockstar Games released a statement that blindsided everyone; In early Dec., we will finally get the first trailer for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game. Amidst the almost unbearable amount of hype that fans everywhere – including myself – have bottled up, now is a good time to take a look back and gain a deeper understanding of what makes the GTA franchise so beloved and culturally relevant. Let’s turn the clock back a decade for a reexamination of “Grand Theft Auto V.”
If there is a single concept that can define Rockstar’s worldbuilding philosophy, it’s satire. It is no matter of convenience or coincidence that all of their projects within the last 20 years have taken place in the United States. Since America is such a hegemonic superpower in our globalized world, the studio has a lot to say about the state of the U.S in a bold way. Rockstar is successful at creating a novel perspective on modern culture by juxtaposing a cast of career criminals and sociopaths against a wider civilization which is, perhaps, no more unhinged than they are. “GTA V” was released 10 years ago, but its cutting indictments of American society are just as applicable today. While the writers make no excuses for the actions of the sociopathic protagonists, the subtext treats them as products of a larger society with an underlying sickness. As such, most of the events of the game are instigated by powers much larger than the playable characters. Blackmailed by the FBI, the protagonists are forced to carry out attacks on other government agencies in a fight for federal funding. This includes but is not limited to sanctioned torture, the killings of CIA agents and theft of a chemical weapon. As long as the protagonists remain useful to the government, they are kept alive and out of prison. In the name of America, they are asked to commit a plethora of highly illicit and violent acts. As Michael, one of the main characters, reflects in the game, “One man’s patriotism is another man’s atrocity.” Although there are many more institutions which “GTA V” is relentlessly critical of, all such satire is rooted in a deep distrust of those who hold power, politically, economically or otherwise.
From a gameplay perspective, the “Grand Theft Auto” series has always been built on a foundation of player freedom and exploration. Affectionately known as a “sandbox” game, you, as the player, are given a number of tools and mechanics to play around with, without any explicit instruction on what to do with them. Various vehicles, weapons, clothing items, and more are all put into the hands of the player. As such, you’re never directly told to drive a car off of a mountainside or shoplift from a convenience store, but in the bounds of a ridiculous video game world, these things are fun by virtue of the fact that they are possible at all. The scripted story missions of “GTA V” crank the possibilities up to 11, with high-octane set pieces generously spread throughout the narrative. Highlighting the single-player mode are the various heists undertaken by the protagonists, which the player may decide how to approach. Whether it’s a jewelry store, CIA headquarters, or the federal reserve, these moments are big, bold and intensely exciting. Lucrative in-game rewards and the progression they provide for the narrative create moments that are rarely matched in video games.
While I could go on indefinitely about the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise and how excited I am to see what’s next, I’ll spare you the granular details. Whether you are a video game fan or not, I’d encourage anyone who finds the premise interesting to give the series a shot. “GTA V”, in particular, is a masterful work, both technologically and narratively. Whatever Rockstar Games has in store for us, I have no doubt it will be yet another generational triumph. December cannot come soon enough.
Carlo Constantine is a second-year political science major.