Satirizing American life with Grand Theft Auto VI

The controversial video game returns, once again sparking off controversy, debate, conversation, and just the slightest hint of mass hysteria

- Akhil Sood

The world stopped briefly last week as the trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA), the latest in one of the most popular video game franchises ever, came into being at last. First via a leak, as such things often do, a day early; soon through the official channels of the creators, Rockstar Games. Ninetyone seconds that, for years, fans had been impatiently waiting for. In one shot, a crocodile enters a supermarket (presumably with malice). A woman, in another, is twerking away on the roof of a moving car. Clips from an in-game TikTok-esque app featuring people behaving like lunatics. Lucia, one of our protagonists this time, convincing her partner to trust her as they embark on a life of crime.

The trailer set all sorts of YouTube records within a day, racking up some 100 million views. (The game is expected to release in early 2025, so the next year will likely see periodic releases of more trailers and in-game footage.) It's little wonder though: the video game industry is substantially larger than even Hollywood, with loud, passionate fandoms propelling it. And GTA is somewhere near the top of the pile.