Are video games bringing us together, or pushing us apart? Grand Theft Auto VI might be an indicator to the answer.
GTA VI is releasing on November 19th of this month, with the date drawing closer the marketing has started ramping up too. The game has an estimated budget of 2 billion USD and stands to be one of the biggest cultural moments of the 2020’s, while the hype is everywhere online, can the same be said for real life?
Grand Theft Auto V is currently the fastest selling game of all time, and according to a list put together by IGN, is currently the third best selling game ever. However the cultural shift since 2013 has changed how we interact with the world around us entirely, and GTA is a great marker for showcasing this.
When GTA V’s marketing campaign was ongoing, both the video gaming space and the online space were very different environments. Social platforms like YouTube and Instagram were just that, social platforms, designed not for marketing and ads, but for people to share and connect with one another.
This presence of a communal discussion around the leaks of information made everyone feel equally involved. Physical spaces were too created in tandem around the online hype, such as stores like GameStop hosting midnight releases where crowds of people would camp outside and discuss their shared passions while they queued for their copy of a game.
Now, in the contemporary digital age, storefronts like Playstation have moved online, and topics of discussion are typically dominated by a handful of creators or voices.
While GTA VI marketing is impressive, billboards are in cities across the world such as Stockholm, Edinburgh and Los Angeles. Real life re-creations of in-game cars driving the streets of Miami and murals in places like New York, the community based aspect feels missing this time around.
People are booking days off of work, using the last of their sick days and marking their calendars to play the game on release, but where's the community?
The magic that was picking up your copy of the game alongside equally excited fans is now just a click on your console at home.
While this may be a massive cultural phenomenon, it's unique in that it is one that can only be spent at home. Consumers everywhere are currently crying out for more opportunities to interact with each other and the world around them. The idea that people want to connect with one another isn’t new in the slightest, but the availability of it is shrinking.
Even the full reveal trailer for GTA VI was moved behind a streaming platform paywall on Netflix for its original release, so this really isn't a budget issue, it's a matter of brands not hearing what people want.
Developers on the opposite side of this argument like the indie hit Stardew Valley’s ConcernedApe or CD Projekt Red have made strides in connecting their gaming communities.
ConcernedApe talks directly to his community through forum posts and videos, instead of behind large marketing teams. While CD Projekt Red hosts live original orchestras, meet and greets and even had their community vote on if they wanted another season of the popular anime Cyberpunk Edgerunners, which actually ended with them making another very well received season of the show.
Involving and connecting people in real and meaningful ways is important, but in the digital age it's now also becoming increasingly difficult, and all the more rewarding.
While the return of these organic meetings like midnight releases, trailer watch parties, or sharing the disc of a game with your friends is not likely to return, the sense of community that comes with something as collaborative as the video gaming industry is going nowhere.
This isn’t a GTA specific issue either, nor is it an industry specific topic.
While the availability of reaching consumers online becomes easier and easier for businesses, people tend to feel tired of all the noise, with many social movements growing in nostalgia for real human experiences that were far more readily available only a few years ago.
Birdwatching, pottery, book clubs, pub quizzes and so much more are just some of the activities becoming incredibly popular amongst younger generations. The point of these social interactions is just that, to collaborate over shared interests. No company is able to scan your data or promote their service to you at these, and that seems to be what they are missing, nobody really wants what they are selling.
Modern audiences want human feeling, human connection. They ultimately don’t care about the product itself, for instance GTA VI, they care about the fact that everyone else will be playing it and that when the weekend is over, they can see their friends and talk about it, bond over it, make memories related to it.
Written by: Michael Harris
Edited by: Hazel Hunter
