Opinion: what's next for Grand Theft Auto online?
Opinion
The growth of GTA online might have surprised its developers, but now its huge, where do they go from here? Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading
It's easy to forget that Grand Theft Auto is a game ostensibly about cars. That the 'auto' in the title is short for 'automobile', rather than 'automatic weaponry'. Or perhaps 'autopsy backlog'. Or even 'auto-erotic hand gesture'. I've seen that one a few times after losing a round of Team Deathmatch in GTA Online .
Back when the concept for the original Grand Theft Auto was percolating inside the massive brains of some 1990s video game developers, it had the extremely twee working title of Race'n'Chase , which suggested even greater emphasis on driving and less on unloading an entire magazine of ammunition on a group of mobsters.
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Grand Theft Auto these days is basically unrecognisable when compared to its humble automotive origins, telling sprawling, complex crime stories in an utterly convincing simulation of a North American metropolis, where even the flip flops accurately flip and flop like they're supposed to. That was some animator's job for a week.
This mutation only accelerated with the introduction of GTA Online , the enormously popular and thus lucrative multiplayer version of GTA V . Sure, Rockstar provided the broad structure of this online mode, but once players were let loose in the sandbox, it didn't take long before they were making their own fun. You might like
I was reminded of this while watching a documentary film called Grand Theft Hamlet , in which bored, out of work actors stuck at home during the pandemic decide to stage a performance of Hamlet inside GTA Online . If you've ever played GTA Online you'll have immediately identified the problem with that scheme: that you're likely to be interrupted, at any time, by a surprise airstrike from someone with a username that can't be repeated on a respectable website like this one. I don't know much about Shakespeare, but I know Hamlet is supposed to die at the end, not halfway through from a hellfire missile attack. Still, the award winning film, shot entirely inside the game, is an uplifting way to spend an hour and a half.
Grand Theft Hamlet did get me thinking about what the GTA 6 incarnation of Online might look like. There are zero concrete details, beyond assumptions the new Miami-inspired Vice City map will become a playable location in multiplayer. In the past couple of years, though, Rockstar has quietly invested in modding teams who have been instrumental in facilitating weird and wonderful new ways to play the game, such as 'roleplaying' servers where everyone plays a character rather than the usual enigmatic murderous psychopath.
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It suggests that while developers at Rockstar might have been as surprised as we were by how GTA Online has grown out of its petri dish, this time they'll be ready. If you're already struggling with fitting trivial things like work, family and exercise in around the important business of playing GTA Online , it's about to get a whole lot tougher...
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STV News
a day ago
- STV News
Boom or Bust: Could this new Scottish video game be the next Grand Theft Auto?
A Scottish video game hailed by some as the next Grand Theft Auto is set for a release on Tuesday, but the build-up to its launch has been marred by controversy and lack of clarity. MindsEye is an ambitious big-budget single-player title developed by Edinburgh-based Build A Rocket Boy studio. Headed by a former GTA producer, Leslie Benzies, the studio's upcoming maiden title has created a buzz on both the local and international gaming scenes, in no small part due to the scope of ambition they have set out for their game. But recently the project has been attracting attention for all the wrong reasons. Last month, a group of journalists and content creators were given access to a limited preview of the game. Their reaction? Less than positive. Some of those given access to the preview went as far as to call on the developers to postpone the game and use the time to fix and polish it into a finished product. The overwhelmingly negative reaction has made the studio double down on confidence in their title, with Build A Rocket Boy's co-CEO, Mark Gerhard, claiming that people are being paid to 'trash the game' before it launches. 'There is a concerted effort by some people that don't want to see Leslie (Benzies) or Build A Rocket Boy to be successful that are making a concerted effort to trash the game and the studio,' Gerhard said. 'It's pretty easy to see the bots and the repeated replies to any content that we put out.' If the negative reaction, be it genuine or paid for, was not enough for the studio to deal with, two executives have left it just a week before the game's release. As expected, the departure of their chief legal officer and chief financial officer did nothing to help alleviate the pressure piling up on the studio, with questions popping up about whether they would be leaving if they genuinely believed MindsEye is going to be successful. And while it's entirely possible their departure has nothing to do with the game's potential fortunes, it only adds wind to the rumour mill that has been with the project for a while. The lack of clarity seems to stem from a relative radio silence about the project from the get-go. Before AI became the new buzzword, everyone was talking about the metaverse. MindsEye was initially described as an 'experience' taking place within one such metaverse, the Everywhere platform that was supposed to rival the likes of Fortnite and Roblox. Apart from that, very little is known about it, with the platform seemingly falling off the radar while the studio focuses on MindsEye. However, one cannot say that here, Build A Rocket Boy have done a much better job explaining exactly what the game is really about. That leaves gamers wondering what it actually is that they may be buying come Tuesday. Build A Rocket Buy Players take on the role of a former soldier, Jacob Diaz. For the record, MindsEye is billed as a linear, narrative-driven, single-player third-person shooter set in a future where artificial intelligence and human greed bring Earth to the brink of collapse. From trailers, the game gives an impression of something between Grand Theft Auto V and Cyberpunk 2077, with players taking on the role of a former soldier, Jacob Diaz. For their part, the studio have never tried to position MindsEye as a GTA competitor, but instead aim to create a unique title, something that has not been seen before. Whether they have been successful in pitching that to the players is up for debate. In a recent interview for Leslie Benzies has opened up on their vision for MindsEye and beyond. One of the key takeaways from it is that the game should act as a gateway into a much larger 'epic universe'. For the next ten years, the studio plans to evolve the game through regular content updates, ranging from standalone ones, like races, with others serving the larger narrative. 'Once players have experienced the full ten-year arc, they'll understand the shape and scope of the MindsEye universe,' Benzies explained. User-generated content will also have a big role to play, with players being able to create their own levels, races and missions via tools called and and share them with others. Those tools were originally part of the aforementioned Everywhere project; what it means for the project itself is unclear, but Benzies insisted that all will become clear 'very soon'. What's not as clear is why the studio decided to wait until a few weeks before launch to reveal those, arguably crucial, details. Build A Rocket Buy MindsEye is billed as a linear, narrative-driven, single-player third-person shooter. Unclarity and controversy aside, there is every chance MindsEye will turn out to be a great game. Those in the industry believe the fact that the title attracted perhaps the most funding out of all the Scottish video game projects ever and the amount of talent working on the game should ensure a high level of quality. Should MindsEye not be in tip-top shape upon its release, Build A Rocket Buy can take slight comfort in the knowledge that other games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 or No Man's Sky, managed to move past 'disastrous' launches and turn their fortunes around. A success would undoubtedly mean another boost in prestige for the local video game industry, but should the game prove to be less impressive, those in the sector believe it's robust enough for its reputation not to be damaged. Players won't have to wait long to decide whether MindsEye is a boom or bust. The game releases on Tuesday, June 10, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
My cultural awakening: a shock at a Shakespeare production made me quit the bank for theatre
I was a working-class kid who'd failed my exams and done a series of nothing jobs before I discovered Shakespeare in my 20s. I was bored out of my head most of the time, working nights in a bank as a computer operator, watching tapes going round. A respite came three times a year when my girlfriend at the time, Sandra, and I would drive from our rented flat in Ealing to Stratford-upon-Avon and queue at the RSC for cheap returns or standing tickets. The plays were so good it made life bearable. In June 1978, we went to see Jonathan Pryce as Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, with David Suchet. The sunny Saturday matinee coincided with Scotland playing in the World Cup and as the audience made its way into the Royal Shakespeare Theatre foyer, a Scottish supporter with a six-pack of lager was getting rowdy and rude, singing football songs outside. He grabbed me, saying, 'Have a drink with me, brother', and did a double-take as if he recognised me. I turned away, feeling I'd die of embarrassment in this posh and genteel crowd focused on the business of being civilised and arty. As we entered, he continued shouting abuse, putting his fingers up and telling us where we should go stick our English, stuffy-nose, Shakey bollocks. No sooner was he ushered out and we'd taken our seats than he burst back in, got on to the stage and knocked down the whole set to horrified shouts. We were gobsmacked; the show ruined by a moronic football fan. Actors tried to stop the damage until, suddenly, with one final shout of: 'Why don't ye all fuck off?' he collapsed. Then, very slowly, the house lights dimmed, a spotlight fell on the drunk and it dawned on us all that it was him: Jonathan Pryce, as Christopher Sly, a character in Taming of the Shrew's lesser done prologue. It was a magical moment, shocking and breathtaking. I was captivated. The play was brilliant and I turned to Sandra frequently, whispering: 'I want to do this.' 'You can,' she said. I saw my future in front of me. After the production, I enrolled in an arts degree with the Open University, left the bank and started running creative arts projects in prisons, working with lifers in Wormwood Scrubs. Just as the Shrew confronted me with the transformative power of theatre, this work made the invisible visible, even in unexpected places. I did similar work with disadvantaged teenagers in New York, took acting evening classes and finally went to a proper drama school in London. I set up my own theatre company, mainly for people who could not go to conventional drama school, and taught and directed in community theatre for 32 years. I have put on so many shows – all, I'm sure, influenced on some level by Pryce and that incredible matinee. I've used that framing device many times and when I directed Trevor Griffiths's play Comedians 10 years ago, in which Pryce once famously starred, I cast an actor who reminded me of him on that Saturday afternoon when theatre changed the world a little bit. In the years since, I've thought about why he might have done a double-take. People often commented that we looked alike. My daughters first noticed it in Pirates of the Caribbean and message when he's in Slow Horses with 'Dad, you're on TV'. In December, I attended a British Film Institute screening of Comedians introduced by Pryce. As he finished, I walked up the aisle and told him how he changed my life. 'I feel like you woke me up,' I said. 'I'm so delighted,' he replied. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion You can tell us how a cultural moment has prompted you to make a major life change by filling in the form below or emailing us on Please include as much detail as possible Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first.
Evening Standard
3 days ago
- Evening Standard
‘Lord's Prayer better recognised than national anthem, Churchill or Shakespeare'
When it came to other famous lines from history, 'To be or not to be' from Shakespeare's Hamlet play was recognised by just under three-quarters (73%) of respondents, while fewer than two thirds (63%) correctly matched the lines 'happy and glorious, long to reign over us' as being from Britain's national anthem, God Save The King.
