Grand Theft Auto VI is a phenomenon – but there is much more to the gaming world

Grand Theft Auto VI is a phenomenon – but there is much more to the gaming world

As Rockstar’s blockbuster prepares to dominate the headlines, it’s time for the mainstream media to stop treating video games as a novelty that needs explaining

Predictably, the Grand Theft Auto VI “extended look” which premiered on Netflix last weekwas a success for all involved. The 30-minute preview scorched to No 1 on the viewing chart and even brought the site down for a few minutes as millions of gamers tried to watch what was, effectively, a very long teaser trailer. According to data collated by Eurogamer, more than 9,000 Twitch streamers covered the show leading to 5,227,798 hours of viewing there alone. And this was just the beginning of what will surely be two months of escalating hype – and unprecedented media attention.

Call me cynical, but I suspect the coverage of GTA VI in the media over the next few weeks will follow a familiar pattern. Mostly, it will be five-minute slots wedged in near the end of news bulletins in which games journalists, industry analysts and other pundits will be asked why the game is such a big deal, how much it cost to make and how much revenue it will generate. Perhaps a few will try to reignite the hoary old “violence in video games” debate, there will be presenters laughingly admitting they’ve not touched a game since Pac-Man, rolling their eyes and wallowing in their ignorance, in a way they never would while discussing any other art form. Somebody will venture the subversive view that “games are no longer just for kids”; somebody else will say “games make more money than films and music put together”. And that will be that, job done for another decade … or until there’s a funny story about Pokémon.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope, at least, the BBC, which employs plenty of staff who understand video games, will make time in its schedule to take a good look at GTA VI – its themes and influences, its creators, its place in the wider culture of games and entertainment. Sure, arts coverage on BBC television has been in decline for years, with the broadcaster shifting this content to digital platforms, but I saw plenty of in-depth analysis of Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, looking at the quality of its translation, its depiction of female characters, its use of practical effects. I didn’t see a single presenter shrugging, looking comedically bewildered and admitting they’d not read Homer since secondary school.

On top of this, whatever mainstream media attention GTA VI does get it will come at the expense of covering other titles. Because, when the next video game story comes up in the wake of Rockstar’s behemoth, TV and radio editors and producers will be thinking, “Oh, we covered games last month.”

The thing is, GTA is a phenomenon – it looks gorgeous, it looks vast, and it will sell many millions of copies. The series’ notoriety transcends the medium. But is it the most interesting video game since GTA V? So much has changed since then. We’ve explored the fascinating, innovative open worlds of Elden Ring, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and No Man’s Sky (an open galaxy!); we’ve seen brutal adult themes explored in The Last of Us: Part 2 and Silent Hill; we’ve experienced dizzying narrative innovations via Disco Elysium, Split Fiction and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. All of these deserved at least a portion of that GTA screen and radio time.

True, some games have drawn similar levels of media attention. Minecraft and Fortnite receive regular coverage, but almost always because of concerns over children and games addiction, or because of how they intersect with other media: Minecraft through its hit movie, Fortnite through its many collaborations with music artists. And this is the key problem. Mainstream media is still at the stage where every single games story that does make it to TV or radio has to do the job of explaining and justifying the whole industry. It’s time for programme-makers to understand that video games are a mass cultural phenomenon. Enough people play them and understand them so that they don’t have to be re-introduced every time they’re covered. And most importantly, there is life, love, art and brilliance beyond Grand Theft Auto and beyond the coming storm of hype.

What to play

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago, so I set out to find a simple, fun video game that the whole family could enjoy – and I wanted to share my discovery.

Inspired by Dominik Diamond’s recent column on this very subject, I downloaded the party game What The Dub?!, in which players watch old film clips with portions of the sound dubbed out and then enter their own amusing dialogue to fill the gap. The clips are then re-shown with each player’s text added to the soundtrack via a stilted robotic voice – then everyone votes on the funniest entry. It was hilarious, especially because the clips are from weird old public domain films and TV shows, so everything feels stilted and ridiculous. It’s also simple to take part, with each player using their phone to enter their dialogue choices. Apparently, it’s possible to add new clips via the Steam Workshop, the digital store’s user-generated content feature, but we didn’t figure that out. Regardless, What the Dub?! will definitely be revived at future family celebrations.

Available on:PC

Estimated playtime:All evening!

What to read

• EA staff have been speaking anonymously to the industry-news site Game Developer about their concerns after the Saudi-led buyout of Electronic Arts. Some are troubled by the prospect of popular games such as EA Sports FC, Madden and Battlefield being used by Saudi Arabia to distract from its poor human rights record. There are also worries about the company’s culture and job security.

• TV producers looking for interesting game stories that don’t involve GTA could check out Eurogamer’s excellent article on the No Man’s Sky’s Galactic Hub project. It’s a community of players exploring and scientifically cataloguing specific regions of the long-running space adventure sim, like a sort of ragtag Starfleet mission. Live long and prosper, lads.

• As if making and marketing independent video games isn’t hard enough, several developers have reported thefts at this year’s Gamescom event in Cologne. Posting on X, Mimic creator Ryan Laley said: “Our equipment was stolen last night from the booth. Police reports have been filed. At a loss for words to describe the feeling. Just defeated. Gonna do my best with what’s left of the week. But a huge blow financially and mentally.” According to VGC, others affected included publisher iam8bit and Tessera Studios.

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What to click

• Gems, ghosts and GTA VI: the biggest video games for autumn 2026

• The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past – Geralt of Ri

• Help! I have disappeared down a rabbithole of horrible mobile gaming adverts

• Trainwatch – alone with your thoughts on a railway line to nowhere

• Star Wars Zero Company – joyfully absurd heroics with a tight-knit team of misfits | ★★★★☆

• Vholume – a headlong rush of parkour perfection in a brutalist wonderland | ★★★★☆

• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy – picture-postcard retelling of haunting Minoan myth | ★★★☆☆

Question Block

“My son, aged 6, is a big fan of aeroplanes and is really interested in flight. What games are there that could be used to entertain him, as a thing to do with me. I have (ridiculously) a PS5 and Xbox Series X – is Flight Simulator right? How about Ace Combat? Anything else?”

I’d definitely recommend Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is available on PS5 and Xbox. It can be controlled with just a joypad and you can switch off all the technical elements for your son so he’s basically just steering the craft like in an arcade game. There are lots of aircraft to fly, from tiny prop planes to passenger jets, and you can choose anywhere on Earth to explore. I love simply zooming over cities and scenic highlights, taking it all in.

If you’re ok with him doing a bit of shooting, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is out in October, promising highly detailed visuals and exciting dogfighting. Fans say it looks to be a highlight for the series. I’d also recommend No Man’s Sky, which is a space exploration game, but the flight feels lovely, whether you’re scorching over the surface of a planet or out in the depths of the cosmos. The controls are extremely intuitive too. If he gets into space flight, the slightly more involved EliteDangerous is worth a look, and for an accessible combination of space flight and shooting, Everspace: Stellar Edition is a really nice option on PS5.

If you have a question for Question Block – or anything else to say about the newsletter – hit reply or email us at pushingbuttons@theguardian.com.

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