Rockstar Games has come out with the long-awaited trailer for the newest installment in their Grand Theft Auto Series, GTA VI. While the trailer is getting worldwide praise for its graphics and realism, some viewers are calling out the game developer for its depictions of some of the non-playable characters.
The GTA games are an action-adventure role-playing series where players can live out their fantasies in a virtual world. In the games, players are allowed and, in some cases, encouraged, to rob, steal, and kill as much as they like.
Each game is set in a fictionalized version of a real city. For example, “GTA IV” is set in Liberty City, which is based on New York City, and “GTA V” is set in Los Santos which is based on Los Angeles. Each game is set through the lens of the protagonist, so the NPCs are based on people that the protagonist would be around.
The latest installment is set in Vice City which is based off Miami. Fans of the franchise would note that in 2002, Rockstar released “GTA: Vice City” which was set in the Florida city back in the 1980s. For their upcoming game, the developers have updated the graphics and the citizens who flesh out this version of Vice City.
In the trailer for GTA VI, Rockstar parodied a lot of Floridian things like the “Florida Man,” an abundance of alligators, and the culture of Miami beaches. Some of the scenes from the trailers got some Black viewers riled up as they felt the depictions were demeaning and stereotypical.
The trailer shows one character that has one character that has on a beater, chains, gold fronts, and the Floridian hairstyle called wicks that some people may associate with rappers like Kodak Black and 9lokkNine. Some other scenes in the trailer depict what looks like a female rap duo in the vein of the City Girls, and a woman in a tiger-print leotard twerking on the roof of a moving car.
Some fans who watched the long-awaited trailer praised the minute-and-a-half first look as they said, “This Game gonna be ghetto and ratchet I love it,” and “Looks fantastic!! Love how they captured the crazy Florida people essence in it.”
Others weren’t as pleased as they said, “Wicks, grillz, strip clubs, big booty b—hes twerking at the red light. They nickerged it up,” and “I pray it’s not no white creators behind this because all this trailer screams is racist wtf this is the literal ghetto?” One fan joked, “This game bout to set black ppl back a 100 years but [fire].”
This game bout to set black ppl back a 100 years but 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/HilQpZcIFq
— Sir 🐗 Ferguson (@hellondascale7) December 4, 2023
It came out later that certain shots from the trailer, including the one of the woman twerking on the car, were recreated from real viral videos. Some fans joked that the developers studied Floridians in their natural habitats.
This is far from the first time that the GTA series has found itself in controversy. Since its inception, critics have claimed that the game series has glorified violence and other deplorable actions like illegal gambling, prostitution, and grand larceny. The game has been banned in certain nations.
Even with constant negative press from its opposition, the series has churned on to becoming one of the most lucrative intellectual properties in history. Rockstar’s last installment, GTA V, even went on to become the second best-selling video game of all time, above Tetris and behind Minecraft.
