(I’ll just put this right here before anyone claims the garbage video games and violence thing)
Everyone loves a hero. Captain America, Luke Skywalker, and Mario are all perfect encapsulations of humanity’s perfect hero; incorruptible, strong, and fearless. They go after any evil wherever it is and people love them for it. Rockstar Games loves talking about the other side of the morality coin. Whether it’s thieving around in Grand Theft Auto, surviving the Wild West in Red Dead Redemption, or bullying kids in a high school, the storied video game publisher has caused gaming mayhem since 1998.
And what makes a Rockstar game so different? Why is every release an event celebrated by gamers all over the world?
Maybe it’s because their games are massive, sprawling worlds filled with things to do and places to see. Or maybe it’s the memorable characters that Rockstar has created for us to interact with. Or maybe it’s something else entirely.
Maybe it’s because their games are all about the bad guy. And these bad guys are fun.
Rockstar Games is the Grandmaster of Sandboxes
See that mountain in the distance? You can go there to hunt a cougar or possibly find a buried treasure. Red Dead Redemption 2 has a monstrous map of gorgeous terrain and urban settlements with lots of stuff to do. Hunting is quite fun, as gathering animal pelts helps with increased stats. There are various gang-related activities, like train highjackings or helping various travelers survive an enemy gang attack. Poker, blackjack, and five-finger filet are cool minigames in town if you’re feeling lucky. That’s not even talking about the numerous side missions with the Van der Linde compatriots to help bolster the camp. It’s a wild world, and Arthur Morgan is an endangered breed.
Grand Theft Auto 5, on the other hand, has an even bigger map with even more stuff to do. One can waste hours inside the metropolis of Los Santos. Want to live that speed demon dream? Rockstar provides all the racing you want. Ever wanted to become a paparazzi? Rockstar’s got your back. Can’t forget about bounty hunting, property management, becoming a stock mogul, and taxi driving in one of the widest arrays of gaming shenanigans in history. The key is fun. Rockstar made them all fun to partake in with small stories to flesh out the world.
At the same time, we can’t forget about the main missions. The main storylines of Rockstar games are always hysterical and satisfactory, but they aren’t the missions that stick with you. Going street racing at 100 miles per hour and running from the cops after running over fifteen people that didn’t get out of the way. That’s the memory I’ll remember. A fun stupid side mission of smoking with a weed salesman, only to hallucinate that Michael must shoot a bunch of aliens is way more memorable than the basic redemption arc of GTA V.
And who can forget that silly side mission in Red Dead Redemption 2 of drinking with LENNNNYYYY!
Essence of Character
A lot of video game worlds revolve around the protagonists. What is the Halo universe without Master Chief? When the Chief enters a room, everyone pays attention, good or bad. When Michael from GTA V or Arthur from RDR 2 enters a bar or their camp…crickets. Nobody in the world cares about these protagonists. They take a piece of their world for themselves. The scope of these games is massive, filled with many towns and thousands of citizens in those towns going about their lives. NPC 400 won’t look twice as my character speeds past in a stolen Lamborghini with five police cruisers chasing.
This sounds a little like real life. Not like I’m speeding down Interstate 95 in a stolen Lambo, but there’s not a soul turning their heads when I walk into the nearest Publix. These games ask the simple question, “When the world is your oyster, who will you be?” In a world without consequences, many people would default to the bad guy. The Purge movies are based on a ridiculous concept, but one that many people would instill given the chance. An uncomfortable amount of people, if you ask me.
But Rockstar Games gives players the option of trying something new. We get to be the bad guys in a consequence-free virtual environment. It becomes fun to explore the other side of that hero coin, which isn’t something I’ve ever wanted to do. Getting into trouble as a kid would liken my face to that of a ripened tomato, so being a rapscallion in a video game is a fun roleplaying exercise.
Despite my mother’s overprotective wishes growing up, I have a massive history with the Rockstar brand. Grand Theft Auto has been one of those series I’ve kept up with over the years, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of my favorite worlds in gaming. It’s the memories that keep me coming back. What nonsense could we possibly get up to in Grand Theft Auto 6 or Red Dead Redemption 3? I love the mayhem and roleplaying a flawed protagonist just trying to make their way in a world.
Maybe that’s a metaphor or something…
Have Fun!
That’s all Rockstar is telling you to do. Go cause mayhem. Grow with these games’ flawed protagonists and have fun doing so.
Be the bad guy!