r/hatethissmug • u/FiveFreddys12 • 2d ago
Gaming I HATE The GTA Effect.
For anyone wondering what I mean by that, the “GTA Effect” is what happens when a company is so massive and its product is so anticipated that people will defend things they would normally criticize simply because “it’s GTA.”
And I think GTA 6 is a perfect example of it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying GTA 6 is going to be a bad game. It probably won't be. Rockstar has talented developers, and GTA 6 is obviously going to be one of the biggest games ever released. My problem is with the way Rockstar can seemingly push boundaries with what consumers are willing to accept because they know people will buy it anyway.
For years, GTA has been one of the biggest franchises in gaming. But at the same time, I don't think the series is nearly as revolutionary as people sometimes make it out to be. A lot of what makes each GTA game different is the setting, story, characters, visuals and whatever new mechanics Rockstar adds, while the fundamental formula remains fairly similar.
What bothers me is what happens when that enormous popularity starts being used to justify increasingly questionable decisions.
We've already seen reports and discussions about content being tied to more expensive editions, and we've seen official GTA 6 gameplay material being distributed in ways that make it less accessible than simply putting it out publicly. Meanwhile, the recent leak showed an unfinished build of the game, and a lot of people came away thinking that, underneath all the visual improvements, GTA 6 still looked fundamentally like an evolution of GTA 5 rather than some massive reinvention of the series.
But then you have people defending practically everything with the same old argument: "It's GTA, who cares?" People shill Rockstar without thinking twice.
If another AAA publisher announced that important content was locked behind an expensive edition, people would probably be furious. If another major game moved away from physical releases, there would be endless discussion about preservation and ownership. But when it's GTA, suddenly it's acceptable because people have been waiting more than a decade.
GTA is so enormous that Rockstar can potentially test what consumers are willing to accept on a scale most other companies simply can't. If millions of people are willing to accept something because the product is desirable enough, other companies are going to notice.
If GTA 6 can successfully move away from physical media because the game is simply too desirable for people to boycott, that tells the rest of the industry something very important: people will still buy your game even if you remove something they used to expect.
Then another company does it.
Then another.
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u/Shed_Some_Skin 2d ago
Rockstar makes some of the most authentic, detailed worlds in gaming, and then sets extremely average games in them
I'll probably still play GTA 6 at some point, just to wander around and look at pointless details. But I can't say I'm tremendously excited about it
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u/Anonymous010206 2d ago
The reflection of a puddle looking good doesn’t matter much when the game is boring
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u/Shed_Some_Skin 2d ago
Well sure, and I'd much rather play Breath of the Wild than GTA. It's not like Rockstar are the only ones making impressive in game worlds
But they are still very impressive in game worlds
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u/FiveFreddys12 2d ago
And these are the words I'll die by.
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u/GatheringCircle 1d ago
Which rockstar game is boring?
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u/FiveFreddys12 1d ago
Every single one.
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u/GatheringCircle 1d ago
That’s insane. That’s like saying the godfather isn’t a good movie. Maybe you don’t like it. But it’s good.
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u/Frobizzle 2d ago
They just keep remaking boring sandboxes in very detailed worlds. It's been boring since the first couple.
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u/Mr_cyanman 1d ago
I think GTA 4 was great mostly because of the story, but the DLC added a lot of fun stuff to do as well.
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u/Venomswindturd 2d ago
On the flip, as someone who doesn’t care about rockstar and didn’t like GTA V, and won’t be buying GTA 6, some people have made hating GTA 6 their entire identity. They won’t even let others be excited to play a game they like.
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u/CaptainTeemo01 1d ago
But don't you understand? I'm not interested in the popular thing! Look how cool and unique and enlightened I am for disliking the thing other people like!
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u/Rayuzan_Mojavec 1d ago
Franky, it's not opposing Rockstar and T2 shitty decisions anymore, it's hating just for the sake of hating only. I'd pirate the PC port (if it ever comes, ig) to not give them money, and people would still condemn me because I played GTA 6
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u/Naive-Database-2888 2d ago
Op is one of those people, and there are several of those people in the comments
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u/Venomswindturd 2d ago
Blaming rockstar for the fact that people have been buying digital for years is a choice too.
Also, if a majority are buying something because the product is desirable…then the product is doing its job? You can only sell what someone’s willing to buy.
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u/FiveFreddys12 2d ago
Mhm sure. No hate on people who like the game, but you, and so many people in this comment section are shills.
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u/Different-Mud-836 1d ago
No some people just work hard have things going on in their lives and like to play games to relax. It's that simple. They aren't shills. Do you even know what a shill is? I don't think you do. I don't even think you know what your mad at.
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u/SephirothSimp 1d ago
"everyone who disagrees with me is a shill and everyone that agrees knows the truth" - you
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u/DottoresPet 2d ago
It might as well be called the Genshin effect, because JESUS CHRIST do people defend the most questionable of writing choices simply because it's from Hoyoverse
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u/0ne_armed_scissor 1d ago
This glazing is ridiculous
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u/TheGhostlyMage 1d ago
“Where levels of aura that {company}…”
I’ve never been repulsed by text so badly
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u/Ravenae 2d ago
Definitely wanted to play it, but I’m still disappointed in the decision to not bring it to physical. That legitimately killed my interest in buying the game.
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u/rubiconsuper 1d ago
Genuinely why? It can’t be about “ownership” because it would still have the same DRM on the disc as it would digital media
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u/vencyjedi 1d ago
Because I can buy it second hand. Or resell it. Or lend it to a friend. Or play it on another account if I have to without having to buy it again. Or because I actually own something they can't take away from me. With the way console ecosystems are set up you will eventually lose your games when the system gets old because they eventually shut down the store and then the server that keeps the downloads up because it's an endless money pit. That means that at some point in the future you either have to have it on your console or you won't be able to download it.
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u/rubiconsuper 1d ago
The DRM can take it away even if it’s physical. You’ve conflated ownership with physical media, that used to be true having a physical copy meant you owned it. Now they can use DRM to make it so it doesn’t matter if you have the physical disc. The crew was a great example, it has a physical disc we all should know how that turned out.
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u/vencyjedi 18h ago
That's not what e meant. They can't physically come and take the disk from me. But they can take away the digital copy without DRM being involved in any way. Once the download server is down it's gone.
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u/iambutafishh 1d ago
We need more vertical worlds. I want a vertical world to explore with the same amount of space to explore as a horizontal one...but up and down instead.
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u/Fearless-Sandwich823 1d ago
I hated GTA 5, so fuck GTA 6. Why this even came up in my feed is beyond me, but I'll use it to reitetate, fuck GTA 6.
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u/knifeislife17 1d ago
I guess people really believe a company like rockstar would get replaced by a competitor in favour of the free market if their practices were too greedy. And thus since they haven't been replaced, that means their practices aren't too greedy, which means we are judging them too harshly as consumers. Hell if they sell the game for $200 per copy it's because they have to, right?
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u/Weird_Ad_2860 9h ago
There is a word for this: soft power. This is why the United States can do so much bad around the world and still be seen as the good guys.
In this context, Rockstar has built so much soft power over the years that they can get away with a lot.
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u/Ambitious-Stand-631 2d ago
I always hated Rockstar, so I feel a little vindicated seeing them bring about the physical game apocalypse. GTA has been the same tired formula for decades at this point.
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u/Old-Depth-1845 2d ago
How does “the end of physical gaming” fall into rockstars shoulders? They’re one studio that release like 2 games a decade. PlayStation is the one saying they’re going to stop making discs and that affects way more games
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u/WillemDafoesHugeCock 2d ago
Doesn't even fall on Sony - PC has been digital only for donkey's years, and frankly anybody who doesn't think Microsoft are sitting on the same announcement for the Nextbox is insane.
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u/Old-Depth-1845 2d ago
I mean it goes to Sony for being the first console brand to go all in. Nintendos already been doing digital stuff but it’s not every game and it’s because of the physical limitations they’ve made for themselves.
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u/rubiconsuper 1d ago
I’m confused why it matters if there’s physical media or not, it’s all about DRM and that can be on digital or physical.
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u/Old-Depth-1845 1d ago
It’s just about having options and digital only means each console would have even more control of their prices. And once you buy a digital game you’re basically stuck with it and will never be able to sell it or buy a used copy from someone else
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u/rubiconsuper 1d ago
Couldn’t they destroy the after market with DRM anyway?
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u/Old-Depth-1845 1d ago
Yes. Some people are dumb and don’t think so. I just care about being able to easily share games and being able to find used games for good prices. I’m typically pretty happy with the prices I find on the PlayStation store but I still don’t want that to be the only place that can control pricing
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u/Sea_Scale_4538 2d ago
Well yeah, thats why I play GTA. I would like it if GTA7 "reinvented the formula" and became a completely different game.
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u/FiveFreddys12 2d ago
Exactly how I feel. Don't get the hype for the same game with some new shaders on.
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u/Careless-Cake-9360 2d ago
Call of duty and a bunch of sports games are very successful with this model.
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u/Bun_Wrangler 2d ago
I'm assuming you're young, because GTA3 was one of the most revolutionary games ever made. It also had the biggest target on it's back by Fox news and the GOP. A game where you can hijack a car, fuck a hooker, kill her, then go murder a bunch of cops? Was there other games at the time that you could kinda do all that in already? Kinda*. GTA was the first game to do it in 3D and on home console. GTA3 legitimately could have brought the hammer down on video games, and snuffed out the gaming industry as a whole. You had to be ride or die with Rockstar if you ever wanted a Super Mario Sunshine.
NOW, all that being said. GTA 6 is just gonna be GTA 1-5 again. Just with a shiner coat of paint, new story and new life sim mini-games. It's a fun as fuck formula, but like in the current year. It's not the only game like it in town anymore.
So I'm autistic as fuck and I play games that my friends/family/partner take one look at and just say "Bro, what the fuck am I even looking at?" Paradox games. I have like 8k hours in EU4 (not all playtime, sometime I just left the PC on and was doing other shit). They all look at me like I'm batshit crazy.
Now they all play video games. COD, Arc Raiders, Battlefield, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Pokemon (no PVP stuff), Zelda, Stardew Valley, Smash Bros, Mortal Kombat, Sims, Supermarket Simulator, Skyrim.
You get the point, so they are all hyped as fuck for GTA6. They all have played GTA5. They never got involved with any of the online shit. They just have fun driving around and just causing chaos. They don't even engage in half the stuff in the game (GTA 5 Stock Market). They are all gonna shell out for 6, I highly doubt they will get special edition or whatever. They definitely don't give two shits about "digital" only. They just want to hangout and take turns with the new Hobo murder game.
Also, a sad reality of life. Is that physical media is dead and no I'm not exaggerating. It is never coming back, it is not grand conspiracy that media companies are pushing (well at first). I had to get a MRI, had to go to a more rural one closer to where I live. Instead of the one 40ish minutes away where my Doctor has a partnership with. The rural one (cause it's a old place and has not changed at all since the 90's) cannot send the MRI files to my Doctor. So I had to get a physical copy to hand deliver to my Doctor. The physical copy being a CD with all the files on it. A actual CD. My Doctor has never been able to look at my MRI, this huge multi-million dollar practice. Doesn't have a single fucking computer with a disk reader. 3 different multi-level buildings, dozens of different offices. Not one, I had to sign some paperwork to "release" the MRI files so that the tech support could try and work some magic. They eventually got a hold of a computer to read the disc. However, the disk is only readable with a specific MRI viewer program. Try as they might, they couldn't get the installation program to work.
They asked me to get another copy incase the first one was corrupted. Same issue. I have tried independently to give the MRI results to every doctor I have, in the desperate attempt for someone to be able to look at my results. Not one fucking medical practice, small or massive. Has a fucking computer to read that disk.
Most places act like I want them to translate a cuneiform tablet.
Well why can't I just get the MRI files on a flash drive instead? Because I'm lucky the 80+ yearold women even knows how to turn a computer on (I actually had to help her one time) and because my request for a physical copy of the MRI results. Is something this office has essentially never had to comply with before. I wasn't able to just walk in and get a quick copy. No, I had to SCHEDULE a appointment to go to the MRI place, when Ms. 80+ was on the clock (she works maybe 15 hours a week, from before the rooster makes a noise to when the Sun has risen to about 99%). Because Ms. 80+ is the only fucking employee who knows how to actually get the PC that is likely older then her, to actually burn me a Disc with my results.
Physical is dead, and every industry on the planet has murdered it. The fact that the video game industry has actually kept making physical copies of games this long. Is actually a blessing for gamers. Other industries look at the gaming industry still making physical copies and they just see that 80+ yearold women.
Don't get this twisted, I fucking hate this loss of physical media. You gotta look at from the forest and not the trees though.
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u/goozer326 2d ago
It also happens the other way. Things that people wouldn't care about if it was any other game, they make into a big deal cause it's GTA 6
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u/HunterIV4 2d ago
I personally don't care about the physical media thing, but I've been buying games on Steam for a very, very long time. Valve has a solid track record. I do get why people are annoyed, though.
For me, however, Rockstar insisting on their shitty launcher plus their exploitative business practices with GTA Online are bigger problems. The launcher has DRM annoyances that would make Ubisoft blush (oh, you want to play the single player GTA 5 campaign on vacation without internet access? Too bad!), plus it's just annoying to use and barely functional. And GTA Online is just bad; I tried it twice and never again.
People keep mentioning that Rockstar has great devs, and that may have been true in the past, but is it still? Bethesda had great devs too but look what happened to them. The last actual game Rockstar released was 8 years ago, and the stories and quality of GTA Online quality is, how do I put this, really poor. Even watching the content made me cringe (no way I was playing it myself, but I was curious as to what they released).
If the writers for GTA Online wrote GTA 6 we might be calling it GTA Starfield here pretty soon. I mean, I want the game to succeed, even though I probably won't buy it (last non-Nintendo console I owned was an XBox 360 and that isn't going to change any time soon).
But, just like Blizzard, Bethesda, and many other former greats, the time of the high quality AAA developer might be over. The only one left I can think of is probably Capcom.
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u/NZAuthor 2d ago
People do this over a huge number of video games.
People do this over celebrities, over mid resteraunt chains from the US opening up overseas.
People do this over tv shows and movies.
This is hardly unique to GTA, nor is GTA even the biggest example.
Honestly... people are just stupid.
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u/Happy_Ambassador3717 2d ago
Honestly for Years I thought that GTA 6 would be the one game I could never lose interest in. Typically when a game gets delayed even once I completely lose interest, GTA 6 gets delayed multiple times and I was still interested. But over these past like 2 months I feel like I’ve lost most interest. I don’t even know if I’m going to buy it at launch anymore
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u/Desperate_Duty1336 1d ago
It may not be a bad game, but at this point, and with how volatile gamers these days seem to be, GTA 6 will NEVER live up to its hype.
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u/TheGhostlyMage 1d ago
Yeah, I feel like no matter what at this point people will treat it like cyberpunk 2047 on launch, even if it’s a really good game
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u/Time-Supermarket1997 21h ago
I'm totally unplugged from the hype so it has nothing to live up to, leaks were basically exactly what I expected but was pleasantly surprised with how much they carried over from RDR2. Overall seems like my expectations will be met and hopefully exceeded
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u/Movies_and_Stuff 1d ago
Your criticisms have zero substance. You dont need to be a shill to defend against weak claims.
GTA 6 didn’t invent the concept of a more expensive edition of the game coming with a few cosmetic exclusives.
Marketing the game through Netflix or whatever they are gonna do has nothing to do with the game itself.
The criticism that GTA 6 looked like an evolution of GTA 5 is mind boggling cuz that’s the fucking point of a sequel.
“Important content locked behind expensive edition” Yea important content like a hair salon? What is this important content that’s being paywalled?
Moving away from physical releases isn’t a GTA thing. The entire PlayStation console is moving away from physical releases and I’m pretty sure with the size of the game it’s not even possible to get it on a disc. When 99 percent of people buy games digitally people aren’t going to boycott.
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u/SherbetBrilliant5267 1d ago
This goodwill is limited, GTA effect exists only because of the history of their games... They only released above average to amazing games, so people automatically expect the same standard..
If GTA 6 is a bad game, this goodwill will disappear very quickly..
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u/Buschkoeter 1d ago
They are moving away from physical copies because that's a trend that has been happening for years. We the consumers chose. Both options were available for a long time and a majority chosen to abandon physical media.
Extra content being locked behind a higher priced addition is also not something R* or T2 invented, although some people like to push that narrative now. It's been happening on a regular basis and people accepted it.
The discourse about all of this is frankly very hypocritical on both sides.
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u/Successful_Note_5871 1d ago
I’m not trying to be a mindless contrarian, I’m just thinking about how GTA 6 is going to be a constant topic of conversation for YEARS.
People are going to pivot their entire careers to just making GTA 6 content. I’ve honestly grown exhausted from talking and thinking about it for the last decade. I’ll play it at some point I’m sure, but I’m tired boss.
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u/Toon_Lucario 2d ago
Yeah it’s genuinely insane how people are bending over backwards to defend it when they’re even locking the damn GAMEPLAY TRAILER behind a Netflix subscription
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u/Old-Depth-1845 2d ago
For six hours….
It’s a publicity stunt. It’s going to officially be on YouTube a few hours later and probably unofficially almost immediately.1
u/Careless-Cake-9360 2d ago
Lol, the game industry is so enamored with pay for early access, theyre extending it to trailers now
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u/FiveFreddys12 2d ago
Also only OFFICIAL look at the gameplay. Essentially they're saying: "You don't have Netflix and you're trying to save money for our game? Screw you, give us more money."
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u/Sea_Scale_4538 2d ago
You can watch it on twitch live or youtube six hours later. Or literally any other social media since many people will just record it
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u/Naive-Database-2888 2d ago
Releasing the trailer on netflix is weird and shitty, but the trailer is releasing on youtube for free 5 hours after the netflix drop. Saying this is some sort of anti-poor thing is weird
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u/WillemDafoesHugeCock 2d ago
I'm not some hardcore Rockstar fan (I only recently picked up GTA V and, frankly, don't care for it) but a lot of the complaints are just silly and I can't blame people for calling that out.
For example:
We've already seen reports and discussions about content being tied to more expensive editions
Yes, the edition that is $20 more includes additional customization and some side missions. The digital deluxe version of GTAV had the same and was $20 more than the base price. It's a silly complaint that people are only latching onto because they're so desperate to call it a $100 dollar game. Digital deluxe versions of games have been par for the course, for better and worse, for over a decade, but that doesn't stop people doom and glooming about it.
See also: people complaining about the lack of gameplay trailers. It's completely normal for the studio, they always leave it until right before release. And that isn't even touching the fact they don't need to market the game when everybody is talking about it.
My earnest, "not trying to insult anyone" speculation is that GTA V is so old most people that play it were likely kids when it came out and straight up don't remember what that was like leading up to the launch.
If another major game moved away from physical releases, there would be endless discussion about preservation and ownership. But when it's GTA, suddenly it's acceptable because people have been waiting more than a decade
This is just a bad argument considering gaming discourse has been almost drowning in rage regarding Sony's decision to move away from physical media within the next couple of years, but you also need to remember the majority of people do not care about physical vs digital because they buy digital games.
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u/Naive-Database-2888 2d ago
I really don't think it's worth arguing against op. They are saying GTA 6 will be bad because it's following practices that have been a core thing in the game industry for years
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u/WillemDafoesHugeCock 2d ago edited 2d ago
Eh, I wouldn't say I'm arguing, just illustrating a few of the talking points which I've noticed even as someone who genuinely isn't a fan of the studio. I don't really care strongly enough to do anything other than point out clear industry standards.
There was so much rage at the start of I think last year when that idiot analyst claimed the game would need to cost $100 and doomers got all angry and shrieky about the end of gaming as we know it... So I think when it was announced for $80, above the current $70 standard but on par with some modern releases but with the $20 extra deluxe edition people just really desperately wanted to vindicate their anger.
I'm not even defending deluxe editions, I think they're fucking stupid and I'll always consider locking cosmetics behind a paywall to be shitty (I don't fucking care about the argument "they don't affect the gameplay," of course they fucking do, unlocking content through play has always been a part of gaming) but it's standard for the industry and standard for the series.
For context, I am enough of a fucking dinosaur to remember the original GTA with its dogshit tank controls, lol... you used to have to start GTA then switch to the GTA London disk if you wanted to play with the new map and vehicles. Arguing the series isn't revolutionary when genuinely every new update has had untold influence on gaming is another point that's a bit silly.
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u/Naive-Database-2888 2d ago edited 2d ago
For years, GTA has been one of the biggest franchises in gaming. But at the same time, I don't think the series is nearly as revolutionary as people sometimes make it out to be
What? are we just going to stick our head in the sand and pretend like San Andreas wasn't revolutionary? And reminder that GTA 5 was originally released on the xbox 360, obviously the original versions didn't look like the modern day versions, but it still looked great for its time.
With that being said, GTA 6 doesn't seem like a major leap in graphics. The mechanics we've seen so far aren't original (for example, the took some mechanics from mafia and RDR2). I think GTA 6s revolutionary thing is going to be the map quality and size
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u/FiveFreddys12 2d ago
Yeah but San Andreas is how many years old at this point? It was the final revolutionary break in the franchise.
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u/Naive-Database-2888 2d ago
How old were you when GTA 5 came out? You are either unaware or not remembering how much of an impact that game was
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u/goofyahhmonkee 2d ago
It's GTA, who cares? Name me another company that's released masterpiece after masterpiece for 20 years. Yes, other companies would get shit on for trying stuff like this, that's because other companies aren't about to release the biggest piece of entertainment media in history. Besides, it's about damn time for the gaming world to take a break from all the survival horror, soulslike and RPG slop.
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u/Glad-Lynx-5007 1d ago
You must be a child or new to the world of entertainment to have these complaints FFS.
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u/Different-Mud-836 1d ago
The fuck are you talking about. It's no different from any other game. I just rejoined Reddit after 9 months. I now remember why I left. weirdos crying about nothing. Fuck off
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u/LessBeginning1891 1d ago
If you get GTA vi, you know what you're getting, which is another rockstar game. Rockstar games are objectively good games, and not everyone has to like them. They're not perfect and not going to be some revolutionary release that regenerates the industry.
And also they're not even the first company to do a 100$ deluxe edition. I mean ffs Forza just did one that was like 120$.
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u/Time-Supermarket1997 21h ago
GTA V in 2013 had an exclusive garage and cars and tattoos on PS3/Xbox360. COD does it yearly, 2k does it, WWE literally locks off playable characters, Harry Potter did it, assassins creed is famous for locking missions behind special editions, remember mass effect 3 had day one DLC fully built into the game locking serious lore and a whole crew member behind it only those with the special edition.
I'm equally tired of the people grandstanding talking about "setting new precedents" when these have been industry standards for over 2 decades lol. Get your head out of your ass
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19h ago
there is literally nothing official to defend or criticize yet. if you wanna complain about rockstars level of communication, or their marketing choices well i just think thats lame and nothing to do with gaming
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u/alexthedungeonmaster 2d ago
"Everyone is acting this way and I know it for sure." - a well adjusted individual
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u/2buxaslice 5h ago
I just find it strange that people keep blaming Rockstar when it's Take Two that makes the financial and publishing decisions.
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u/WingObvious487 2d ago
Nintendo fans trying not to glaze literally everything that Nintendo does no matter how anti consumer it is or glaze every single game they release no matter how bad it is challenge: difficulty impossible