When MeinMMO editor Caro first encountered GTA 5 13 years ago as a teenager, it was an experience she still remembers today. However, she expects the release of GTA 6 with a healthy amount of caution, because one thing the game will not be able to replicate from its predecessor.
Since the first announcement of GTA 6, I count myself among the many people who eagerly await Rockstar’s latest project. The reason for this, besides the obvious general hype, is that the previous installment is simply one of the most vivid memories of my childhood – even though I was actually a bit too young for the game.
To explain why GTA 5 means so much to me and why it is also the reason I worry about my own impressions in GTA 6, I would like to take you on a little time travel:
GTA 5 was too grown-up for me, but that made it so appealing
It is 2013, I am 13 years old and I am visiting my friend from the neighborhood with whom I regularly meet. When she lets me into the house, we do not go to hers, but to her older brother’s room, who is currently out.
And on the television screen, I finally saw it for the first of many more times: A man with a gun, another with a Rottweiler, a woman throwing us a kiss – the loading screen of GTA 5.
My friend, who already knew about what GTA was from her brothers, told me about things you can do in the video game that I could hardly grasp. My world of Animal Crossing, Pokémon, and The Sims was overwhelmed by forbidden things: pulling drivers out of cars to get in themselves, trying to run over as many pedestrians on the sidewalk as possible, and aiming for the local strip club as the destination.
Until that moment, I had never thought something like that was possible, and as an edgy teenager, motivated by the unknown and the secretive, I had to see it with my own eyes.
This YouTube video by jackystone could be a snapshot of our player experience back then:
The story didn’t matter to us, nor did the in-game balance we squandered on paint jobs for her brother’s cars, too many clothes and tattoos, and friendly dancers. After the first secret hours in GTA 5, we could hardly wait for her brother to meet up with friends elsewhere.
Then we would hijack his television along with the PlayStation 3 to wreak havoc in Los Santos. And when there was finally trouble from him, we accepted it. But that couldn’t stop us; the forbidden made the game even more tempting.
When I later bought my own PlayStation, of course including a personal copy of GTA 5, I could truly dive into the game and the story. I spent a lot of time in the game until my graduation in 2018 and have been curious since the announcement of GTA 6 whether I will have as much fun with the sequel.
But precisely because GTA 5 was such a gaming revelation for my 13-year-old self, I worry that GTA 6 will disappoint me due to false expectations.
GTA 6 just won’t hit me as hard as GTA 5, and it can’t help that
GTA 5 was not only a fun game; it was a milestone for my own experience with video games. The many possibilities of my first open-world game, mixed with its themes, were overwhelming for me. They made GTA 5 the craziest thing ever for my still developing brain, and undisputedly.
And therein lies the problem: I can’t imagine that with my now 26 years and far more developed gaming experience I can be as blown away as I was back then.
Just one of my absolute favorite games, Cyberpunk 2077, does exactly what I loved about GTA 5: stealing cars, causing mayhem in the city, and yes, the Jig-Jig Street exists too. Things that I declared GTA 5 a milestone for are still fun, but simply not special anymore.
Looking back, I wonder if I really liked GTA 5 or if I just thought it was cool to play a game rated 18 at such a young age. However, I recognize from my other games – see Cyberpunk 2077 – that I can also find enjoyment in GTA 6 without the same overwhelming feeling.
For that to happen, it needs to be exceptionally good, as I don’t believe that the memory of my childhood will be enough. I have already thrown enough people over the hood in too many games for that.
However, GTA 5 was not the only game that fueled my passion for gaming back then. One of the most influential games that has meant an incredible amount to me since my childhood is The Last of Us. And only one game has since managed to capture the same feeling I experienced back then with Joel and Ellie: For 13 years, no game has given me a feeling like ARC Raiders, even though I play in the “most boring” way
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