Rockstar Games has announced the existence of Grand Theft Auto V, which in turn has triggered endless amounts of speculation. Everybody and their shockingly violent grandma want to know, where is this game going to take place? The setting has played a central role in every Grand Theft Auto game to date, more so than any other video game franchise. GTA has taken us on a road trip through Liberty City (based on New York City), San Andreas (based on California and Nevada), Vice City (based on 1980s Miami), and even to Chinatown. Rockstar is known for allowing the setting to guide the story, and this is plain to see by looking at games such as Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire. Unfortunately, until November 2nd, the only clue we have is the Roman number symbol “V,” which looks to be playing homage to American currency. Based on this alone, we’re guessing where the next Grand Theft Auto game will be taking place.
Las Vegas
This is the obvious choice, isn’t it? Given the design around the Roman numeral “V,” there is obviously going to be an emphasis on not only money, but greed. Not to mention that Vegas happens to start with the letter “V.” Las Vegas has enough scenery and different types or areas that it would be a great fit for the Grand Theft Auto franchise. There is the strip, there are the slums, there is open desert surrounding the city, etc. Lets not forget that Grand Theft Auto is a series that always includes a cast of highly eccentric characters, and when you think Vegas, you think eccentric characters.
Rockstar Games and the Houser Brothers also like to implement a city’s history into their games. Look at L.A. Noire, GTA: Vice City, or GTA IV. Every city is loaded with historical influences, whether relating to pop culture at the time or a setting’s political climate. Las Vegas has a rich history going back to when it was controlled by the mob, to the period when the FBI was closing in on the mob, and the city’s shift from adults only to family friendly. There is plenty of history and culture in Las Vegas for it to be an ideal setting for the next Grand Theft Auto chapter.
Washington D.C.
Currency triggers an association with government, which leads me to believe that a Washington D.C. setting is a slight possibility. The money-inspired design of the “V” could easily be a reference to the almighty dollar, and the government generally deals with the distribution of money. Whether it is how much money is manufactured, how much should be spent on government projects, or how much should be given to banks that have already proven they are quite irresponsible with money in the first place, the distribution of money is controlled by capital hill.
Given that the dollar represents greed, Washington D.C. is a logical setting, as there is a large population of corrupt government officials, swindling lobbyists, and these swindling lobbyists are paid by corporation CEOs that are even more corrupt than the politicians. There is also a great divide in class welfare in Washington D.C., which is a topic that the GTA series has never been afraid to touch upon. There are the very rich areas of downtown Washington, near the easily recognizable national monuments such as the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. There are also slums and ghettos that surround the city, which are occupied by the lower class.
GTA thrives in flushing out the different types of environments and social settings within one city, so this drastic and obvious example of distribution of wealth makes sense in the context of the franchise. The GTA series is also about capturing the American Dream, and what better place to do this than Washington D.C.?
Of course, there are heavy factors that go against the possibility of this game taking place in D.C. Given all of the violence and explosions that take place in the Grand Theft Auto universe, perhaps the nation’s capital would be an inappropriate setting for he game. With 9/11 and the tragedy at the Pentagon still fresh in Americans’ minds even after 10 years, maybe the Houser Brothers will want to stray from having violence in the capital of this country. On the other hand, GTA IV took place in Liberty City, which was heavily based on New York City. Plus, Modern Warfare 2 has already bombed the Hell out of Washington D.C., so maybe the city isn’t as untouchable as one would think.
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