Grand Theft Auto VI Is a Big Deal — But Gaming Is So Much More

Grand Theft Auto VI is one of the most talked-about video games ever made. Last week, a 30-minute preview of the game aired on Netflix and shot straight to the No. 1 spot on the site's viewing chart. So many people tried to watch at once that Netflix crashed for a few minutes. Now, some writers and gaming fans are asking an important question: will all this attention on one game crowd out coverage of the many other great games out there?

The preview was a massive hit. According to data from the gaming site Eurogamer, more than 9,000 streamers on Twitch covered the show. Together, viewers watched more than 5.2 million hours of that coverage on Twitch alone. And this is just the start — the game's full release is still weeks away, and the hype is expected to keep growing.

But one games writer is worried about what comes next. He predicts that most news coverage of GTA VI will follow a tired old pattern. TV news shows will squeeze in short five-minute segments near the end of their broadcasts, where experts explain why the game is a big deal and how much money it will make. Some reporters might even bring up the old debate about whether violent video games are bad for players — a topic that has been argued about for decades without much new to add.

The writer also points out something frustrating: news anchors often joke about not knowing anything about games, shrugging and laughing at their own ignorance. He says this would never happen with other art forms like film or books. No one would brag about not having read a famous novel. He hopes that major broadcasters, like the BBC, will take the time to explore GTA VI seriously — looking at its story, its creators, and its place in culture — just as they do with big films or TV shows.

There is also another problem. Once GTA VI gets its moment in the spotlight, TV and radio editors might feel they've already 'covered games' for a while. That means other great games won't get any attention. The writer argues this is unfair, because so many amazing games have come out in the years since GTA V. Games like Elden Ring, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and No Man's Sky created huge, exciting worlds to explore.

Some games do get regular media coverage — Minecraft and Fortnite, for example, appear in the news fairly often. But the writer notes that this coverage is almost always about worries over kids spending too much time playing, or about how these games connect to movies and music. It is rarely about the games themselves as creative works. The writer's main point is simple: video games are now a huge part of our culture, and the media should treat them that way.

On a lighter note, the writer also shared a fun game discovery. Looking for something the whole family could enjoy for his birthday, he found a party game called What The Dub?! In this game, players watch clips from old, unusual films and fill in missing dialogue with their own funny lines. A robotic voice reads everyone's answers out loud, and then players vote on the funniest one. The writer said it was a big hit with his family and will definitely be played again at future celebrations.

In other gaming news, workers at Electronic Arts have been sharing concerns after EA was bought by Saudi Arabian investors. Some employees worry that popular games like EA Sports FC and Battlefield could be used to improve Saudi Arabia's image abroad. There are also worries about job security and changes to the company's culture. Meanwhile, thieves stole equipment from small game developers at the Gamescom event in Cologne, Germany, leaving some creators feeling 'defeated.'

Finally, the writer answered a reader's question about flight games for a six-year-old who loves airplanes. He strongly recommended Microsoft Flight Simulator, which works on PS5 and Xbox and can be simplified so younger kids can just steer the plane like an arcade game. He also suggested Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, an action-packed option with exciting aerial battles due in October. For kids interested in space, he recommended No Man's Sky, praising its easy controls and the feeling of soaring over alien planets.