No, GTA 6 Isn’t As “Woke” As Some Fans Think It Is

Earlier this month, Rockstar unveiled their all-new GTA 6 trailer. As expected, it was met with a TON of excitement from fans. Within a couple of days, the trailer has already acquired 124 million views. And while most folks are looking forward to everything showcased, a section of the GTA community is already worried about the game. You see, some people think the game has gone “woke”.

You don’t really need to take a lot of guesses to figure out why. GTA 6 is the first game in the franchise to feature a female protagonist. Lucia is one of the two playable characters who’ll form the bombastic duo in the series’ upcoming sequel. While it shouldn’t have to be said, no, GTA hasn’t magically become “woke”, simply because the writers decided to include a female protagonist this time.

There were tons of elements in the trailer that have highlighted that this is very much the same Grand Theft Auto that fans know and love. Here’s why.

The Protagonists Function As A Duo

For any guys worried they won’t get to live out their dream of committing crimes in Vice City, don’t worry. The other part of the GTA 6 duo, is Lucia’s currently unnamed boyfriend. Lucia certainly has been given more of a spotlight for this trailer. But, it’s possible the other character will his time to shine in the upcoming ones. The developers are clearly going for a Bonnie and Clyde dynamic with the two.

Bonnie and Clyde were American criminals who committed robberies and robbed banks during the Great Depression. So it’s pretty obvious why the developers are drawing inspiration from them. With that said, there’s no real way to tell a story like this well, unless both the characters are equally interesting and appealing to the audience.

If one-half of the duo is getting all the attention, it’s not really going to make the dynamic work. And I’m sure the developers understand this. So the whole doom and gloom over the fact that you’re going to have to play as a female protagonist for the first in GTA, is totally uncalled for. With how things look, it’s very likely that both the characters will have their separate missions.

The Article That Started It All

One of the big reasons that people think GTA 6 is potentially going to be different, is because of a Jason Schreier article. He’s an industry insider, who mentioned how Rockstar Games has done much to clean up the ‘frat-boy’ image within the company. Jason also added that the company is going to be more politically sensitive moving forward.

The article mentioned that GTA 6 will thus offer a different tone than some of its predecessors. This is thanks to a new creative direction taking place at the company. Considering how much of a reputable insider Schreier is, there was a lot of worry among fans. Many of them were unsure about what this meant for the upcoming game. But I don’t think this is as bad as people think it is.

You have to keep in mind that GTA 6 is releasing at a time and political landscape that’s widely different than when even GTA 5 came out. And having the game adapt to it, doesn’t necessarily turn it “woke”. Plus, Jason’s article was vague. It didn’t mention the specifics of what would be changing in GTA 6. It’s likely that the bulk of the changes will be in how the team works behind the scenes. 

So far, there haven’t been any details that have come out, on just how this change at Rockstar Games will affect GTA 6. And it’s possible, that for most fans, there’s almost no noticeable difference in the storytelling and narratives between GTA 6 and the previous titles. As a result, the whole backlash is probably a bit too premature for now.

But Of Course, Some Fans Are Still Not Having It

Despite the facts being rather clear and obvious, some fans are still choosing to hurl the “woke” title over GTA, as if it means something. On Reddit especially, there have been folks who feel like the game is simply not going to be for them if it continues with this trend.  One fan posted:

GTA used to make fun of woke people. Now they’re becoming woke, I think that’s the hugest problem people have with the female character. It’s never happened before, and it’s only coming at the time when companies are trying to shove woke BS down everyone’s throat. Saints Row reboot did this exact thing, is it a coincidence that the developers who did the new Saints Row just shut down?”

Again, it should be pretty obvious that having a female character doesn’t exactly mean the rest of the writing is going to be any different. But hey, some fans are beyond saving. When most of these criticisms amount to, “why isn’t the main character a white guy”, it’s hard to take them seriously. Sadly, an honest discussion about representation is almost impossible to do with such a crowd. 

For all we know, GTA 6 could be different. But I think even the developers realize what works, and what doesn’t. They’re not going to fumble, on what’s likely going to be one of the biggest releases in gaming history. Simply because they’re worried about being perceived as too “politically incorrect”. And the fact is GTA has always been critical of everyone.

It’s Likely GTA 6 Will Criticize American Society As A Whole

Even from the trailer itself, the overuse of social media, and the usage of real-life memes and events, do make one thing clear. Rockstar Games isn’t focused on sticking on one side of the aisle and picking on the other. Instead, the company wants to look at American culture as a whole, and in some ways, criticize it. That’s kind of been the vibe of many previous GTA games.

So it’s no surprise that GTA 6 is following that trend. Of course, this means that people who are worried about the game being too “woke”, and those who think the game might be too politically incorrect, will both end up being burned in some way with the game’s narrative. And that’s okay.

If nothing else, GTA 6 is a way to get people to reflect back on their own selves and how the current age of social media is going, would make for an amazing narrative. The game could have something to say, without it feeling like the message is being forced down on the players. But if that’s still too much for some fans, well, it’s not like Rockstar Games will miss them.

GTA has gone woke. Time to boycott Rockstar.
byu/Efficient-Elk6853 inGTA

Like I said, the game is already getting close to being one of the biggest releases ever. Just the trailer alone has broken records. So this small crowd of folks that feel like they’re not being respected, will likely not even make a dent. Regardless, many are still choosing to air out their complaints to the world. 

Before we top it off, though, here are some of the things we wish to see in GTA 6.