Dan Houser is the chief writer of Rockstar Games, and he’s written for the company as far back as 1999, contributing to famous works from the Grand Theft Auto franchise, to Bully.
In an interview the New York Times, Houser is quick to admit that the notorious series has often served as an inspiration to more than a few titles, saying, “we've certainly been more sinned against than sinning,” considering series like Saint’s Row.
But given GTA’s stance as one of the most influential titles of all time, especially in recent years, with its contribution toward sandbox style gameplay, imitation is just the nature of the business.
Houser admits that he too is guilty of the same crime as his competitors, and cites other titles as influence, saying, “Anyone who makes 3D games who says they've not borrowed something from Mario or Zelda is lying.”
Anyone whose both played Vice City and watched “Scarface” can see an obvious parallel between the two, right down to the layout of the Vercetti mansion, a fact which Houser is more than aware of. “I suppose what we’ve borrowed from cinema is cinematography,” he said to the Times. “We haven’t borrowed a lot structurally. We’ve borrowed from TV structurally.”
Looking to the next GTA titles of late, one can see even more parallels between pop culture and the new characters. There’s…
- the repo man, seen in reality tv shows like “Lizard Lick Towing” and “South Beach Tow.”
- the wealthy, shady dealing, never home father / husband who hates his wife of virtually any “Housewives” show, take your pick (probably New Jersey).
- and the consummate, ever popular loose cannon.
Whether you call it life imitating art, or art imitating life, Houser is helping to keep Rockstar’s finger on the pulse of pop culture, so much so that I can’t wait to see what will no doubt be a delightfully twisted take on “Toddlers in Tiaras” and “Teen Mom.” In fact, I myself wonder whether one is the prequel, or the sequel. A true “chicken or the egg” type dilemma only possible in American “reality” television.
But we’ll all have to wait and see Houser’s take on pop culture until the newest chapter of Grand Theft Auto is released to the public. Grand Theft Auto V is available for pre-order now, and is expected to release in the spring of next year on both PlayStation 3 and XBox 360. A PC release has not yet been mentioned.
