People are very excited by recent reports claiming that Grand Theft Auto 6 will allow players to carry cocaine and snort it off their hands at any time. While that’s obviously an entertaining (and thematic) detail, developer Rockstar Games has an opportunity to push the envelope forward in terms of game design here.

We already know that drugs will feature prominently in GTA 6’s story: As shown during the August gameplay reveal, Jason and Lucia find themselves in a drug deal gone wrong during the opening moments. Later, while the couple work security for a VIP at a media company, one of their clients goes upstairs to do cocaine in a conference room. It’s not surprising to see references to drugs here — this is a GTA game, after all. Nor is it unprecedented for Rockstar to include drugs as a gameplay mechanic, since the protagonists of GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are able to partake in illicit substances. I don’t expect or want GTA 6 to provide a scolding lecture on substance abuse, but I am hoping Rockstar’s latest goes a little further with this as an in-game mechanic than what we typically see.

Usually, drugs in video games provide a short-lived stat boost, paired with a debuff if you use them too often. Starfield and The Outer Worlds 2 are probably the most recent examples of this among big-budget games. In Starfield, if you use too many stimulants, your oxygen recovery will slow and your carry capacity will be reduced by 20%.

Source link