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People are very excited by recent reports claiming that Grand Theft Auto 6<\/em> will allow players to carry cocaine and snort it off their hands at any time. While that\u2019s obviously an entertaining (and thematic) detail, developer Rockstar Games has an opportunity to push the envelope forward in terms of game design here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We already know that drugs will feature prominently in GTA 6<\/em>\u2019s 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\u2019s not surprising to see references to drugs here \u2014 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 <\/em>and Red Dead Redemption 2<\/em> are able to partake in illicit substances. I don\u2019t expect or want GTA 6<\/em> to provide a scolding lecture on substance abuse, but I am hoping Rockstar\u2019s latest goes a little further with this as an in-game mechanic than what we typically see.<\/p>\n Usually, drugs in video games provide a short-lived stat boost, paired with a debuff if you use them too often. Starfield <\/em>and The Outer Worlds 2<\/em> are probably the most recent examples of this among big-budget games. In Starfield, <\/em>if you use too many stimulants, your oxygen recovery will slow and your carry capacity will be reduced by 20%. Addiction can be cured with a simple doctor\u2019s visit, but if you\u2019re outside a major city, it can be a nuisance. In The Outer Worlds 2<\/em>, overusing using your tobacco-fueled inhaler can trigger the permanent \u201cdrug addiction\u201d flaw, which diminishes the restorative effect of the inhaler but reduces its toxicity. Both of these are very, very minor consequences, all things considered.<\/p>\n Rockstar North co-studio head and head of development Aaron Garbut recently told Game Informer, \u201cNormally you compromise scale for detail or detail for interaction, but with this project we went the other way \u2013 everything is dialed up, detail, scope, breadth, scale, interaction and density. I don\u2019t think we have ever created anything close to this before.\u201d Elsewhere in Game Informer\u2019s preview, Garbut noted that GTA 6<\/em>\u2019s choice-driven gameplay aims to inspire multiple playthroughs. With all this in mind, I\u2019d be surprised if drug use didn\u2019t have more intricate gameplay consequences than we\u2019ve seen elsewhere.<\/p>\n There are several ways this could play out. We already know that diet and exercise routines \u2014 or lack thereof \u2014 will impact how Jason and Lucia look and feel. Obviously, doing cocaine nonstop might curb their appetites, leading both to sport slimmer builds. But what I\u2019m really hoping to see is how drug use in GTA 6<\/em> affects your relationships. It would make sense if the optional romance between Jason and Lucia suffered if one of them used drugs excessively while the other abstained. It\u2019s not hard to see it becoming a cause for getting locked out of GTA 6<\/em>\u2019s romance route. Then again, if they\u2019re both regularly consuming, maybe it won\u2019t negatively impact the relationship.<\/p>\n Based on various previews so far, we\u2019ve also seen that NPCs are far more complex and multifaceted in their reactions than in many other video games. In other words, just because you can do cocaine at any time in GTA 6<\/em>, that probably doesn\u2019t mean that you should. Miami\u2019s cocaine culture has been immortalized in TV shows and movies like Miami Vice<\/em> and Scarface,<\/em> but in the real world, there can be consequences for whipping out a bag of drugs in plain view at a restaurant or bar \u2014 you could get dirty looks or have a video posted on on social media, you could get asked to leave, and in extreme cases, the cops could get called. Given the level of realism in GTA 6<\/em>, the same logic could apply in the game.<\/p>\n A weekly cheat sheet to what you\u2019ll eventually love to play. No buying, no \t\t\tSign up freeGet Polygon\u2019s Wishlister newsletter<\/h3>\n
\n\t\t\tcommitment \u2014 just saving for later.<\/p>\n
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