Dan Houser: preference

Transcript context

…Why do you think there was so much excitement about GTA IV, GTA V, and now GTA VI? I think we did a really good job of constantly innovating. The games always felt different. People have very strong feelings, “I like this one.” “I didn’t like that one as much,” because they are pretty different. So you would, there would be simultaneously where you know what’s going to happen. It’s Grand Theft Auto, you know it’s going to be a game about being a criminal, but the way it’s going to be a game is going to change quite a lot. The number one question from the internet. It is so ridiculous, but I must ask. Have you seen Gavin? The following is a conversation with Dan Houser, a legendary video game creator, co-founder of Rockstar Games, and the creative force behind Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series, which includes some of the best-selling games of all time and some of the greatest games of all time. Both Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 have some of the deepest, most complex, and heart-wrenching characters and storylines ever created in video games. Dan has started a new company, Absurdventures, great name, that is creating some incredible new worlds in multiple forms, including books, comic books, audio series, and yes, video games. That includes A Better Paradise, which is a dystopian near-future world with a super intelligent AI, American Caper, which is an insanely chaotic, violent, dark, satirical world, and Absurdiverse, which is a comedic action-adventure world. I’m excited to explore all three of these. I have spent hundreds of hours in worlds that Dan has helped create, so this conversation was an incredible honor for me. And on top of that, Dan and I talked a lot after and in the days since, and he has been just a wonderful human being. I’m just at a loss of words. I feel like the luckiest kid in the world. This is the Lex Fridman Podcast. To support it, please check out our sponsors in the description, where you can also find links to contact me, ask questions, give feedback, and so on. And now, dear friends, here’s Dan Houser. You’ve helped create some of the most incredible characters, stories, and open worlds in video game history. But when you grew up in the late ’70s and ’80s, open-world video games wasn’t a thing. So you’ve credited literature and film as early inspiration. So let’s talk about film first, if we can.…

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