Jacked The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto

Inside the making of the multibillion dollar Grand Theft Auto videogame empire Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest and most controversial videogame franchises of all time. Since its first release in 1997, GTA has pioneered the use of everything from 3D graphics to the voices of top Hollywood actors and repeatedly transformed the world of gaming. Despite its incredible innovations in the $75 billion game industry, it has also been a lightning rod of debate, spawning accusations of ethnic and sexual discrimination, glamorizing violence, and inciting real-life crimes. Jacked tells the turbulent and mostly unknown story of GTAs wildly ambitious creators, Rockstar Games, the invention and evolution of the franchise, and the cultural and political backlash it has provoked. Explains how British prep school brothers Sam and Dan Houser took their dream of fame, fortune, and the glamor of American pop culture and transformed it into a worldwide videogame blockbuster Written by David Kushner, author of Masters of Doom and a top journalist on gaming, and drawn from over ten years of interviews and research, including firsthand knowledge of Grand Theft Autos creators and detractors Offers inside details on key episodes in the development of the series, including the financial turmoil of Rockstar games, the infamous "Hot Coffee" sex minigame incident, and more Whether you love Grand Theft Auto or hate it, or just want to understand the defining entertainment product of a generation, youll want to read Jacked and get the real story behind this boundary-pushing game.

DAVID KUSHNER is the author of Masters of Doom, voted the best videogame book of all time by Game Informer magazine, as well as Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids, and Levittown. A contributing editor at Rolling Stone, Kushner has written for publications including Vanity Fair, Wired, New York Times Magazine, New York, GQ, and Details. He served as the digital culture commentator for National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday. He has been included in The Best American Crime Reporting and is an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.

Author’s Note v

Prologue: Players vs. Haters 1

1 The Outlaws 5

2 The Warriors 11

3 Race’n’ Chase 20

4 Gouranga! 27

5 Eating the Hamster 36

6 Liberty City 46

7 Gang Warfare 55

8 Steal This Game 65

9 Rockstar Loft 74

10 The Worst Place in America 80

11 State of Emergency 89

12 Crime Pays 101

13 Vice City 111

14 Rampages 124

15 Cashmere Games 134

16 Grand Death Auto 142

17 Boyz in the Hood 159

18 Sex in San Andreas 170

19 Unlock the Darkness 186

20 Hot Coffee 201

21 Adults Only 216

22 Busted! 222

23 Bullies 230

24 Flowers for Jack 247

25 New York City 259

Epilogue: Outlaws to the End 271

Acknowledgments 279

Notes 280

Index 292