A government pays civil servants to play GTA Online to better understand citizens: “is especially useful”

The Grand Theft Auto series is known for being one of the best at depicting the reality of the moment. Its eccentricities and madness are nothing more than an exaggeration of what actually happens off-screen, all around us. However, if there was one thing that seemed unthinkable, it was that this phenomenon could be reversed—with its universe spilling over into ours. Even less so that it could serve as a government experiment. But, as the saying goes, reality surpasses fiction.

The British newspaper The Telegraph has published a report detailing how the UK Department of Education launched a program in 2024 designed to pay its employees to play GTA Online. The goal was for them to join games with random players in order to monitor their activity. In other words, the aim was to encourage interaction with other people in very specific situations, which would help measure their reactions and behavior.

The findings of this study, conducted by a specialized unit within the Department of Education, have yielded truly conclusive results. It has been observed that players use the video game to act out desires they cannot fulfill in the real world, whether it be running a business or spending time at their own nightclub.

The way the program is funded has sparked controversy

Although the program has been active for nearly two years—during which time it has yielded representative samples of how citizens behave in certain situations—the focus has been on how the program has been funded. Conservatives and Labor have criticized each other, but both have actively participated in the program, whether to launch it or to keep it running. The program has also been criticized for the absurdity of requiring workers to know how to play a video game—a skill they believe should not be part of their job requirements.

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