Are you planning to disappear into Vice City when Grand Theft Auto 6 arrives in just over two months? You’re not alone and doing so definitely isn’t uncommon. For decades, fans have been calling in sick or taking vacation time when a new game in a series they love drops. For franchises like Call of Duty, which receives new titles on an annual basis, this theoretically adds up to a lot of time off. GTA games, however, are so infrequent that it’s almost become a generational event for one to arrive. It’s only natural that some players don’t want to wait any longer than necessary to experience it.
AAA games are more than just singular luxury purchases. They’re an investment of time that the vast majority of people can’t easily make without cutting into their normal lives. That’s why a growing number of gamers have figured out that one of the best ways to fully experience a title like GTA 6 is to make sure you’ve already carved out some time for yourself to play it. Even if that means clearing it with your job and significant other before picking up a controller.
Bud Burruss–a video game streamer and married father of three–spoke with The Wall Street Journal and noted that he’ll be taking a five-day vacation before Thanksgiving to devote to the game.
“We’ve got a couple of days where we’re like, ‘Daddy’s very busy,’” Burruss told WSJ. “I’ll have the cave door shut.”
Although Burruss noted that he told his wife about his plans a year in advance, his GTA 6 staycation has been mocked by some online.
“His wife has four children,” wrote a poster on Facebook. “Our men are children,” added another.
It’s clear that Burruss’ GTA 6 plans may seem excessive to some, and that parts of our shared culture still look down at gaming as a waste of time rather than a mainstream activity that’s been a part of our lives for decades.
That’s why I’m firmly on the side of Burruss and anyone else who wants to treat November 19 like an unofficial holiday. If you worked your ass off to afford the time off and squared things with your family or significant other, then why shouldn’t you take some vacation time to play GTA 6? Its $80 price is far from cheap, but it’s a lot less expensive than an actual vacation. And if it’s something you enjoy, then the investment of time and money is worth it.
It’s not as if the real world hasn’t noticed all of the excitement surrounding the game. Last month, it was reported that the 9th Engineer Battalion in Fort Stewart, Georgia offered soldiers a reenlistment perk–four days off to play GTA 6–if they re-upped their contracts with the army. Thankfully, most of us don’t have to go to the same extreme to set aside some time off.
Grand Theft Auto 6 may or may not be a once-in-a-lifetime game, but it’s anyone’s guess when another installment in the long-running series will arrive. If GTA 7 is a decade or more away, then there’s an even greater incentive to enjoy the one that’s finally on the verge of release. Regardless of how many players take a time out from their lives in November, we can safely predict that the crime rates in Vice City are going to go way up. We’ll see you on the mean streets.