The new installment in the Grand Theft Auto series will release tonight and Grand Theft Auto V is supposed to be amazing. GTA gets a (well deserved and hard won) rap as an envelop pushing series, but when I was nine and ten years old, I’d play GTA as readily as I’d play Dance Dance Revolution.
A lot of gamers started out with Ataris and Segas back in the 1980s and are now old enough to have little kids of their own. I may not be that old, but I sympathize with parents that want to share gaming with children, but are afraid of the consequences.
So, as someone who grew up in Liberty City, here are five fun ways to educate your kids and also get your game on.
1. Practice colors
Maybe your child is pretty young. Let’s assume they are three years old. That’s cute. Do you know what three year-olds are really good at? Three year-olds love practicing colors. It just so happens that GTA V has tons of traffic lights that your kid can point at and say, “Green!” Then you can point at the taxis and your child can tell you they are yellow.
2. Car talk
The name ‘Grand Theft Auto’ implies that there are a lot of cars in the game. My experience is that children of all genders tend to be interested in whatever their parents are interested in up until a certain age. So if you have a child, it is a perfectly legitimate learning experience to walk around Los Santos, San Andreas with your child and talk about the specifications of all the different vehicles. If you’re into it, they will be too.
3. Teach your teen how not to drive
If your child is a bit older, you might consider talking about the rules of the road with them. You are bound to break a couple laws with the driving system in GTA–you could have a chat about what’s legal while you’re driving, and your son or daughter might enjoy talking about driving on the right and stopping at toll booths.
4. Discuss politics
Want to have an in-depth conversation with your preteen or teenager? GTA V might be a good place to start.
Your child might be a young adult. If you have a preteen or teenager, you can get pretty deep. Why are all these people doing bad things? What geopolitical forces cause people to steal? What are the racial undertones in GTA? Want to have an in-depth conversation with your preteen or teenager? GTA V might be a good place to start.
5. Just play together. You know, normal like.
Play the game completely normally. This is controversial, but as a ten year-old who loved GTA I have to say that I didn’t play it violently. Most missions are completable without raping everybody out there. I don’t know what the quests will be like exactly, but you could always play tennis, sail, skydive, and walk around without murdering everybody you meet. Your children love you. It might be fun just to play together.
