RIT game scholar: 'Grand Theft Auto 6' is going full Florida Man meme
Video game professor explains how GTA is a satirical reflection of American life and master of open-world gaming
Rockstar Games
José Zagal, a game scholar at Rochester Institute of Technology, explains that the Grand Theft Auto video game series is a prime example of how people understand the U.S. (even if it is a twisted mirror), just as much as Hollywood, hip-hop, and the Super Bowl.
Florida Man is likely headed to Grand Theft Auto 6, says a Rochester Institute of Technology game design and development expert.
José Zagal, director of RIT’s School of Interactive Games and Media, said he expects the latest installment of the blockbuster video game franchise to draw heavily from the bizarre Florida headlines that have fueled the popular internet meme for years.
José Zagal, professor and director of RIT’s School of Interactive Games and Media.
“’Florida Man caught driving down highway in a shopping cart with an alligator and machine gun’—this is going to be all over the game,” said Zagal about the soon-to-be-released video game that takes place in present-day Florida. “This is not the real experience for most people in Florida, but that’s not the point. The point is to be in the game designers’ slightly different, interesting version of the U.S. and poke fun at it.”
As a professor and game scholar, Zagal teaches courses and has authored books on game ethics, games education, game design, and role-playing games. RIT is one of the top game design universities in the world, according to annual rankings from The Princeton Review.
Zagal notes how impactful the whole Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series has been. It’s one of the few games that have become a major part of popular culture and helped define the open-world game genre.
The GTA series was started in 1995 by Scottish game developers aiming to make fun of American culture through the lens of American media, noted Zagal. It’s played off the 1990s gangster-scene in southern California and the cocaine cowboys of the ’80s in Miami.
“If you’ve never been to the U.S., but you’ve watched American movies, TV, news, and listened to American music, then it supports what you see in the game,” said Zagal. “For many people worldwide, GTA is basically a satirical window into American life—not an authentic reflection, but a reflection nonetheless.”
GTA 6 is expected to be a blockbuster hit after its release on Nov. 19, 2026, for PlayStation and Xbox.
Rockstar of expansive, open-world games
Zagal describes games as a relatively young medium. New video games are constantly challenging what a game can be and what kinds of experiences they can provide—like the early days of cinema.
“There’s still a lot of experimenting happening when it comes to mechanics and systems and interactions,” said Zagal. “Rockstar Games, makers of the GTA series, has always provided this open sandbox for players to come up with their own activities and do their own ‘nonsense’—supported a lot of times by game design choices. If a player wants to see how far they can make a car fly, that takes a game designer designing a space that supports that.”
GTA 6 boasts a map twice the size of GTA 5. It will feature advanced weather systems, including tropical storms and hurricanes. Fans can also interact with 170 different types of animals.
Rockstar Games
Cal Hampton is a major supporting character and friend of the protagonist in Grand Theft Auto VI.
“I would be very surprised if Rockstar added hurricanes and then they were just a window dressing feature, like a pretty sunset,” said Zagal. “Can storms be part of the gameplay and story and what can you do with them? Can I wrestle an alligator—maybe that would be fun?”
Zagal said that the creators will no doubt be observing the metrics and analytics of what players are doing and discover new things. He also notes that since the last GTA release, game streaming on Twitch and YouTube has become an even larger part of the video game culture landscape.
“I suspect we’ll see a lot of streamers testing how much they can get away with and pushing the limits of the game,” said Zagal. “That’s part of what Rockstar does well and it’s exciting to see what they’ve been up to.”
Alumni of RIT’s game design and development degree programs have gone on to work at Rockstar Games. Zagal is a professor in RIT’s Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences.
RIT offers diverse paths for aspiring game designers, including several bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, a combined accelerated BS/MS option in game design and development, and a computing Ph.D. to specialize in games research. Learn more about the university’s offerings at RIT Games.
