Dating expert warns playing GTA 6 could become cheating once players cross major red line
Grand Theft Auto 6 is still months away from release but has already sent a shiver down the spine of girlfriends worldwide.
That's because the highly-anticipated GTA 6 will not only allow gamers to play as the first fully voiced and realised female main character, Lucia Caminos, but to be in a fully formed relationship with her when you play as the other starring protagonist, Jason Duval, as well.
Some corners of social media haven't reacted to the news well, with a trend of spouses swearing not to allow their significant others to play the game going viral.
A YouGov poll even found that 6 per cent of Brits believe maintaining an in-game relationship is cheating, with 19 percent thinking it's not okay.
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Dating expert Lorraine Adams doesn't think a fictional relationship in a digital universe is cheating in of itself, but it could cross into dangerous territory if people aren't careful.
A real relationship being pushed aside would be the issue
"If a person became emotionally invested in a digital relationship to the extent that it was replacing intimacy, attention or connection with their real-life partner, then I can understand why the partner might feel neglected or betrayed," Adams tells LADbible.
She explains there's a line that could be crossed that could be very damaging for a relationship.
Adams continued: "If, for example, somebody was spending hours nurturing an in-game relationship while withdrawing affection, communication and time from their partner, the problem wouldn’t necessarily be the fictional character.
"It would be the fact that the real relationship was being pushed aside.
"Likewise, if someone appeared to treat their video game character with more affection, patience and attention than they gave their real-life partner, I think their partner would have every right to be upset."
It's not 'right' to tell your partner not to play GTA 6
Influencer Shelby Haas posted a video to her one million followers on TikTok which made it clear she intends to ban her fiancé from playing GTA 6.
She said: "In absolutely no human way is my fiancée playing GTA 6 after I just saw that you literally have to maintain a relationship with a girl in the video game and text her and she'll get mad if you don't text her back, and you have to take her on dates."
She urged everyone to follow her lead, too, adding: "Don't let your boyfriend, or fiancée or husband play GTA 6."
However, Adams doesn't believe it's right for someone not to allow their partner to not play a video game.
'Trying to control someone’s entertainment isn’t a substitute for trust'
She says: "Trying to control what your partner can and cannot do is unlikely to create a healthy relationship. Trust is fundamental to a healthy relationship, and trying to control someone’s entertainment isn’t a substitute for trust."
How the relationship will work in GTA 6
Rockstar finally gave eager fans an official inside look (after a week of leaks ahead of time) at GTA 6 on August 27 with an extended gameplay trailer which aired on Netflix, showing off typical bullet-laced antics and high-speed getaways as well as the new relationship mechanics.
GTA 6's main narrative will focus on the love story between the Bonnie and Clyde-esque couple, but there's more to it than robbing a bank in tandem, as you can also go on dates like kayaking, shopping or playing mini-golf, buy gifts for one another and even hold hands.
The partners in more than just crime can even text and call each other in the game, whichever character you're playing as, which might lead to some awkward conversations if you get caught messaging them while ignoring some unanswered texts on your real phone.
Just as not responding to messages in GTA 6 can impact the relationship, too.
For all the worried partners out there, the relationship simulation aspects are completely optional and won't get into too much detail on what happens in the bedroom.
"These characters feel very right together — they really do,” Rob Nelson, Head of Development and Co-Studio Head at Rockstar North, told IGN.
“For anybody that wants to play around with the idea of role-playing their relationship, it's amazing. So many people on the team have connected with the characters.
"But physical intimacy is a huge part of a relationship, and so it has to be done right. Like anything that we do, we have to iterate and try things and iterate on it until we figure out what feels right."
So what final piece of advice would Adams, a matchmaker who has worked in the dating industry for more than 25 years, give to anyone worried about their special someone playing GTA 6?
It's all about communication
"Talk openly about why it makes one person uncomfortable and establish mutually understood boundaries," she says. "Keeping your partner fully integrated, and even encouraging them to play is a good way to show total transparency.
"For some people, an in-game romantic relationship will simply be part of the entertainment and storytelling of the game and will have absolutely no emotional significance. For someone else, however, it might touch a particularly sensitive boundary.
"Ultimately, it comes down to the strength of the relationship, the trust between the partners and their individual sense of security and self-assurance."
GTA 6 will be released on November 19.
Topics: GTA, Sex and Relationships, Gaming, Social Media
Daniel Murphy