Summary
Overview
Dan Hauser, legendary video game creator and co-founder of Rockstar Games, discusses his career creating Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series. He shares insights on storytelling in games, his creative process, influences from film and literature, and his new company Absurd Ventures. The conversation explores character development, open world design, the balance between narrative and freedom, and the future of interactive storytelling.
Starting Absurd Ventures and New Creative Worlds
Dan introduces his new company Absurd Ventures and its three creative universes: A Better Paradise (dystopian sci-fi with superintelligent AI), American Caper (chaotic satirical crime), and Absurdiverse (comedic action-adventure). He explains his approach to creating transmedia stories across books, comics, audio, and games. The discussion includes his philosophy on AI characters like Nigel Dave, who has intelligence without wisdom, and his continued commitment to single-player narrative experiences.
- Absurd Ventures is creating three worlds across multiple media: books, comics, audio series, and video games
- A Better Paradise explores AI with Nigel Dave, an AI with near-infinite intelligence but zero wisdom
- American Caper is set in Wyoming and satirizes American culture with over-the-top characters
- Absurdiverse aims to be like a living sitcom with comedy, cynicism, heart, and drama
" The idea that he's almost infinitely intelligent or can learn almost everything but has zero wisdom. And so the only thing he knows, and then he's seeing the world through the internet. "
Film Influences and Storytelling Origins
Dan discusses his early influences from film and literature, particularly crime dramas and Westerns that shaped his approach to video game narratives. He explains how films like The Godfather, Goodfellas, and Casino influenced GTA's storytelling, while Westerns like Butch Cassidy and The Wild Bunch informed Red Dead Redemption. He emphasizes the importance of creating worlds where audiences want to exist, despite their fictional nature.
- The Godfather Part II is Dan's favorite for its divided story structure and immigrant experience
- Goodfellas and Casino changed cinema with their use of voiceover and portrayal of criminals as normal people
- True Romance represents near-perfect dialogue writing by Tarantino with a large cast of memorable characters
- For Westerns, Butch Cassidy and The Wild Bunch are Dan's favorites, though he deliberately avoided watching too many while making Red Dead
" True Romance is super fun. Tony Scott was a really good director so it moves at a really good speed. It's funny, it's completely unbelievable but you really care about the characters. "
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