Some video game enthusiasts will soon be going on an extended vacation – to their mother’s basement.
As the November 19 release of Grand Theft Auto VI threatens to drain $1 billion from the U.S. economy in a single day, workers in a range of industries as varied as technology, automotive and even the U.S. military are being given the day off as a precaution so as not to make themselves sick.
The latest employer to join the vacation craze in the Greater Toronto Area is a video game producer that announced Thursday it will give its workers a five-day weekend to immerse themselves in the seedy underworld of gaming.
“Employees were granted special leave to take an urgent five-day business trip to Vice City during the launch of GTA6,” Pocketpair wrote, referring to the fictional version of Miami in which the violent video game franchise takes place.
The company attached a note then explaining that employees will be absolved of their job responsibilities from November 19-23 so they don’t have to make excuses to play this game.
“On November 19, millions of gamers around the world will find themselves sitting at school or work, staring longingly out the window, knowing that a new era of gaming is about to begin,” the memo said.
“At Pocketpair, we believe that such a historic event deserves our full attention.”
The announcement came after gaming hardware company Logitech said it would give its 7,000 employees the day off to engage in criminal heists and Vice City heists – or play another game they liked.
In a press release, Logitech cited a study that found gaming “boosts real-world confidence, reduces anxiety, and correlates with better everyday work performance.”
“It’s time to abandon the stereotype that gaming is a waste of time,” said Hanneke Faber, CEO of Logitech. “As a company that designs products for work and play, we see every day how commitment in one area supports performance in the other.”
The fervor has extended far beyond the video game industry, with automakers Burger Motorsports and Edison Motors giving workers time off to play GTA, which features an open world in which players can drive vehicles and complete missions related to guns and crime.
This has even extended to the armed forces — soldiers from the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart, Ga., being offered four days’ leave to drive recklessly, patronize prostitutes and destroy property in the virtual world, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The country’s expected $1 billion loss in productivity would be caused by up to 1.5 million Americans taking time off work to play GTA on Thursday, according to a projection reported by the International Business Times.
Before the release of Grand Theft Auto V in 2013, video game site IGN reported that 46% of its readers had already taken a day off and nearly 20% more planned to call in sick.
However, business will be booming on Thursday for Take-Two, the parent company of GTA developer Rockstar Games, which has already generated $1.2 billion in sales for the new title, according to Sensor Tower’s sales tracker.
Some lucky players could also win real money to spend on their Vice City vacation – the Kalshi Prediction Marketplace is offering a $135,000 salary to a seasoned player eager to study the game’s virtual economy.
Gn tech
