Come January 20, 2026, students at the University of Tennessee will embark on an unprecedented academic journey: the world’s very first college history class dedicated to Grand Theft Auto. That’s right, a GTA college history class before the launch of GTA 6.
‘Grand Theft America: U.S. History Since 1980 through the GTA Video Games’ is the brainchild of history professor Tore Olsson. Astute followers of gaming news might recall Professor Olsson from our previous discussions about his pioneering Red Dead Redemption American history class – another global first. That acclaimed course was complemented by his book, ‘Red Dead’s History,’ which even featured an audiobook narration by none other than Arthur Morgan’s voice actor, Roger Clark.
Professor Olsson had initially envisioned aligning his new course’s launch with the release of GTA 6. However, Rockstar’s decision to push the game’s launch to May 2026 altered those plans, mirroring the impact on numerous other video game publishers. Despite this, with what is undoubtedly poised to be the biggest entertainment launch of all time on the horizon, Professor Olsson is forging ahead with his innovative curriculum.
In an extensive interview, Professor Olsson delves into why Grand Theft Auto emerged as the ideal choice for a follow-up history class after Red Dead. He discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the GTA games’ portrayal of contemporary America and outlines the role of GTA 6 in the class. But perhaps the most intriguing question remains: will playing Grand Theft Auto games actually count as ‘studying’?
IGN: What’s the basic idea behind this class?
Tore Olsson: Video games are master creators of fictional worlds, but they also profoundly influence players’ understanding of real historical periods and places. Much like how Red Dead Redemption 2 shaped public perception of the nineteenth-century American West or Ghost of Tsushima informed views of feudal Japan, millions worldwide envision contemporary America through the lens of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Just consider how many GTA veterans recognize landmarks in Los Angeles and New York from their hours spent in Los Santos and Liberty City!
In my class, I critically examine GTA’s fictional depiction of the United States: its characters, its urban and rural environments, and its narratives. This world serves as the framework for a serious history course that investigates what has genuinely occurred in the United States over the past half-century. The class emphasizes American history far more than the games themselves, but GTA provides the structural foundation for our exploration of the past. My ultimate hope is that after this course, students will perceive these games, and modern America, in an entirely new light.
IGN: The Red Dead Redemption series, which you’ve explored previously, is clearly historical in its setting. Few would consider the Grand Theft Auto games in the same vein. How can their contemporary setting form the core of a college history class?
Tore Olsson: Most people wouldn’t place GTA in the same category as games set in bygone eras, such as Red Dead, Assassin’s Creed, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance. However, with the franchise nearing its 30th anniversary, and considering that some earlier titles were set a decade or two before their release, these games collectively capture a distinct historical epoch: the United States from 1980 to the present. Vice City Stories (1984) and Vice City (1986) chronicle the 1980s. San Andreas (1992) and Liberty City Stories (1998) delve into the ’90s, and subsequent titles like 3, 4, 5, and soon 6 offer diverse glimpses into the twenty-first century.
I strongly believe that the period from 1980 to today represents a distinct and coherent era in American history. To comprehend the divided and unequal United States we inhabit now, we must grapple with the transformations of that time. Forty-five years ago, the political tensions that rage today were far less intense. Most Americans relied on three major TV networks—ABC, NBC, and CBS—which offered a largely centrist perspective on contentious issues. In 1980, the average CEO earned approximately 25 times their typical employee’s salary; today, that figure is closer to 400 times. Forty-five years ago, just over 5% of Americans were immigrants; today, it exceeds 15%. And the U.S. prison population quadrupled between 1980 and 2005.
In many respects, the America of today is barely recognizable from its 1980 counterpart. In my class, we will explore how these changes unfolded, using the fictional world of the GTA games as our window into this historical exploration.
IGN: What aspects of contemporary America do the GTA games accurately portray? And where do they miss the mark?
Tore Olsson: Unlike Red Dead Redemption and other historical games, the GTA franchise is primarily a satirical parody of the past and present, rather than an earnest attempt at faithful recreation. This makes listing its inaccuracies almost beside the point. But, just for a bit of fun, here are a few. Every GTA game depicts an America riddled with violence and crime. This is quite ironic, given that homicide and car theft, for instance, saw dramatic declines from the early ’90s until the pandemic. The games portray an America largely devoid of suburbs or traffic (has anyone actually visited Los Angeles?). They present a society where most women seemingly find their primary employment in sex work, and people of color are frequently depicted as gang members. The flaws and unfortunate stereotypes in such portrayals are evident. And what about the peculiar fact that no vehicle seems to have door locks?
However, I find the games far more engaging—and valuable for the class—when their parody strikes a chord of truth. For example, Los Santos, Liberty City, and Vice City all feature bustling container ports—what GTA 5 famously calls “the orifice of American capitalism”—often situated near decaying manufacturing districts. This is spot-on: arguably, no technology was more transformative for post-1980 America than the shipping container, which greatly facilitated the global outsourcing of U.S. industry. Then there are GTA’s radio stations, where much of the games’ sharpest social commentary unfolds. In GTA 4 (set in 2008) and GTA 5 (2013), we encounter a highly polarized media landscape where rival political commentators fiercely debate from separate stations. Yet, the talk radio of the Vice City and San Andreas era is notably different: here, a collection of eccentric characters would debate each other on a single station. This is an interesting (and perhaps unintentional!) nod to how, in 1987, Ronald Reagan initiated the deregulation of television and radio by repealing the 1949 “fairness doctrine,” a move that paved the way for overtly partisan networks like Fox News and MSNBC.
IGN: Can you provide an example of how you intend to leverage the games’ storylines to impart historical content?
Tore Olsson: I’ve dedicated more hours than I’d like to admit to playing these games, and I’m eager to use their plots and characters to teach significant historical topics. I’m perhaps most enthusiastic about utilizing San Andreas, which is primarily set in a fictional Los Angeles of 1992. As many know, the game follows Carl “C.J.” Johnson as he returns to the West Coast, striving to rid his neighborhood of drug dealers and free his brother from prison, all while corrupt police officers attempt to thwart his efforts. The game’s narrative climax occurs when these police officers are acquitted of their crimes, sparking a massive urban rebellion against this perceived miscarriage of justice. “Los Santos will burn tonight,” an in-game news anchor ominously declares.
It’s likely apparent to many that this dramatic sequence alludes to the Los Angeles Riots of April and May 1992, a pivotal but often misunderstood turning point in contemporary U.S. history. Explaining the origins and significance of this violent upheaval is a key objective of my class. Most people view the 1992 riots as a knee-jerk reaction to the videotaped police beating of Black motorist Rodney King and the near-total acquittal of the officers charged. However, that explanation lacks crucial backstory and context, some of which San Andreas hints at, but much of which is absent from the game.
Immigration, policing, capitalism, drugs, government policies—these are all monumental challenges facing contemporary America. My plan is to use GTA’s allusions to these issues as the entry point for a historical exploration that I hope will resonate as fresh and timely for many students.
IGN: How can a less-than-serious video game serve as the foundation for a rigorous college class?
Tore Olsson: It might surprise, or even shock, some to hear of a college class built around the fiction of a video game, especially this particular franchise. Yet, video games have undeniably transitioned from the fringes to the cultural mainstream. Other forms of pop culture have made a similar journey before. Fifty years ago, it would have been unimaginable to find a “history of rock’n’roll” class at a college or university, given the music’s rebellious and controversial reputation. Today, that very course is one of the most popular offerings at my institution. Perhaps a generation from now, we will see many more courses constructed around the digital narratives of games.
Regarding GTA’s distinct brand of unseriousness, I’ve certainly played enough to become intimately familiar with its cynical, irreverent, and often crude humor. Sometimes it’s amusing; often it’s not. In my class, I will deliberately avoid the games’ most objectionable satire. Instead, I’ll emphasize the elements that are most evocative of significant social, cultural, and political paradoxes – of which there is no shortage.
From day one, I will go to great lengths to establish that this is a serious college class dealing with weighty and challenging topics, which we will always approach with sensitivity and respect. I will make it clear that my classroom is a professional environment for students, distinctly different from a friend’s basement where they might have first played GTA. My 20 years of experience teaching complex subjects – and my four years of navigating similar material through the Red Dead games – have, I believe, prepared me to manage the unique demands of teaching through a complex piece of pop culture like GTA.
There’s also the issue of GTA’s nihilistic violence, which has been a subject of controversy throughout its history. I neither celebrate nor endorse that digital bloodshed. Indeed, a core message of my course is profoundly anti-violent, aiming to reveal the shared humanity and aspirations of all Americans. My hope is that students will leave this class understanding that American divisions today are often fueled by powerful forces that profit from disunity, and that a more harmonious future is indeed attainable.
IGN: Has there ever been a class like this before?
Tore Olsson: Not really! While there have certainly been other college classes built around pop culture, whether focused on Taylor Swift or HBO’s The Wire, and there are historians who incorporate video games into their teaching, it’s quite rare to see instructors frame an entire course around one particular game franchise. There has been a game design course at a Canadian university on GTA, but its objectives differ significantly from what I aim to achieve as a historian. I’ve searched extensively and have found no previous examples of instructors in traditional academic disciplines who have made these games central to their class—which is rather surprising, considering GTA’s astounding popularity over the last two decades.
IGN: Are students required to buy or play any of the games? Will playing the games count as ‘studying’?
Tore Olsson: I’m sure many students would eagerly embrace that kind of studying! But no, I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed on that front. As with my previous courses on Red Dead Redemption, I do not require students to own or play the games during our semester. I’d be hesitant to ask financially strapped students to purchase an expensive console or gaming PC, along with the games themselves. Moreover, I never test students on the fictional content of the games; there will never be an exam question about Trevor Philips or Niko Bellic.
However, that doesn’t mean the games will be absent from the class – far from it. I kick off each lecture by showcasing game footage or screenshots relevant to our daily topic. Sometimes I’ll even pick up a controller and briefly play on my laptop and projector – perhaps demonstrating the loading of shipping containers in the Port of Los Santos – before diving into the core historical content. I anticipate many students will already be familiar with the GTA franchise, though ultimately, their knowledge of game lore won’t significantly contribute to earning them an A. Nevertheless, I sincerely hope their passion for the games’ fictional worlds will ignite a similar dedication to learning the real history that underpins them.
IGN: What is the place of GTA 6 in the class?
Tore Olsson: I had originally hoped it would be a major component! When I first began planning this class over a year ago, GTA 6 was slated for a late Fall 2025 release – perfectly timed for the start of our semester in January 2026. Of course, the recent delay to May 2026 made that impossible. So yes, that’s precisely why we’re getting a GTA college history class before GTA 6! (I genuinely hope the game’s release date doesn’t coincide with Spring final exams week, as I’d be quite concerned about my students’ ability to concentrate…) I absolutely plan to integrate the new game into future iterations of the course, but for now, I’ll have to rely on the extensive material provided by the older games.
IGN: Is it a coincidence that you’re focusing on another Rockstar game after Red Dead Redemption, or is there something unique about that developer’s game philosophy that enables a historian to build a course around their titles?
Tore Olsson: I don’t believe it’s a coincidence. Few developers can rival Rockstar in terms of the granular detail they pour into their games. But I also think Rockstar is quite unique in its eagerness to comment on the social fabric of American life. Their games – from L.A. Noire to Red Dead, and of course, GTA – consistently aim to convey something about the distinct strangeness of the American experiment. What they communicate is sometimes insightful, sometimes not, but their very attempt is utterly fascinating.
IGN: What advice do you have for individuals interested in your class but who are not University of Tennessee students and cannot enroll?
Tore Olsson: First and foremost, follow me on social media – on X/Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok – where I’ll be sharing regular updates about what we’re doing in the class, along with my thoughts on GTA 6. I immensely enjoyed the process of adapting my Red Dead Redemption college class into a book for a broader audience, and it was a dream to collaborate with Roger Clark as the book’s narrator. So, I’m seriously contemplating the possibility of doing the same with ‘Grand Theft America’ – perhaps with an equally perfect audiobook narrator? Stay tuned for updates!