Government Workers Got Paid to Play GTA Online

Civil servants in the UK got paid to play Grand Theft Auto Online with strangers over the internet. Though getting paid to play games is a dream many have had, the choice to have workers play GTA Online is now seeing criticism from others within the UK government.

Despite its age, Rockstar’s game is still incredibly popular, with Grand Theft Auto Online earning about a million dollars per day. That popularity may be part of the reason why it was chosen for this project, but due to the violence and taboo subjects in the game, the move is likely seeing more controversy than if a different game had been chosen.

UK Government Workers Played GTA Online and Got Paid

According to a report from The Telegraph, an “experimental policymaking team” within the UK’s Department for Education called Policy Lab utilized Grand Theft Auto Online as part of a research project. The employees played the game normally, interacting with strangers online as they participated in typical missions like robbing jewelry stores and performing assassinations. The researchers’ goal was to spend time with people who normally play GTA Online, to observe their in-game interactions, and to see if games could be used to create “emotionally safe spaces.” Accordingly, the government workers would talk with the people they encountered in-game, and try to learn more about the “lived experience” of people in general, with the potential for the findings to be utilized in government policymaking.

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The experiment was reportedly held during December 2024, and seems to have since come to an end. Their findings reportedly included that it was easy for people in remote locations to meet up online in games like GTA Online, and gave players opportunities to do things that they couldn’t in real life. Some of the players spoken to indicated that driving in-game while talking was “really easy,” perhaps indicating that it’s easier for people to open up during in-game activities. In all, about 30 people are on the team, though it’s not known if all of them participated in the activity.

As one might expect, this news has drummed up some backlash within the UK government. Speaking with The Telegraph, one government source indicated that it was “nonsense” and that Ministers don’t want to see taxpayers’ money “wasted on video games.” Mike Wood, the current shadow Cabinet Office minister, called it an “absurd waste of resources” and that civil servants should have certain skills, but that playing GTA Online isn’t among them. Playing GTA Online wasn’t the only thing that the Department for Education Policy Lab group did, but it seems that the team is in hot water with some officials in general.

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While learning that government workers got paid to play any game likely would have frustrated some both within the government and among the public, choosing GTA Online may have been a poor choice. No official explanation has been shared as to why that title in particular was picked, with many other free-to-play games also available, including some that have considerably less violence. Given the scrutiny, it’s likely such a thing won’t happen anymore in the UK.