Say hello to the 80s, my little friend.
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What do you get when you combine open-world gameplay, character-driven storylines, gratuitous violence and 80s nostalgia? You get the best video game of all time: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. That's what you get.
For the uninitiated, here's how Rockstar Games sets it up:
"From the decade of big hair, Mr. T, and pastel suits, Vice City tells the story of one man's rise to the top of a criminal empire. The open-world game is a huge urban sprawl ranging from the beach to the swamps and the glitz to the ghetto. For its time, it was the most varied, complete, and alive digital city ever created."
When I met the game producers, the buzz about the Vice City release was everywhere. Burt Reynolds, Danny Trejo and Ray Liotta had all signed on, and the industry was frothy with rumors about a killer soundtrack. The producer handed me a CD, and a wall of English new wave synth blasted out my iMac G3. Mike Score from Flock of Seagulls belted out the monotone opening verse of his 80's hit "I Ran." In that moment, I knew we'd have a commercial campaign that fans would instantly love.
They did then, and do still to this day. So– if you're new to this– pop on your acid wash jeans, throw in the Scarface VHS and check out the Saul Bass-inspired commercial campaign that launched a multi-billion dollar gaming franchise into the history books.
Project
Vice City
Brand
Category
Commercial
Released
Oct 2002
Recognition
Context
What do you get when you combine open-world gameplay, character-driven storylines, gratuitous violence and 80s nostalgia? You get the best video game of all time: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. That's what you get.
For the uninitiated, here's how Rockstar Games sets it up:
"From the decade of big hair, Mr. T, and pastel suits, Vice City tells the story of one man's rise to the top of a criminal empire. The open-world game is a huge urban sprawl ranging from the beach to the swamps and the glitz to the ghetto. For its time, it was the most varied, complete, and alive digital city ever created."
When I met the game producers, the buzz about the Vice City release was everywhere. Burt Reynolds, Danny Trejo and Ray Liotta had all signed on, and the industry was frothy with rumors about a killer soundtrack. The producer handed me a CD, and a wall of English new wave synth blasted out my iMac G3. Mike Score from Flock of Seagulls belted out the monotone opening verse of his 80's hit "I Ran." In that moment, I knew we'd have a commercial campaign that fans would instantly love.
They did then, and do still to this day. So– if you're new to this– pop on your acid wash jeans, throw in the Scarface VHS and check out the Saul Bass-inspired commercial campaign that launched a multi-billion dollar gaming franchise into the history books.
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Grand Theft Auto
Vice City
The commercial campaign that launched a billion memes
Highlights
Rockstar Games
Legendary
Close Modal
Rockstar Games
Legendary
There really is no original discussion left to be had about 2002’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Every spoonful of praise heaped upon it over the years is deserved. GTA: Vice City’s status is cemented: it’s legendary. -IGN
When we started editing the commercial campaign, we knew fans would like it, but we had no idea how insane their reactions to the ads would get. At the time, we had no way of knowing that this would become the highest grossing game of all time. The following commercial was broadcast globally and four additional 80s-inspired edits were released digitally because the fans demanded them. They've been seen hundreds of millions of times.
“The ability to recover from stress is better in natural settings, because that’s where we are meant to be. Just the idea of getting out, being in nature, looking at a tree—the theory is that this helps you to recover from stress, improves your mental health, and improves cognition. It’s just a direct pathway.”
Peter James, PhD
Quantifying Nature
"Nature experience boosts memory, attention and creativity as well as happiness, social engagement and a sense of meaning in life. It might not surprise us that nature stimulates physical activity, but the associated health benefits – from reducing cancer risks to promoting metabolic and other functioning – are really quite astonishing.”
Gretchen Daily, Bing Professor of Environmental Science
National Academy of Sciences
"Allowing children time for unstructured activities in nature seemed beneficial for children's positive affect, attitudes towards nature, and pro-sociality. These findings seem especially relevant given that free play outdoors in nature is declining.”
John Zelenski, PhD
Journal of Environmental Psychology
“Experiencing awe in nature is a powerful way to impact people’s psychology, even as they’re doing something they really like to do. Our findings suggest that you don’t have to do extravagant, extraordinary experiences in nature to feel awe or to get benefits. By taking a few minutes to enjoy flowers that are blooming or a sunset in your day-to-day life, you also improve your well-being.”
Craig Anderson, PhD
Awe in Nature Heals
"There is ample data to suggest that having good social relationships is helpful for our psychological and physical health. Having a ‘good relationship’ with nature, or rather, a sense of close connection to it, may be helpful in a similar way or for similar reasons. We evolved to want to connect—with people, but also with places and other living things."
Cynthia Frantz, PhD
Why is Nature Beneficial? The Role of Connectedness to Nature
"Nature therapy as a health-promotion method and potential universal health model is implicated for the reduction of reported modern-day “stress-state” and “technostress.”"
Harumi Ikei, PhD, Chuba University
Psychological Effects of Nature Therapy
Rockstar Games
Legendary
There really is no original discussion left to be had about 2002’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Every spoonful of praise heaped upon it over the years is deserved. GTA: Vice City’s status is cemented: it’s legendary. -IGN
When we started editing the commercial campaign, we knew fans would like it, but we had no idea how insane their reactions to the ads would get. At the time, we had no way of knowing that this would become the highest grossing game of all time. The following commercial was broadcast globally and four additional 80s-inspired edits were released digitally because the fans demanded them. They've been seen hundreds of millions of times.
“The ability to recover from stress is better in natural settings, because that’s where we are meant to be. Just the idea of getting out, being in nature, looking at a tree—the theory is that this helps you to recover from stress, improves your mental health, and improves cognition. It’s just a direct pathway.”
Peter James, PhD
Quantifying Nature
"Nature experience boosts memory, attention and creativity as well as happiness, social engagement and a sense of meaning in life. It might not surprise us that nature stimulates physical activity, but the associated health benefits – from reducing cancer risks to promoting metabolic and other functioning – are really quite astonishing.”
Gretchen Daily, Bing Professor of Environmental Science
National Academy of Sciences
"Allowing children time for unstructured activities in nature seemed beneficial for children's positive affect, attitudes towards nature, and pro-sociality. These findings seem especially relevant given that free play outdoors in nature is declining.”
John Zelenski, PhD
Journal of Environmental Psychology
“Experiencing awe in nature is a powerful way to impact people’s psychology, even as they’re doing something they really like to do. Our findings suggest that you don’t have to do extravagant, extraordinary experiences in nature to feel awe or to get benefits. By taking a few minutes to enjoy flowers that are blooming or a sunset in your day-to-day life, you also improve your well-being.”
Craig Anderson, PhD
Awe in Nature Heals
"There is ample data to suggest that having good social relationships is helpful for our psychological and physical health. Having a ‘good relationship’ with nature, or rather, a sense of close connection to it, may be helpful in a similar way or for similar reasons. We evolved to want to connect—with people, but also with places and other living things."
Cynthia Frantz, PhD
Why is Nature Beneficial? The Role of Connectedness to Nature
"Nature therapy as a health-promotion method and potential universal health model is implicated for the reduction of reported modern-day “stress-state” and “technostress.”"
Harumi Ikei, PhD, Chuba University
Psychological Effects of Nature Therapy
