It’s 23 years since GTA 1 changed the gaming world….

Sex, drugs, rock n roll, and robbery.

Normal themes in gaming today. Back in 97 when the first GTA appeared. It was all very shocking.

GTA was shocking and thrilling in equal measure. Here was a game that did 3 things:

• It had simple platform graphics and feel to it. That made it simple to play. The helicopter view meant it was fun but not immersive.
• All that violence was quite bloodless. This gave the game a fantasy feel.
• So many criminal acts, in a platform game. It was something we had never seen before. It also allowed people to fulfill some pretty dark fantasies.

It was also one of the last games which played and looked different between PC and console.

My dad bought it for the PC and I remember how different it was, like nothing we had played before. As a teenager, it was so much fun. My mum, of course, had a quite different opinion!

Playing it later on a PlayStation was a disappointment. The difference between PC and console versions was huge.

Since then, of course, there have been many follow-ups and spin off’s. None though were quite as simple and fun as the original.

None have been quite so controversial either.

The original GTA, made in my home country of Scotland. Changed the gaming landscape and what we thought possible forever.