Last month, the BBC was mocked for an article it ran about people falling in love with video game characters. It posed the question, "Is being in an in-game relationship cheating on your real relationship?" The overwhelming response was 'no, it's not cheating', with only four percent of men and seven percent of women saying it was.
It seemed like people deemed the question dumb, and they were quick to lambast the writer and his article. However, it may not have been as dumb as they thought, as Google searches for "fall in love in a game" and "fall in love Lucia" have risen drastically in the build-up to Grand Theft Auto 6.
Grand Theft Auto 6's marketing is now in full swing. Trailers and screenshots are dropping on a semi-regular basis; Rockstar is taking over Miami, and online discussion and hype are reaching a fever pitch. We're seeing more of the game's protagonists, Jason and Lucia, from both official sources and the massive leaks, which showed a clip of Lucia in the nude.
Interestingly, Rockstar's marketing cycle has been closely tied to a rise in searches for "fall in love in a game." Using data...
