Grand Theft Auto VI’s trailer perfectly captures my hometown’s essence

destructoid.com:

There’s something shameful I must admit about myself: I’m a native of Miami, Florida. It’s where I spent the first 18 years of my life growing up, and even after leaving, I look back on my time a lot.

South Florida was my home, and feeling its vibe is rare unless I visit family. That is, until I saw the long-anticipated trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI. I’ve watched it more than a few times now, and my only thought is, “Yeah, that’s Florida.”

Does it capture absolutely everything I associate with the state? No, but for a trailer that’s only 90 seconds long, it gets so much right. It also makes me feel represented in a way I don’t think any other game has made me feel before.

Before I go into what Grand Theft Auto VI gets right about Florida, I want to say something about the state and I say this with love: It’s kinda trashy. This isn’t to say that everyday life in Florida is just like the real-life stories used as inspiration in the trailer. People are wild everywhere, and it’s rare for alligators to end up in your pool. Florida Man is only a thing because the state has incredibly strong public record laws.

When I say Florida, including Miami, is trashy, it is because I mean it literally. One shot in the trailer showcases what I assume is GTA VI‘s South Beach equivalent feels like a complete fabrication, and only because there isn’t trash everywhere. People are gross and, especially on a populated beach, will leave their trash behind.

This applies to the water, because the clearest thing I remember about Florida beaches is the rancid smell coming from them. It was bad enough that I thought I hated the way seawater smelled. The truth was that pollution from varying sources makes the water smell terrible and gives it a