GTA 5 mod aims to raise awareness of sex trafficking by telling stories of victims

eurogamer.net:

Swedish non-profit Talita has created a new mod for GTA 5 to highlight real-life issues of sex trafficking.

The organisation helps women out of prostitution and trafficking for sexual purposes and, through this mod, aims to raise awareness of these issues among young men — an audience key to shifting attitudes.

The mod, titled Mission Talita, includes four playable missions based on the true stories of four women the Talita organisation has helped between 2017 and 2023.

These missions take place in the streets of Los Santos, but flips the usual narrative of the game by sending players off to help women out of prostitution.

The GTA series is renowned for its misogynistic attitudes towards women in general, but specifically in-game sex workers. As the mod's FAQ page reads: «What started out as a gangster game has now evolved into a world where people — particularly young men — hang out, take on different roles, and shape the storyline. However, it's also a place where young men can buy virtual sex, every day. And in the game, the non-playable prostitute characters' fate is set. They can almost only be exploited, abused, or murdered.

»Given that GTA might be many young men's first exposure to victims of sex trafficking and prostitution, the risk is imminent that the game will affect their perception and attitudes toward prostitution in a harmful way."

Mission Talita has been created by modder FelixTheBlackCat, with support from Vxruz_Danz. In addition, the mod includes an exclusive radio channel featuring music from Swedish House Mafia and other artists, as well as facts about Talita's work.

The launch of the mod «goes to show our continued dedication to finding new ways of bringing visibility to the severe situations that far