Dan Houser Talks Open-World Gaming: Enjoy the Journey, Not Just the Credits

Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games, recently shared his thoughts on open-world gaming at the Tribeca Festival in New York City, and it’s all about having a good time. For Houser, the journey matters more than simply reaching the end credits of a game. “If someone had fun with a game, that’s what counts,” he explained. While he would love for everyone to see the story through to completion—after all, he invested a lot of time crafting it—he’s just happy if players enjoy their experience.

Joining him on stage was Lazlow, his long-time collaborator and founder of Absurd Ventures. Lazlow chimed in about their love for hiding deep Easter eggs in their games, some of which take years for players to uncover. “We enjoy burying things so deep that sometimes it takes years for someone to find them. When they do, it feels great to see it blow up online,” he said, referencing the recent discovery of a long-forgotten spiderweb mystery in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Houser emphasized that the essence of an open-world game is about player exploration. “We provide the framework, but it’s up to players to experience the story as they wish. Since GTA 3, we’ve noticed more players finishing the story, but we still want to allow them the freedom to enjoy the world at their own pace,” he shared. He believes the magic lies in the interactions players have with the game’s environment, whether they’re jumping off buildings or driving cars.

The duo spoke about the challenge of creating satirical worlds that sometimes feel surreal until reality catches up. “We’d often create absurd characters and scenarios that seem ludicrous at the time, only for them to become relevant later on,” Lazlow recalled. He gave an example of a fictional politician in GTA who made outrageous statements and how they thought those ideas were far-fetched—until they weren’t.

Since stepping away from Rockstar, both Houser and Lazlow have been busy with Absurd Ventures. They’ve launched a comic series, a novel, and an animated series, along with developing an intriguing AAA sci-fi open-world game set in the universe of their novel, A Better Paradise, in collaboration with South Korea’s Smilegate. It’s safe to say that these creative minds are far from done making waves in the gaming world!