Dan Houser: GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar, Absurd & Future of Gaming | Lex Fridman Podcast #484

Do you realize how crazy it is to see Dan on an interview? This man was like a ghost working behind the scenes. Only a handful of photos of him even do exist. No single interview as far as I know.

I was 14 years old and I emailed Dan to ask him how to get a job writing video games. To my surprise, he sent me an email back. He told me to keep writing every chance you get and watch as many movies, read as many books etc as you can so you can tell yourself what they did right, what they did wrong, and how you'd do it differently. Many many many years later I still hold that advice true

The world needs more Dan Houser interviews

I don't think people understand how RARE it is for a former Rockstar dev, writer, producer, etc to be interviewed or seen in the wild. Such a low profile company

Now this is a proper interview. Not that 20 minute thing IGN put out.

Dan Houser is arguable one of the most influential figures in media, yet he stays so lowkey and humble al the time

Finally an actual legend who is being interviewed. This man has revolutionized gaming and most people don't even know him.

Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep484-sa See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. 0:00 - Episode highlight 1:17 - Introduction 3:03 - Greatest films of all time 15:16 - Making video games 18:07 - GTA 3 21:26 - Open world video games 24:13 - Character creation 27:40 - Superintelligent AI in A Better Paradise 36:52 - Can LLMs write video games? 41:12 - Creating GTA 4 and GTA 5 52:47 - Hard work and Rockstar's culture of excellence 56:27 - GTA 6 1:13:17 - Red Dead Redemption 2 1:53:10 - DLCs for GTA and Red Dead Redemption 1:59:29 - Leaving Rockstar Games 2:08:53 - Greatest game of all time 2:13:41 - Life lessons from father 2:15:59 - Mortality 2:33:18 - Advice for young people 2:39:20 - Future of video games *Transcript:* https://lexfridman.com/dan-houser-transcript *CONTACT LEX:* *Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey *AMA* - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama *Hiring* - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring *Other* - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact *EPISODE LINKS:* Absurd Adventures: https://absurdventures.com A Better Paradise: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0FCYSK8VD American Caper: https://absurdventures.com/americancaper *SPONSORS:* To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: *Box:* Intelligent content management platform. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/box-ep484-sa *UPLIFT Desk:* Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/uplift_desk-ep484-sa *CodeRabbit:* AI-powered code reviews. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/coderabbit-ep484-sa *Miro:* Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep484-sa *Lindy:* No-code AI agent builder. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/lindy-ep484-sa *Shopify:* Sell stuff online. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep484-sa *LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep484-sa

This is the ultimate “im not a degenerate gamer, im a true connoisseur of art and film” moment.

A man whose been hiding behind scenes giving us the greatest childhoods in history for the last 25 years is doing a full on interview about how he did it. Crazy work PS Dan, GTA IV is my favourite video game of all time. All the reasons to why you love it. It’s pure perfection.