As you might expect, the overwhelming popularity of Grand Theft Auto V—a billion dollars in three days is astounding–has led to the creation of user-generated content celebrating the game and all the things you can do. reddit, is, of course, one of the primary ground zeroes for such content, as is the ubiquitous YouTube. For those of you who follow the video game/YouTube content creation industry, you are well aware of how lucrative it can be. For those of you who aren’t, make no mistake, the term “industry” was not used lightly.
Aside from creating awesome content, it helps to either be really early to a trend, or create a niche people didn’t know they wanted. This appears to be the case with Grand Theft Auto V Mythbusters, a combination of two great tastes that, at least in the first issue, tastes great together. The idea is simple enough, the creators–DefendTheHouse–take suggestions, or “myths” about GTA V’s gameplay, and try to determine whether they are true or not.
The success/failure of their attempts confirms or busts these gameplay myths, which was demonstrated nicely in the first episode, meaning there are more to come:
To generate feedback and ideas for upcoming content, the creators asked viewers for suggestions, which helps complete the “make money from YouTube” circle. More episodes, more video views, and more subscribers. And this, folks, is where the money from YouTube is made. Just ask PewDiePie about his bank account if you have any questions. As for the potential earning power of the GTA Mythbusters videos, the first one has received over 1.2 million views in only two days, and it features a healthy like-to-dislike ratio. The question is, will the creators capitalize on their opportunity and keep these viewers coming back.
So far, the 305,000-plus subscriber count is a good sign.
[Lead image courtesy of Rockstar]