Ever since I was little, my favorite part of Easter was finding as many Easter eggs as I could during my family’s annual Easter egg hunt. The best treat was when you’d find an egg that had your favorite candy inside, a nice note, or my personal favorite, money. Although as an adult we do not get to experience the joy that we once used to as children finding these hidden surprises, screen writers, authors, and now even video game creators hide these so-called “Easter Eggs” throughout their work. While developers like for us to believe”Easter Eggs” are inserted  for the thrill of the audience discovering them, public relations practitioners know that the logic behind the hidden treasures are to get people talking; and Rockstar Game’s Grand Theft Auto is no stranger to using relevant pop culture references to influence individuals to play the game.

Since its release in September, bloggers and gamers are constantly uncovering more “Easter Eggs,” than ever before in the history of GTA. At over 20 influential discoveries and counting recorded to date, Rockstar has exhibited the Elaboration Liklihood Model Theory of public relations by using their best tool yet:  Walter White as a character in the game.

If you have been living under a rock for the past four years, here is a quick recap: Walter White is the main character of the hit American crime drama television series on AMC called “Breaking Bad.” The somewhat twisted protagonist, Walter is diagnosed with lung cancer around the exact same time he and his wife acquire an unplanned pregnancy. With the high price and physical toll of chemotherapy, along with the stress of a baby on the way, Walter realizes he needs to make money fast, no matter what the cost. By getting into the meth cooking game to make quick cash, Walt finds his normal life transforming to danger all around him. Murder, sex, drugs, lies and expensive cars all come along with the fast life Walt begins to live; any of those explicit components sound familiar from GTAV?

How is Rockstars’ use of Walt a strategic public relations act through the Elaboration Likelihood Model, you ask? Although there has been backlash about the vulgarity of the GTA series since it first hit the market in 1997, Rockstar has become more strategic in their approach to gaining a larger following. The GTA series’ success uses the central route of  having a bad reputation that instigates a sort of pleasure in users for having the ability to be “bad,” even if it is only in a video game. The three main characters are known to have little to no aspirations and spend their time stealing cars, killing innocent people, running from the cops and aiming to pick up the hottest prostitutes. Aligning perfectly with the Elaboration Liklihood Model, this is the type of video game that you may not want to think about due to the gruesome logistics, but the planted “Easter Eggs” (especially Walter White) as a strategy to gain attention is going to make it worth your while.

Rockstar models this public relations theory by using a highly credible and trusted character that the world has grown to love. A familiar face that has been let off the hook for similarly unlawful wrongdoings as the characters from the game get themselves into. Due to Walt’s portrayal as an innocent man who is just a victim of unfortunate circumstances, individuals can relate to his illicit actions because they understand him. By using Walt in an action-thriller video game that exhibits similar behaviors found in the hit “Breaking Bad” series, this public relations strategy is one that individuals are highly receptive to. By having the ability to purchase clothing and customize one of GTA’s main characters, Michael De Santa, into the meth cooking Heisenberg himself, you somehow feel less guilty for the sins that come along with the game. Video game analyst, Adam Rosenberg explains that “Walter White is a monster because of what he’s done to his family, but he’s relatable because he’s done it all for his family.”  This paradox is something that makes people want to root for him, stimulating interest in playing the game as his character. Even if he is only really a peripheral portion of the full central GTA story, this “Easter Egg” has created more buzz than any other GTA hidden treasure before.

It was no coincidence that Rockstar used one of America’s favorite villains as an influential supporting character in GTAV. With a record breaking 10.3 million viewers tuning in for  the “Breaking Bad” series finale, airing September 29th, just a mere 12 days after the launch of the fifth installment of GTA, public relations professionals alike realize that this “Easter Egg” is more of a promotional strategy to gain recognition and anticipation capturing both a new audience (“Breaking Bad” fans), and even bringing back the original GTA fan base. From blue meth cocktails, to Walter White themed costumes, “Breaking Bad” has become more than just a TV show; it is a culture that Rockstar brilliantly tapped into.

 

With six strong seasons of  “Breaking Bad” now devastatingly over, the geniuses behind GTAV found a way to allow Walt’s character to live on in their virtual world forever. This tribute for the millions of diehard “Breaking Bad” fans has the power of getting even the least interested of gamers wanting to check out the game due to these “Easter Eggs.” Walt’s presence has proven to be an extremely successful public relations strategy for Rockstar Games.

 

By: Kelcie Goetsch