The Grand Theft Auto franchise has been indulging in all types of madcap nonsense over virtually three a long time, from subtle legal operations and heists at one finish to sandbox shenanigans on the opposite, with the participant operating round, blowing stuff up, and attracting growing quantities of police consideration. Nevertheless, Talita, a nonprofit company based mostly in Sweden, determined to use Grand Theft Auto 5 to inform a extra vital story, centered on saving ladies from the palms of traffickers slightly than pursuing private wealth and indulgence.
Mission Talita is a mod pack that incorporates 4 new missions, a custom-made radio, and the true tales of girls who’ve labored with the group to escape trafficking. It was constructed over the course of months by long-time Grand Theft Auto followers and modders FelixTheBlackCat, with help from Vxruz_Dans, and the crew took pains to ensure that it nonetheless felt like a Grand Theft Auto expertise. That features a radio station with music from Swedish Home Mafia, Sting, Salvatore Ganacci, and extra. The music is punctuated with details about Talita’s work in a comparable style as Rockstar’s in-game satirical commercials and speak exhibits.
Certain sufficient, giving Mission Talita a spin is very acquainted for anybody who’s performed Grand Theft Auto 5. You play as a Good Samaritan, utilizing intel to discover these ladies and get them out of unlucky circumstances. The vibes are a little comparable to Taken; there are horrible folks, however the participant can sneak previous them, rescue victims, and get out to a rendezvous level. There’s nonetheless excessive pace car chases and gunplay, however because the protagonist, you’re much less centered on deadly drive and extra on pulling off a good operation. The participant can evade or eradicate traffickers who chase them down, guaranteeing a clear escape.
In a FAQ on the mod’s official web site, the nonprofit explains: “A big part of Talita’s work involves trying to shift the attitudes that fuel the demand for sexual services. One audience that is central to achieving this change is young men. With this campaign, we’re delivering our messages in a context that’s dominated by young men. By offering an alternative GTA experience, we hope to provide an eye-opener on how society portrays, talks, and thinks about prostitutes.”
The group wished to draw consideration to a actual world challenge that Rockstar cavalierly makes use of as set dressing in the primary recreation. Utilizing Grand Theft Auto 5 as a base right here was a very intentional alternative by Talita. San Andreas, and former cities constructed by Rockstar Video games, has intercourse employees at out there to see on strip golf equipment and on the road. The participant is in a position to assault these ladies, and in reality, are rewarded with a money drop. Reversing the ability dynamic, so the participant is working to free intercourse employees as a substitute, is a daring assertion. The FAQ continues: “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.”
Whereas Grand Theft Auto 6 is nonetheless removed from its eventual launch date in 2025, the franchise is nonetheless culturally very important and financially profitable. Rockstar has continued to replace GTA On-line, and the sport has additionally attracted a vibrant modding and role-play neighborhood who use the surroundings of San Andreas to inform all types of tales, from operating a delight parade, to working a taxi cab firm, to being a secret legal overlord or serial killer.
That flexibility is nice, and it’s attention-grabbing to see a nonprofit use that acquainted surroundings to deal with a difficulty like trafficking. It’s been a lengthy custom for avid gamers to kill ladies (and something that strikes) on the streets of San Andreas, however reformatting that via the lens of actual life tales makes for a compelling story.
The Mission Talita mod might be downloaded for PC from the nonprofit’s official web site. It’s a easy course of, however you have to to have Grand Theft Auto 5 already put in in your laptop. Talita additionally accepts donations on the mod’s web site, together with a merch assortment designed in collaboration with Sneakersnstuff.
