Analysts: The release of GTA VI could cost the US economy billions of dollars due to mass absenteeism
In mass media, publications have started to appear that negatively assess the upcoming release of GTA VI from a macroeconomic perspective. They indicate that the game's release will have an adverse effect on labor productivity.
The original source of these speculations is a publication in the online edition eloutput. It references calculations by José Garcia Montalvo, a professor at Harvard and Pompeu Universities.
According to his calculations, the U.S. economy will miss out on approximately one billion dollars because thousands of Americans (primarily young people aged 18 to 30) will not report to school and work following the release. In the short term, labor productivity in the region will decrease by 2%.
Incidentally, due to this publication, it has also become customary to refer to calculations suggesting that in 2013 — during the release of GTA V — 6% of young professionals in major U.S. cities took a day off. However, an important nuance is that it is unknown whose calculations these were. The only data available comes from an IGN study. Thirteen years ago, the publication surveyed 11,000 of its readers. Forty-six percent stated that they took a day off on the release day.