Come Diventare Rockstar: Gli Houser e l'Evoluzione del Franchise Grand Theft Auto

This Italian-language review, published in the 2013 issue of Critical Notes, assesses David Kushner's 2012 book "Wanted: The Criminal History of Grand Theft Auto," which examines Rockstar Games and the Houser brothers, Sam and Dan, along with the broader development of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. The reviewer argues that despite its non-academic framing, the book is an important text for video game studies. Kushner's method rests on extensive interviews with Rockstar employees and figures affected by the company, combined with primary written sources, and his novelistic narrative relies on character-driven storytelling and suspense rather than explicit authorial judgment.

The book is organized in thematic blocks covering the origins of Rockstar, the Houser brothers' artistic vision, the company's internal organization and work practices, the legal and political controversies over violent and sexual game content, and the production process behind the GTA titles. Among its central figures are the Housers, the conservative lawyer and game critic Jack Thompson, who campaigned against the industry, and several close collaborators who appear mainly in relation to the brothers. The review identifies two sides to Rockstar's ethos: an idealistic push for artistic freedom, mature simulated realism, a distinctive New York-inflected brand identity, and innovative guerrilla marketing, alongside a more troubling record of harsh management, demanding schedules of up to sixteen hours a day, favoritism, a lawsuit from Rockstar San Diego workers, and a reluctance to publicly defend the company during the Hot Coffee controversy.

The reviewer concludes that the book's blend of primary sources with social and historical context makes it a useful starting point for future research on individual game companies and on the production history of video games more broadly. The review also praises Kushner's critical exposure of American political hypocrisy regarding media regulation and the readability of his prose, which avoids most journalistic cliché.