Germany has a unique legal loophole that allows 60 employees to take time off work to play GTA 6 without putting their jobs at risk.
GTA6 is shaping up to be one of the biggest pop culture moments in history, and perhaps the biggest video game launch of all time. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that many gamers are considering quitting their jobs to play it, with estimates showing a 17% increase in leave requests for its launch date of November 19.
This trend isn’t limited to the United States either, as a good number of fans from around the world will also be staying home to play. Fortunately, German fans literally have legal protections that allow them to do this without putting their jobs at risk.
Bildungsurlaub, Germany’s legally required paid learning leave for certified training courses, is proposing a state-funded educational course on storytelling in video games that would give players three days off to play GTA 6 from November 18-20. Titled “Open World Games: Lessons from a Digital World,” this program is open to 60 participants, allowing them to use this paid time off to “explore storytelling, digital culture, and collaboration through open world games,” as explained in a statement shared with IGN.
Students will come together in guided groups to complete tasks in the game and use their observations to learn “practical lessons about storytelling, motivation, community building, and collaboration.” One of these lessons explores how Easter Eggs create engagement with players, looking at how brands, learning programs, and teams can “borrow from this dynamic.”
“Modern learning must meet people where their curiosity already resides. Open worlds are built on stories, choices, communities and constant problem-solving. This makes them powerful places of learning,” says Carlo Dreschel, founder of course provider Dein Bildungsurlaub. “Like many other education providers, we have already incorporated gaming elements, such as role-playing games, simulations, game mechanics and reward systems, into learning experiences. But with ‘Open World Games’ we are taking this approach to a whole new level.”
Victoria, a 23-year-old accountant, is one of the students enrolled in this course. Originally from Berlin, she is a “passionate gamer” who says she is curious about how this program will help her in her professional life.
“I’m curious to see what I can really learn from this experience. My usual daily life is driven by routine. I think the course will break that routine and provide a new perspective on the same old problems. Perhaps the experience of leading a high-speed car chase can help me deal with stressful clients in the future,” she said in a statement.
Participants must be 18 years or older and have access to an appropriate device and licensed open-world game to participate in this course. It will take place over a three-day period online, with an additional in-person event planned in Berlin.
Germany is not the only country ahead of the employment crater in the Greater Toronto Area 6; Australia’s workplace regulator released a helpful graphic informing workers of their paid leave rights ahead of the game’s launch. And in July, a flyer from the 9th Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia, went viral for offering recruits a four-day pass to play GTA 6 with a “special re-enrollment incentive.”
At IGN, we even polled our readers to see how many of you were considering taking time off work to play the game, and the results were surprisingly split down the middle. GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox X/S.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s senior news editor. With ten years of experience in the gaming and entertainment industry, she has a strong background in the fighting game community, influencer news and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
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