On January 20th, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. Whatever your political views are, that’s probably not what you are here for. How will Trump’s policies, such as tariffs and content restrictions affect your gaming hobby? And what will it mean for your long awaited copy of GTA VI?
Gaming will become much more expensive
Trump shared 25% tariffs will be imposed on Mexico and Canada starting as soon as February 1st, with China in Trump’s direct crosshair. A significant portion of video game discs sold in the U.S. are produced in Mexico. With a tariff on imports from Mexico, the production of physical copies of popular games, including GTA VI and future titles, could decrease. Video game companies outsource nearly all physical media manufacturing to countries like Mexico and China. If Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on all foreign imports are enacted, the cost of physical media, gaming consoles, and PC components will rise significantly (up to 60% for import from China). This could push the price of GTA VI and similar games to $89.99, assuming companies pass the additional costs on to consumers, creating a higher barrier to entry for players. Maybe that speculation of GTA VI costing $100 isn’t that unreasonable after all.
Video game industry analyst Mat Piscatella predicts a ‘sharp downtick’ will occur in physical sales. If they do continue get made, prices are expected to be higher across both physical and digital distribution.
Alright, well, video games. With 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico on the way, I can see a sharp downtick in the number of disc-based games that get released physically in the US, as much of that production infrastructure is in Mexico. If they do get made, I expect higher prices both phys & dig.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 21 January 2025 at 15:38
Content Restrictions
Trump is more prepared than ever to follow through on his policy plans, and it is reasonable to believe he might double down on content restrictions. In the past, Trump has blamed video game violence for contributing to societal issues, including mass shootings. There is a reason to believe that according to him, the Grand Theft Auto series falls directly under this category. During a speech following the El Paso shooting in 2019, he stated:
“We must stop the glorification of violence in our society. This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace.”
Donald J. Trump
Although Trump did not specifically name Grand Theft Auto in his statement, the franchise has historically been a focal point in discussions about violent media. Given his stance on reducing restrictions on firearm ownership, it is possible that under his leadership, attention could shift further toward media scapegoats like violent video games. This would align with past rhetoric and may spark further debates during his presidency. Even though it’s unlikely that a direct ban on violent games would gain traction in Congress, increased public debate could lead to more self-regulation by the gaming industry to avoid backlash. Yet I think Rockstar would never give in to this type of policy.
Trump has previously criticized Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which provides legal immunity to platforms for user-generated content. If his views transfer over to his current administration and he repeals or amends section 230, Rockstar Games could be held more accountable for user-generated content such as mods. This would force them to regulate mods and fan-made online content much more strictly. Leading to possibly more mod takedowns than we have already got. This includes their recent takeover of FiveM, which heavily relies on user-generated content.
Trump’s policy will be an effort to economic self-reliance . Barrier to entry for playing videogames could become fairly steep for gamers and destabilise the industry, affecting end-users in the U.S. Trump’s conservative views on videogame violence and user-generated content could affect mods and FiveM. Buckle up folks, it’s going to be a wild 4 years.
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