Time magazine
has placed Grand Theft Auto masterminds and Rockstar Games co-founders Sam and Dan Houser on its annual 100 most influential list.
Writing for the renowned publication,
The Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman noted how the Housers have been able to create a virtual world that has affected the real world lives of gamers immersed in the
GTA universe.
"What makes the Housers' creation unparalleled is that their games have a take on American cultural history. ... Was it a prominent film or book or record that defined how we look back on gang-era Los Angeles? No, it was a video game that uses movies, music and writing to a greater effect."
Sam and Dan Houser are the founders of Rockstar Games, developers of
Grand Theft Auto. The influence of the
GTA series is far reaching -- April 2008's
GTA IV has shipped over 13 million units to date across Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The franchise is publisher Take-Two's crown jewel.
The
Time 100 is separate from the recently-released online Time.com poll, whose results were
purposely skewed by popular Internet imageboard 4chan.
