College to Teach US History Through GTA
So here’s something that’s caught a lot of attention lately—video games are stepping into the classroom in a whole new way. The University of Tennessee has announced that starting in 2026, it will offer a course that uses the Grand Theft Auto series to teach American history. Yes, you heard that right. A class that explores U.S. history since 1980 will actually be built around the worlds and stories of GTA.
Also Read:The course is called Grand Theft America: U.S. History Since 1980 through the GTA Video Games . It will be led by Professor Tore Olsson, who isn’t exactly new to this idea. A while back, he created a history course using Red Dead Redemption to examine the late 19th-century American West. This time, though, he’s diving into the gritty, exaggerated but oddly familiar world of Grand Theft Auto to reflect on modern America—its culture, politics, economy, and even how the country is perceived abroad.
Now, here’s where it gets even more interesting. Olsson originally wanted this course to launch after the release of GTA 6 . But with the game’s much-anticipated release date set for May 2026, the class will actually begin a few months earlier, on January 20. That means students will be discussing America’s recent history through the lens of earlier GTA titles before the new installment even lands.
Professor Olsson has pointed out something pretty striking: video games, much like rock ‘n’ roll or comic books once did, have moved from being seen as fringe entertainment to becoming a huge part of mainstream culture. He compared it to how, 50 years ago, no one could imagine a college offering a “History of Rock ‘n’ Roll” course, yet now it’s one of the most popular classes at his university. In the same way, he believes gaming will continue to gain ground as a valid tool for academic study in the years to come.
For students who might be worried, there’s no requirement to actually play the games or own a console. Olsson made it clear that the class isn’t about testing who’s the best at pulling off a GTA heist. Instead, the games are being treated as cultural texts, similar to how literature, film, or music might be studied. The focus will be on what these games say about society and what they reveal about the decades they portray.
Olsson also stressed that his classroom will be a professional environment. It’s not going to feel like hanging out in a friend’s basement playing through Vice City or San Andreas . Instead, it’s about serious academic exploration—using something fun, familiar, and culturally powerful to get students thinking deeply about history.
So while the countdown to GTA 6 continues, this course is already making headlines by showing how games can be more than just entertainment—they can actually become a lens through which we understand ourselves and the times we live in.
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