She Knows
There’s a video of an 87-year-old woman playing Grand Theft Auto V like she’s got something to prove. Not fumbling with the controls or trying to figure out which button does what. She’s focused. She’s mowing down pedestrians and torching cars with the casual competence of someone who actually knows what she’s doing.
The spark: a gas bill so ridiculous it broke her. Some utility company decided to absolutely fleece her, and instead of calling to complain or stewing about it, she grabbed a controller and loaded up the game. Which is honestly a more efficient response than what most people would do.
What gets me is watching her play. No performance, no self-awareness, no isn’t this funny, a grandma playing a violent game.
She’s just putting something into the world that wouldn’t fit anywhere else. That’s what the violence is actually for. Not a moral lesson. Just somewhere to put it.
There’s something unsettling about that kind of certainty at any age. But especially at 87.