In the sprawling digital landscapes of games like “Cyberpunk 2077” and “Grand Theft Auto Online” (GTA Online), players are promised freedom — limitless cities, endless choices and the illusion of autonomy. But beneath the neon lights and high-octane missions lies a familiar grind: the fetch quest. These repetitive, low-stakes tasks mirror a deeper truth about our own world — one where labor is fragmented, precarious and often devoid of meaning. Fetch quests, those ubiquitous errands to retrieve items or deliver packages, are the backbone of many open-world games.
In “Cyberpunk 2077”, players are often reduced to gig workers for fixers, completing side jobs that rarely impact the broader narrative. In “Grand Theft Auto Online” (GTA Online), missions are doled out by shady contacts, offering cash and reputation in exchange for menial tasks. The structure is eerily familiar: a decentralized labor market, algorithmic bosses and the constant hustle to stay afloat.
These games unintentionally reflect the gig economy’s harsh realities. Just as players’ grind for eddies or “Grand Theft Auto” (GTA) dollars, real-world workers juggle Uber rides, DoorDash deliveries and freelance gigs — each task a means to an unstable end. There’s no guaranteed salary, benefits, just the next job. The promise of upward mobility is always just out of reach, buried beneath a mountain of side hustles.
What’s striking is how these games normalize this structure. The player, like the worker, is told they’re free — free to choose missions, free to roam. But the freedom is illusory. Progress is tied to constant labor and the most lucrative opportunities are locked behind paywalls or elite status. In both worlds, the system rewards those who grind the hardest, not those who contribute the most meaningfully.
This isn’t to say games shouldn’t include fetch quests. But when they dominate the experience, they risk reinforcing a worldview where labor is transactional, atomized and devoid of community. The fantasy becomes a mirror, reflecting a society where work is no longer a path to purpose but a treadmill of survival. As players, we should ask more of our games. And as citizens, we should ask more of our systems. Whether in Night City or Los Santos, the grind shouldn’t be the only way to live.
