Good excuse for gaming: Millionaire explains how GTA 6 could save players thousands

Mark Tilbury, a British financial influencer and self-described self-made millionaire, is currently going viral on TikTok with an unusual cost-benefit analysis of GTA 6. The video appears to be striking a chord with gamers, perhaps because it offers a surprisingly reasonable justification for spending countless hours on their favorite hobby.

Tilbury starts by assuming a purchase price of $99.99 and estimates that completing the main campaign could take around 80 hours. That works out to roughly $1.25 per hour of entertainment. Players who also tackle side missions and explore the open world could easily reach 200 hours, he argues, bringing the cost down to just 50 cents per hour. Of course, these playtime estimates aren't based on any official figures.

Things get particularly interesting when Tilbury compares gaming with other leisure activities. Someone who spends four hours playing GTA 6 every evening would need 50 evenings to reach 200 hours. If that person went out instead and spent $100 each night on food, drinks and other activities, the total would come to a whopping $5,000 over the same period. Naturally, the calculation is meant to be taken with a pinch of humor. Still, there's some truth to the underlying argument.

Compared with many other hobbies, video games can offer remarkably good value for money. Even a full-price game costing $70 works out to just $1.40 per hour if it provides 50 hours of entertainment. Many users on Reddit and TikTok seem to agree, with the video receiving a largely positive response. Critics, however, point out that the calculation overlooks an important factor: the quality of the experience. After all, a game still needs to be enjoyable to make those hours worthwhile. At least when it comes to GTA 6 (available for pre-order on Amazon), fans seem fairly confident that won't be a problem.