After a decade, players continue searching for the supposed easter egg.
There’s real draw in the hunt for mythical creatures. Be they sea monsters or hulking apes, the idea that reality is not as you’ve been told pulls many into fantastic hunts for creatures that common sense denies. Perhaps because of a combination of monster truck rallies and tales told by creepy, distant relatives, legends of Bigfoot hold a particular sway over America. While teams of experts meticulously scour the wilderness with shaky cam footage, others are searching through the electronic confines of GTA: San Andreas. After nearly a decade, rumors persist that the mysterious ape can be found wandering the Back o Beyond region of the sandbox title.
“I have seen strange figures in the fog before, but pedestrians can sometimes appear in weird places,” player Kaleb Krimmel is quoted by The New Yorker. “While this sort of computer error describes most of my encounters, this time was different. I was in Back o Beyond, walking up a hill. It was foggy out, but behind some plants I clearly saw a giant black figure. I aimed my camera to take a picture, but by the time I steadied the viewfinder it was gone.” Similarly vague stories fuel rumors that Bigfoot is somewhere in the game, with entire groups springing up around the mystery.
Of course, it didn’t take long for modders to add the beast in themselves, which caused issues for the hunters. “Many Web sites make the Bigfoot myth out to be some fan-made story that’s simply gotten out of hand,” said Rob Silver, a Bigfoot believer who runs an unnamed GTA myth site.
If modders can uncover the hot coffee mini-game, presumably they could uncover the existence of a gangland Bigfoot as well, but no evidence has been found. Rockstar’s CEO Terry Donovan has even gone on record as saying that “There is no Bigfoot, just like in real life.” But why let that stop the fun? It makes me wonder if there’s still a guy who sits in front of a yellowed PS1, desperately banging away to find the Tomb Raider nude cheat code.
Source: The New Yorker
