Grand Theft Auto V has played host to a tribute for rally star Ken Block who passed away on January 2nd.
Tragedy struck recently when a snowmobile accident claimed the star’s life at his ranch in Utah. He was 55 at the time. Block was known for his time as a professional rally driver and co-founding the Hoonigan brand. He also competed in various other sporting events such as motocross and skateboarding.
In addition, Block was known for his various appearances in racing games – most prominently Codemaster’s Dirt series – and his Gymkhana YouTube series. These videos would highlight motor sporting skills with burnouts and drifting, there would also be various stunts taking place. The Gymkhana Seven video saw Block performing these skills around the city of Los Angeles.
Using GTA to pay tribute
To pay tribute to the late star, GTA V fans have recreated some of the scenes from the Gymkhana Seven video. Fitting as the game is based on the city of Los Angeles. The video was posted to Reddit by the user ‘xz_VyRus’ and features the user’s car meet group paying tribute to Block.
The video sees various cars being used that resemble similar designs and decals to the signature Hoonigan cars used by Block. The scenes are recreations of some of the stunts seen in the Gymkhana Seven video. The iconic LA riverbed is featured in both the original video and the recreation of GTA users. The players manage to recreate various stunts such as drifting underneath a low-rider car as it bounces using hydraulics.
Comments on the video praise not only the faithful tribute but also the original work of Ken Block. Other games such as Forza Horizon 5 and Gran Turismo 7 have also seen users take to the track to pay tribute.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.