On the hunt for a virtual bigfoot

In the darkest corner of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’ wilderness, a shadowy figure emerges through the pixelated mist. Or does it? For almost a decade, some gamers have claimed that a virtual bigfoot wanders the plains of Rockstar’s fictional landscape, echoing the real-life search for the mythical animal. In the same way that science has shot down recent “evidence” for Bigfoot’s existence, GTA’s creators have vehemently denied that such a creature inhabits their game. Just weeks before the release of the new Grand Theft Auto, an article in The New Yorker tells the story of the hunt for a virtual Bigfoot.