Housers head up to Time 100

Time's put Sam and Dan Houser in the "artists and entertainment" section of its most influential people in the world issue, saying the pair have offered "quantum leaps in genre-defining fun".

Their work's on a par with that of Dickens, apparently:

"But what makes the Housers' creation unparalleled is that their games have a take on American cultural history," said Matt Selman, executive producer of The Simpsons.

"A smart take. A take that solidifies the culture's vision of its recent past. Was it a prominent film or book or record that defined how we look back on gang-era Los Angeles? No, it was a video game that uses movies, music and writing to a greater effect.

"Who better summarized and satirized the drug-dealing Miami of the '80s? Or the New York City of now? The Housers are doing the work of Tom Wolfe, creating tapestries of modern times as detailed as those of Balzac or Dickens. At least, I assume that's true. Instead of reading those guys, I've been in Liberty City stealing tanks."

Thanks, Kotaku.