Kalshi, the prediction market where users trade on the outcomes of real-world events, is hiring someone to play and livestream Grand Theft Auto VI from its November 19 launch. The LinkedIn posting is for a "GTA 6 Researcher," and Kalshi says it is a real job.
The assignment has two parts. The researcher is meant to work out how best to optimize the game's in-game economy, and to analyze how much real-world productivity is lost as people take time off to play. The role also includes a weekly research report on the in-game economy.
The requirements read like a gamer's dare: at least a decade of "sweaty gaming" experience, three years of streaming experience, and a personal streaming setup with all the equipment. Kalshi lists compensation at $100,000 to $120,000 as a fixed project fee, with a $15,000 fee upon completion of the project.
The timing is the point. Logitech recently announced a policy giving employees paid time off to play new video games. Kalshi is taking the opposite angle on the same launch, paying one person to play it. Both treat the release as a cultural event big enough to hang a corporate story on.
The posting also splits into a stunt and a deliverable. The livestream is public and doubles as promotion. The weekly economy report is the part that looks like research, since a player can observe prices and payouts from inside the game. The productivity question is harder. Lost work hours happen outside the game, and nothing in the listing explains how a single streamer would measure them.
The listing also describes a lot of solo work for one person, starting on launch day. How Kalshi plans to turn hours of gameplay into a productivity estimate is the open question.