Civil servants played Grand Theft Auto during work hours at taxpayers' expense

Civil servants at the Department for Education spent working hours playing the violent video game Grand Theft Auto alongside members of the public as part of a taxpayer‑funded research project, it has emerged.

The exercise was carried out in late 2024 by officials from Policy Lab, an experimental Government unit that uses unconventional research techniques to inform policymaking.

According to a Government blog, staff joined participants in online gaming sessions to conduct focus groups and better understand their experiences and perspectives.

Officials said the approach allowed them to explore the “lived experience” of participants while creating what they described as “an emotionally safe space” for discussion.

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The blog said staff “spent time with participants in video games they played regularly” and “experienced the world” alongside them by observing their in‑game interactions.

Grand Theft Auto, one of the world’s most successful video‑game franchises, features criminal activity including shootings, car theft, police pursuits and other forms of violence.

The gaming sessions form part of a wider programme of experimental projects undertaken by Policy Lab, which has also organised workshops where civil servants practised clay modelling and learned Peruvian knot‑tying techniques historically used by the Incan civilisation for record‑keeping.

A civil service blog said the workshop was designed to “encourage participants to step outside standard responses and explore the emotional and contextual dimensions of learning”.

Policy Lab has also commissioned artwork as part of its research activities.

One project involved an artist creating portraits of benefits claimants and people with drug‑related problems, with the drawings displayed in a circle for policymakers to examine.

According to project materials, one participant identified as “Mark” spent a full day with the artist, who produced a series of portraits later presented to officials in Whitehall.

Policy Lab said the initiative helped to “foreground the shared humanity of people involved at different points in the system”.

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Shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood accused officials of wasting taxpayer resources, saying: “Hard‑working families will be in disbelief that their taxes are bankrolling this nonsense.

“Public‑sector productivity is spiralling and yet officials are busy playing board games and video games and clay modelling. Clearly, Labour’s efficiency savings are a total sham.”

He added that while professional development is important, “playing Grand Theft Auto isn’t among” the skills civil servants require.

The Government sought to distance itself from the projects, noting that Policy Lab was originally established under a previous Conservative administration.

A Government source said: “This is a decades‑old Tory initiative that we are now looking into.”

A Whitehall source was also critical of the work and suggested the unit’s future could be under review, saying ministers had not approved the specific projects and did not believe public funds should be directed towards such activities when other priorities required attention.

Policy Lab employs around 30 staff and was set up under the Conservative Government before being transferred to the Department for Education in 2020.

The unit describes its role as helping departments develop policy through design‑led research techniques, behavioural insights and public‑engagement projects intended to provide a deeper understanding of people’s experiences.

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