Editing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (section)

=== Story and characters ===
Several historical events influenced the narrative, including the [[Rampart scandal]] of the [[Los Angeles Police Department]],<ref name="Gamepressure True 4"/> the [[1990s crack epidemic]], the [[1992 Los Angeles riots]],<ref name="Guardian Defining"/> and the rivalry between the [[Bloods]] and [[Crips]] street gangs.<ref name="Gamepressure True 3"/> Sam Houser recounted being fascinated by the appearances of street gangs and terrified by their behaviour;<ref name="GamesRadar Houser"/> the writers sought to accurately portray gang violence without glorifying it,<ref name="PC PowerPlay Preview"/>{{rp|p=54}} and wanted each gang to act differently, signified by unique walking styles.<ref name="Rolling Stone Retrospective"/> DJ Pooh was hired to co-write the game from an American perspective.<ref name="Kushner"/>{{rp|p=189}} The narrative was influenced by [[Hollywood films]]; Dan Houser said the team watched "hundreds of movies to get the California vibe".<ref name="Kikizo Houser"/> The developers referenced ''[[Boyz n the Hood]]'' (1991), ''[[Colors (film)|Colors]]'' (1988), and ''[[Menace II Society]]'' (1993) for narrative inspiration, and compared their in-game locations to those in different films: the countryside to ''[[Deliverance]]'' (1972), San Fierro to ''[[Bullitt]]'' (1968), and Las Venturas to ''[[Casino (1995 film)|Casino]]'' (1995).<ref name="GamesTM Preview"/>{{rp|p=77}} Journalists identified references to other films like ''[[Juice (1992 film)|Juice]]'' (1992) and ''[[New Jack City]]'' (1991).<ref name="Hardcore Gamer Movies"/><ref name="PC Gamer Movies"/><ref name="IGN E3"/><ref name="Knight Movies"/> The focus on several communities was prompted by the variety in [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] culture in the 1990s.<ref name="1Up Houser"/>

While the stories are largely unconnected, ''San Andreas'' concluded a trilogy that started with ''Grand Theft Auto III'', allowing Rockstar to explore the 1980s (''Vice City''{{--)}}, 1990s (''San Andreas''{{--)}}, and early 2000s (''III''{{--)}}.<ref name="1Up Houser"/> The team felt "the world's attention was on California" in the 1990s in regards to news and music, and that it translated well to the game.<ref name="GamesTM Preview"/>{{rp|p=77}} Dan Houser said the game's satire was aimed towards the "broader weirdness" of American [[consumerism]] and [[action movies]].<ref name="Eurogamer Houser"/> He noted the writers attempted to outdo each other's humour.<ref name="Eurogamer Houser"/> The team wanted to give players the freedom to make choices while maintaining interest in the story.<ref name="Eurogamer Houser"/> The game features over 400 speaking actors<ref name="Eurogamer Houser"/> and over 60,000 lines of dialogue, including over 7,700{{efn|CJ has more than 3,500 lines of dialogue in cutscenes, and over 4,200 in the open world.<ref name="GameSpot Talking"/>}} for CJ;<ref name="GameSpot Talking"/> it broke a [[Guinness World Record]] for the largest video game voice cast with 861 credited actors.<ref name="Guinness 2009"/> Each [[non-player character]] had around an hour of dialogue, in contrast to ''Vice City''{{'}}s ten minutes.<ref name="GamesTM Preview"/>{{rp|p=71}}

Sam Houser sought an unknown actor for CJ, as he found [[Ray Liotta]]'s performance as [[Tommy Vercetti]] in ''Vice City'' "conflicting" due to his familiarity with Liotta's previous work. He opted to cast celebrities in secondary roles, such as Jackson as Tenpenny, and he felt Young Maylay's obscurity in the industry made CJ feel "very, very human".<ref name="Edge Houser"/> Rockstar asked Young Maylay to audition after overhearing him speak with DJ Pooh; he was cast in the role—his first acting performance—a few weeks after auditioning.<ref name="OPM Maylay"/>{{rp|p=41}} He felt the developers gave him the freedom to imbue CJ with his own personality.<ref name="GameSpy Maylay"/> They aimed for CJ to be their "most human" character, ensuring he had "the most intense story around him" to allow players to identify.<ref name="PC PowerPlay Preview"/>{{rp|p=54}} DJ Pooh compared CJ to [[Tupac Shakur]] in his fierce dedication to family but ability to become "cold-blooded" when necessary.<ref name="OPM US Preview"/>{{rp|p=49}} The team felt the ability to adjust CJ's weight helped players feel their actions could have consequences.<ref name="1Up Houser"/> Dan Houser felt CJ's customisability allowed players to better connect with the characters.<ref name="Game Informer Cover"/>{{rp|p=50}} DJ Pooh engaged several other actors to work on the game, such as Faizon Love, MC Eiht, and [[Shawn Fonteno]].<ref name="Rolling Stone Retrospective"/>