Gaming has always been a hotly debated topic in the media, with games drawing negative attention from all the way back in the 80's. 20 years later and that attention has not changed at all, with many people still believing games are a tool for evil and corruption. There have been many games that have drawn extra attention, and in this list we're going to look over 5 of some of the most controversial moments in gaming. For the final time, if you haven't already guessed, this article is NSFW. Read at your own risk!
5: Resident Evil 5 – Racism
The Resident Evil franchise has never been one to shy away from violence and gore, but the controversy surrounding Resident Evil 5 after its 2007 E3 Trailer was focused on something different: Racism.
With the initial trailer depicting a white protagonist killing black enemies in an African village, many criticized the game for racism, with Newsweek editor N'Gai Croal stating:
There was a lot of imagery in that trailer that dovetailed with classic racist imagery.
A second trailer was released for the game on May 31st, 2008, and showed a much more racially diverse group of enemies, and introduced the sidekick of the main character, the mixed-race Sheva. Developers denied that the complaints had affected the design or development process, and were shocked by the allegations. Allegations towards the game eventually dissipated and the game released to generally good reviews.
4: MODERN WARFARE 2 – TERRORISM
Modern Warfare 2 was very well received for the most part, however, this mission caused quite the stir when it was found within the game. No Russian is an early-game mission in which the player takes on the role of a double agent within a Russian terrorist cell during an attack on an airport. With Terrorism a large fear in the public consciousness at the time, this mission drew serious criticism, including coverage from many news stations across the world. Perhaps the worst part of the mission is that you could never stop or minimalize the damage of the massacre. Regardless of your actions, civilians will die, and the mission will play out the same way.
Modern Warfare 2 offered the option to disable graphic content upon startup, making this mission unplayable for those that wish to avoid cutting down civilians in the hundreds. Regardless of the controversy, Modern Warfare 2 is regarded as possibly the biggest and most popular Call of Duty game to date, and was highly reviewed by many outlets.
3: POSTAL 2 – EVERYTHING
Just everything in this game. Everything.
Postal 2 set out to be as controversial as possible, and managed to do just that. The game managed to get banned in New Zealand, but why? Well, between killing children, using cats as silencers, and urinating on dead bodies, the New Zealand rating board must have found something unpalatable about Postal 2. I can't imagine what it was…
Ultimately, Postal 2 ends up as a piss-soaked gorefest, with the main aim of simply being politically incorrect and offensive, and it does it pretty well. If you're interested, do check out our review of the game.
2: GTA SAN ANDREAS – HOT COFFEE
The Grand Theft Auto franchise has never been short on controversy, but GTA: San Andreas raised that controversy to a new height with the discovery of an un-finished sex minigame in the PC code.
When dating in the game, players will have the option to enter their girlfriend's house for "coffee", which results in some hilarious moaning and groaning. However, it seems Rockstar actually intended for a fully-fledged sex minigame to occur at this time, including graphic visuals and of course, the option for different positions. The discovery of this leftover code stirred up a massive media storm, with former lawyer and activist Jack Thompson using this as even more ammunition to pioneer his campaign against the popular crime sandbox series.
Since the discovery of this code, modders have adapted it to create the full minigame and implement it as we assume Rockstar intended, or even to make brand new sex-based minigames. This was so controversial because of the age San Andreas was released in. Whilst violence was still a hotly debated topic in gaming, sex had never been depicted so graphically and frivolously, breaking a new frontier in gaming and bringing a wealth of both criticism and praise with it.
1: Manhunt – violence
Manhunt took the usual format of playing as a hero from the movie you love, and changed it to playing the anti-hero from a movie you would never want to see.
The game was banned in several countries including New Zealand, was refused classification in Australia, and became the first video game in Ontario, Canada to be classed as a film and be restricted to adults only. In Germany, the Amtsgericht (small court) in Munich confiscated all version of Manhunt for violation of the representation of violence in media laws.
The game was also linked to the UK murder of teen Stefan Pakeerah in 2004, when killer Warren Leblanc was described as being 'obsessed with the game'. The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers' Association released a statement of their sympathies, but instead refused to blame the game and illustrated that the 18 age rating meant the game should never have been in the hands of 17 year old Leblanc. Throughout the ensuing media storm, both UK and international branches of popular retailers Game and Dixons decided to pull the game from shelves. Shortly after the murder, the Pakeerah family hired much-despised lawyer and activist Jack Thompson, with the aim of suing Sony and Rockstar for £50,000,000 in a claim over wrongful death. This case was eventually dropped, as the police revealed that the murder was a drug-related robbery gone bad, and that the game itself was actually found in the bedroom of the victim, not the killer. Leblanc was sentenced to life in prison, the Pakeerah's case was dropped, and Jack Thompson continued to target violent video games until he was disbarred in 2008.
Manhunt is now regarded as a great stealth game, having recently been ported to the PS4. Manhunt 2 also released to success, although it was heavily censored due to the previous controversy, though the censoring is easily removed with the knowledge of how to do it.
Do you agree with our list? What gaming moments had you shocked? Let us know in the comment below
