Biggest Uproar

[The Blackangel]

What game(s) do you think caused the most outrage? I remember Mortal Kombat causing a lot of conservative parents to completely lose it to the point that Nintendo censored it by turning the blood to sweat. You still get the blood on Sega though. Another is GTA. I read reports that said parents wanted it banned outright because they said it was teaching their kids to be criminals. Fantasy games aren't immune to this either. Many evangelical parents said that games like Zelda and Castlevania would make their children turn from god, start practicing witchcraft, and worship Satan. I'm sitting here reading this shit and thinking "Who the fuck comes up with this shit? It's a goddamn game." Then there's war games like CoD. The violence in it and killing people left and right makes then think their kids will become serial killers.

If they want a game that portrays anything like that, then they should steer of one of my personal favorites:
Hatred

[Shagger]

Quite honestly, the biggest uproars I've seen about video games have come form gamers themselves, and with far more frequency.

Some of what you described was back in the 80's and early 90's honestly was kind of justified back then because the ratings system didn't exist and video games were still marketed as kid's toys, not the age-rated, entertainment medium that they are today. If today something was marketed as a family film, TV show or why not, a game that featured the kind of violence Mortal Kombat had, I think parents would be justified in being upset and angry about it. As people who grew up with it, we know it was harmless fun, but the concerns expressed at the time, whilst extreme, I'd say were mostly fair. Now though, with the ratings systems and regulation in place, if Mummy Karen was to notice little Jimmy getting a lapdance or blowing somebody's head off while playing GTA5, she has nobody to blame but herself. I will agree with you the whole devil worship thing was complete nonsense.

 

Onto the uproars from games. Sometimes they are justified, like the backlash that faced Battlefront 2 and it's horrendous monetisation or companies like Ubisoft and Activision/Blizzard have got over the abuse suffered buy thier employees. Destroying fun for greed or producing games at he expernce of the physical and metal health of employees is never justified. I would burn all of my favourite games out of existence, like The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, C&C Red Alert 2, Dungeon Keeper, Skyrim, Fallout, Final Fantasy, Tales of Berseria, all of then if people didn't have to suffer to make them. Expecting people to work hard and be productive and dedicated is one thing, but abuse is quite another.

 

Other times they are at least as ridiculous as some of the things you described. Like the TLOU2 when people who choose to view the leaks, and thus likely had no intention of playing the game anyway, review bombed the game for having "trans" in it. Or Battlefield V. LOTS of good reasons to hate on that franchise and the companies behind it, but putting a woman on the cover because "Woman didn't fight in WW2" (When they did) whilst ignoring the fact that same woman was wearing a prosthetic limb well beyond 1940's technology was apparently OK.

 

In the end, uproars are mass expressions of an extreme point of view, and extremes in points of view rarely represent the logical truth and the approach to a beneficial outcome. They can draw attention to something wrong and even start progress towards something better, but without filtering them though a process of rational, impartial discussion and civilised debate, it is likely to just make a problem worse.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Shagger

[mironmiron]

On 8/23/2023 at 7:29 PM, Shagger said:

Quite honestly, the biggest uproars I've seen about video games have come form gamers themselves, and with far more frequency.

Some of what you described was back in the 80's and early 90's and honestly was kind of justified back then because the ratings system didn't exist and video games were still marketed as kid's toys, not the age-rated, entertainment medium that they are today. If today something was marketed as a family film, TV show or why not, a game that featured the kind of violence Mortal Kombat had, I think parents would be justified in being upset and angry about it. As people who grew up with it, we know it was harmless fun, but the concerns expressed at the time, whilst extreme, I'd say were mostly fair. Now though, with the ratings systems and regulation in place, if Mummy Karen was to notices little Jimmy getting a lapdance or blowing somebody's head off while playing GTA5, she has nobody to blame but herself. I will agree with you the whole devil worship thing was complete nonsense.

 

Onto the uproars from games. Sometimes they are justified, like the backlash that faced Battlefront 2 and it's horrendous monetisation or companies like Ubisoft and Activision/Blizzard have got over the abuse suffered buy thier employees. Destroying fun for greed or producing games at he expernce of the physical and metal health of employees is never justified. I would burn all of my favourite games out of existence, like The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, C&C Red Alert 2, Dungeon Keeper, Skyrim, Fallout, Final Fantasy, Tales of Berseria, all of then if people didn't have to suffer to make them. Expecting people to work hard and be productive and dedicated is one thing, but abuse is quite another.

 

Other times they are at least as ridiculous as some of the things you described. Like the TLOU2 when people who choose to view the leaks, and thus likely had no intention of playing the game anyway, review bombed the game for having "trans" in it. Or Battlefield V. LOTS of good reasons to hate on that franchise and the companies behind it, but putting a woman on the cover because essay "Woman didn't fight in WW2" (When they did) whilst ignoring the fact that same woman was wearing a prosthetic limb well beyond 1940's technology was apparently OK.

 

In the end, uproars are mass expressions of an extreme point of view, and extremes in points of view rarely represent the logical truth and the approach to a beneficial outcome. They can draw attention to something wrong and even start progress towards something better, but without filtering them though a process of rational, impartial discussion and civilised debate, it is likely to just make a problem worse.

 

I agree that some gamers overreact to things. However, I think it's important to remember that gamers are a diverse group of people with a wide range of opinions. Just because some gamers overreact doesn't mean that all gamers are irrational or unreasonable.

The uproars about video games in the 80s and 90s were somewhat justified. However, I think the situation is different today. We have a comprehensive ratings system in place, and parents have access to more information about video games than ever before.

Overall, the best way to address the issues raised by video games is through education and communication. We need to teach kids about the importance of responsible gaming, and we need to have open and honest conversations about the content of video games.

Cheers,
Miron