June 26 12:08 P.M.
As video games evolve from a niche pastime into a leisure activitiy that's part of two-thirds of U.S. households, it's only natural for game developers to test their boundaries -- and, occasionally, break them. Consequently, the last few years have seen video games embroiled in scandals around race, religion, violence, sexual content, and even attitudes toward war. Here's just a handful of recent games that rubbed the public the wrong way.
Six Days in Fallujah
The 2004 Battle of Fallujah was one of the most intense in the recent Iraq occupation, responsible for the deaths of 71 U.S. troops, over a thousand insurgents, and numerous civilans. Despite this, publisher Konami and developer Atomic Games decided it would make a good video game, enlisting the support of several Marines as advisors and unveiling "Six Days in Fallujah" to journalists in a military-style press conference. After a flurry of complaints from everyone from Iraq veterans to anti-war activists, Konami abruptly ditched the game. Last we heard it's still in development, although unless another publisher steps up, it's unlikely to see the light of day.
Should it be canned? Making games about World War II might be safe, but a conflict as recent and as controversial as the Iraq war should probably be left alone for a few decades.
Resident Evil 5
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Set in a fictional African country, it depicted a Caucasian hero gunning down hordes of primitive, zombie-like locals in scenes that disturbed some onlookers. Many commentators weighted in on the question, calling it everything from a 1920s-style racist cliche to a critique of Western colonialism. Here's one case where you're probably best off playing the game yourself and making up your own mind, although we'll note that the storm died down relatively quickly after the game's release.
The bigger picture: Out of context, it's easy to see why RE5's content raised eyebrows. But if you play the game through, there's more to the story: the game's heroine is African, and the behavior of the locals is explained.
LittleBigPlanet
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Although 2008's PlayStation 3 platform game LittleBigPlanet was one of the year's most hyped games, its release was unexpectedly delayed after publisher Sony suddenly recalled all copies of the game just days before it was due to go on sale. Bizarrely, the culprit wasn't some game-breaking bug, but rather one of the game's music tracks. A work of Malian musician Toumani Diabate, the offending composition used lyrics taken from the Qur'an, angering some Muslim sects who happen to regard such mixtures of music and scripture to be offensive. The game was re-released a week later with the verses expunged, and went on to become a hit with critics and the gaming public alike.
Did Sony do the right thing? There's clearly no genuine intent to offend here, but recalling the affected copies was a smart move, if only to avoid a PR catastrophe.
Mass Effect
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Bioware's thoughtful space opera Mass Effect found itself making unexpected headlines shortly after its fall 2007 release. The game -- a 30-hour, Star Wars-style epic -- included a couple of brief and reasonably tasteful cutscenes featuring the protagonist having a romantic encounter with one of the game's supporting cast. The fact that it was no more graphic than what you might find on late-night network television didn't stop one blogger, who in a now-deleted article accused the game of featuring virtual rape (it didn't) and that it could be customized to allow the player to, ahem, interact with "whatever, whomever, however," they wished (it can't). Fox News picked up the story, and aired an on-screen debate between a games expert and a psychology specialist addressing the claims. Fans of the game were outraged, and by the time the dust cleared, both Fox's specialist and the original blogger had climbed down and admitted being "misinformed" about the game's content.
What's the lesson? This debacle is a fascinating tale of how one off-the-cuff blog piece can shape national debate, regardless of its accuracy. It just goes to show: don't believe everything you see on TV. Or read on the Internet.
Manhunt 2
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If there's one type of content that's most associated with video game controversies, it's violence, and if there's a game more violent than Manhunt 2, we've never seen it. Characterized as a serial killer simulation, the game allows players to participate in graphic, execution-style killings. Publisher Take Two tried to release it in July 2007, but was forced to withdraw it after the U.S. ratings body slapped it with an ultra-rare "Adults Only" stamp (like an NC-17, but for games). While a toned-down version eventually made it to store shelves that October, it was met with widespread indifference from the gaming public -- largely because it just wasn't very good.
Should it have been withdrawn? Probably not. Manhunt 2, like its predecessor, was a nasty, depressing, meritless game. But for all its flaws, it's actually no more graphic than hundreds of horror movies, and its difficulties expose a double-standard in the way games and movies are approached by retailers.
More controversies to come
Wondering which future games will make headlines for the wrong reasons? Why not start with the next entry from controversy magnet Grand Theft Auto IV. Titled "The Ballad of Gay Tony" and due out this fall, it lets gamers play as the assistant to a legendary nightclub owner and will surely serve up more than a few slices of touchy content. A new version of classic troublemaker DOOM is also in the works, although these days first-person shooters have to be really insane to raise a stink. But when it comes to violence, few games will prove half as gory as the upcoming Sony blockbuster God of War 3, which stunned showgoers at the recent E3 convention with its preposterously visceral combat scenes. We'll find out if it goes too far when it releases early next year.
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Posted: 26 Jun 2009
