"I usually don't think about it. I know I probably play a few games that people like my parents may find offensive, but it really doesn't bother me. I just play them for what they are meant for... entertainment. Now while I can see many games that are debated by people as being offensive, media and other really don't mention the fact that these things deemed "offensive" can be avoided. In Mass Effect, you can avoid the sex scene, and in Modern Warfare 2, opt out of playing the airport mission, or just do what I did and not have the heart to shoot anyone. Honestly, in these days, almost anything can be deemed "offensive," but does that mean it really is?"
-Skylark95
Of-fen-sive
- causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating, angering, or annoying
- unpleasant or disagreeable to the sense
- repugnant to the moral sense, good taste, or the like; insulting
- pertaining to offense or attack
- characterized by attack; aggressive
Con-tro-ver-sial
- of, pertaining to, or characteristic of controversy; polemical
- subject to controversy; debatable
- given to controversy
Did anything in a video game ever cause you to stop playing and question if what you just saw or heard was offensive? Maybe it was the scene in Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 where you walked through the airport slaughtering innocent civilians. Or was it an openly gay flamboyant character who thinks of himself as a female like Makoto in Ubisoft's RPG Enchanted Arms? Regardless of what you may have seen or heard, gamers are on the fence when it comes to what makes a game offensive.
"In my honest opinion, people are WAY too sensitive. I have never been offended by a Video Game. That's like the big uproar over Resident Evil 5. Everyone thought it was racist. People have a right to be offended, but I think it gets a little out of hand. Games are meant for fun. When I was playing through Limbo, I didn't even think once about how the main character was a child, and he could die in graphic ways. So I wasn't offended by Limbo either. Maybe its just me, but I feel adults shouldn't be so up in arms over Video Games, they are there to be enjoyed."
-Elite Effect
Rac-ism
- a belief or doctrine that inherit differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
- a policy, system of government, etc., that based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination
- hatred or intolerance of another race or races
Capcom's Resident Evil 5 was one of the highly publicized cases of possible racism in recent years. The sight of a video game character that is white, dressed in military clothing, shooting and killing black parasite infected humans caused such an uproar that many took to their blogs to debate it.Kym Platt - Black Looks (article has been taken down)
"This is problematic on so many levels, including the depiction of Black people as inhuman savages, the killing of Black people by a white man in military clothing, and the fact that this video game is marketed to children and young adults. Start them young... fearing, hating, and destroying Black people."
This is just one example of the many heated arguments regarding Resident Evil 5. Some bloggers tried to depict Resident Evil 5 as promoting racism against blacks and that the white man is superior. While others in defense of the parasitic shooting game brought up points about the zombies in past Resident Evil games being white or spanish like in Resident Evil 4.
Mark Methenitis - Law of the Game
" ...As has been pointed out many, many times, the Resident Evil series is part of the larger zombie genre, in which the zombies are typically white. Resident Evil 4 took the traditional zombie concept in a new direction by crafting a storyline where the traditional "zombie" was replaced by a faster, smarter zombie-like infected human. That game was set in Spain, and all of the enemies spoke Spanish..."
Siren says: "Resident Evil 5 was hardly racist. Let me think....Hitman Blood Money has a black character calling Agent 47 who happens to be white a cracker, but I can't complain about that now can I? Back to the case of Resident Evil 5, I guess every video game ever made is racist because you shoot at different races and species. I recently played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I guess I am racist against the Flea Men because I killed them after they attacked me."
"I was only offended once by a video game, and it was just an idea for a video game I heard about quite awhile ago. I don't think it ever actually made it into development. The idea was a sandbox game where you play a rapist or something. Horrible!"
-Nomadik Kitty
"Agreed with Kitty. Games like that shouldn't be made: RapeLay"
-CoyAndChris
Dis-taste-ful
- unpleasant, offensive, or causing dislike
- unpleasant to the taste
- showing distaste or dislike
While a game like RapeLay deserves to be considered distasteful or offensive, what about a video game that tells the true story about a squad of Marines from the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines during Operation Iraqi Freedom? The marines battled terrorists during a six day span in Fallujah, Iraq hence the title "Six Days in Fallujah". Atomic Games was given permission to use the Marines names and likeliness in the game. If the Marines the game is based on fully support the effort, than why did some gamers and the media say this game should tossed in a burn barrel, never to be seen again?The controversy surrounding the Iraq War is something that is still debated and protested to this day. Images of soldiers crying tears of sorrow for their fallen brothers and sisters, Iraqi children dead in the streets, and blood splattered on the ground on tv and magazines are images that are all to familiar to the loved ones that have been affected by the Iraq War. Naturally an announcement about a game based on those very same situations would bring emotion out of the nation, but what exactly are people saying and was this the reason that Konami, the original publisher behind the title decided to drop it?
Soldier's respond to Six Days in Fallujah - G4TV (For full opinions from the soldier's click the link)
http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/694612/soldiers-respond-to-six-days-in-fallujah-controversy.html' target="_blank">Sgt. Casey J. McGeorge (Served three tours in Iraq)
"As a combat veteran and as a gamer, I have no problem whatsoever with the game...As long as it's made as realistically as possibly, I believe that this could be a good thing for both combat veterans and for the war in general."
Former Army Sgt. Kevin Smith
"Let it be made, and hopefully it will bolster support for military veterans by giving civilians insight into what this war was actually like for them."
Tim Collins, Former Colonel of 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment
"It's much too soon to start making video games about a war that's still going on, and an extremely flippant response to one of the most important events in modern history. It's particularly insensitive given what happened in Fallujah, and I will certainly oppose the release of this game."
Gunnery Sergeant Mundy
"If someone doesn't agree with the game, they can spend their money elsewhere."
Siren says: "While a game that simulates raping others deserves to be considered distasteful and has no point of existing whatsoever, I do not believe that Six Days in Fallujah should be thrown in that category. After all, we have seen movies, tv specials, etc...about the war in Iraq (Generation Kill for one) and nobody says anything then. So why can't we see it in a video game? Is it the fact that you have the opportunity to play a part in the war like other war based video games or are people just using this as one more excuse as to fuel the the war protestor's mind? After all I don't see people complaining about killing Germans or Confederates in a game based on those wars."
"Whenever I hear or read a news story about violence in games, I think back to Bugs Bunny and friends, Popeye, The Three Stooges etc. I was raised on those shows as a kid, and I turned out fine. I'm sure if I started hooking up 3 ton weights above the neighbors dog, my parents would have stepped in. They knew I didn't take it seriously. The same applies to videogames. There are ratings for games, just as there are for TV shows and movies. It's our jobs as parents, to decide what is okay for our children to watch and play."
-PeeKnuckle
Art imitates real life. So can we really blame video game developers for something being controversial when most of the time the developer's art is depicting something involving real life or close to it? The sight of a woman breastfeeding her child in a video game might not seem so offensive, but in real life that heated topic is still viewed as either a natural act or something that should be done in private. What about the images of children dying on television in an infomercial? Those aren't considered to be offensive, but yet the sight of a child dying in a video game like Limbo is considered to be controversial or offensive.
From the topics mentioned above, to others such as homosexuality, spanking a child, or legalizing marijuana, controversy exists in all forms of life, real or not.
"The only time I've been offended while playing games is while in chat with pk... and that really had nothing to do with the game at all. He also made me cry once... from being a damn bearded bunny."
-sedington86
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