Hey there guys.
Lots of things happening on gaming lately. I, like I'm sure others have, have kept this whole #GG and other stuff out of this site simply because there's other, more fitting places to discuss it. Regardless of what you think, I bring something not directly related to it but that came up, and would like to talk to you guys about.
Recently, a game has been announced called "Hatred". In it, the player will assume control of a violent psychopath who'll murder innocents and cops in its wake. Basically, Postal. Again.
The game has been put under a lot of flak for its content, with petitions for the developers to shut it down and apologize.
Text for those who prefer it:
This game project is a disgusting and unnecessary endeavor. The game features a disturbed white male copying the late Brandon Lee's character outfit from The Crow, babbling a poorly written script like Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold from the Columbine Tragedy preparing an unjustified massacre on the general public. Not only is this game horrifyingly violent, but it's extremely offensive depicting the player character brutally executing people of colour and women in an aggravated manner. I am a developer working on a project that focuses on inclusion of every human, of any ethnicity, and gender if any. My career is dedicated to change and I absolutely refuse to share the industry with this disgusting studio. This petition is going to be sent to Destructive Creations whether they like it or not showing how many people are against their project and how ill-received it will be. I want it boycotted and gone. I would also like to reach out to Epic Games who wants nothing to do with the project and attempted to contact the studio asking them to take related Unreal and Epic logos off their game trailer. I want to see Epic Games push for legal action should they refuse to comply. This game is personally offensive to me, as I am of Middle Eastern and Egyptian heritage, and the team went out of their way to include at least three instances in the game trailer showing the white male player character execute people of colour. This was obviously intentional as well as the several executions of women such as the repeated stabbing and placing a pistol in a womans mouth and blowing her brains out. I am appauled at the pathetic attempt at making a game to garner this kind of attention and then playing the juvenile "haters gonna hate" card. This is a team of racist and hateful people wasting their talent trying to upset their audience and provoke a response. You've got your response, Destructive Creations. I want everyone supporting the downfall of this project and we want a heartfelt apology to accompany that. I've supported games for many years just to have you undo what we've fought for after years of people attacking this industry and blaming it for tragedies influcted by individuals who have projected their disturbed minds onto video games. And here's a personal message to Destructive Creations: What made you think this was ok? Creating a game like this AND announcing it in light of the recent threat against Anita Sarkeesian when a college student threatened to shoot up her seminar on feminism at the school.
'm not asking, I'm telling you to take this game down and any press kit content now. The backers for this petition are YOUR audience. The success of your studio and your careers depends on your response to this petition. Change the project content if you have to. Hatred is not welcome here. I am a member of many, many groups on Linkedin including those of AAA studios. On top of that, I'm an editor for two large gaming blogs and you better believe you'll get negative publicity and look like absolute monsters for even thinking up a game concept like this that shows that you are a group of racist, sexist individuals basing your careers on offending people instead of making a worthwhile title. This petition in its entirety from the mission to the amount of supporters will be shown to as many influential parties as I can contact. Sign and show Destructive Creations how wrong they are. Video games are evolving as an industry, it's common knowledge. We are not letting this game set us back.
Basically, I want to discuss whether this game has a place existing and to which grounds can videogames go to, in your opinion.Seems like there was already a thread discussing the game, so rather, this shall be a place to just in general discuss games' limits and what is or not acceptable, or if there should be any limitation to begin with. There's been many cases of censorship in the past, and not all of them positive. See, for example, a game in which one would control a jewish child during the Holocaust, cancelled because it was "offensive" to some:
http://anonymousdeveloper.tumblr.com/ (Again, ignore the whole Gamergate bit. I truly and honestly do not wish to make this about that; there's been reasonable and unreasonable people on both sides, and I'm distancing myself for it exactly because it has tired me.)
Please, discuss and keep it polite.