5 Weird Places No Video Games Should Go

There are some paths games were not meant to tread. Here are 5 of the weirdest.

[claud3]

Why. Life is full of surprising elements and the paths are clear to go down

[Whitefeather]

Exactly, games can do whatever they want. Art imitates life and vice versa.

[thorstein]

Indeed, but the irony of the article is that the author talks about killing children is somewhere no game should go and uses Fallout 3 as an example. In FO3, you can sell a child into slavery, which in turn means rape/ molestation/ exploitation which conceivably be far worse than death.

[Gazondaily]

I don't understand the double standard here. In films and cinema, you have every single area highlighted in the article portrayed to extremes that video games have seldom matched. Why is it then that videogames aren't allow to tackle these subjects?

Also, compare the sheer gratuitous nature in which films have tackled these topics and they eclipse video game portrayals by a huge margin:

* Violence: No videogame I have played has matched the most graphic of scenes in movies such as Hostel, Saw and a vast myriad of other titles. You can name hundreds of movies.

* Infanticide: Again there are loads of examples like the recent Alien vs Predator movie, The Walking Dead etc

* Rape: Personally, I would like this left out of videogame and even film. The topic shakes me to the core but obviously I understand that I don't speak for everyone. Movies like The girl with the Dragon Tattoo have some horrid yet powerful scenes.

* Torture + feminism: LOADS of examples

I understand that interactivity in videogames is the key issue here and this is what people use to distinguish it from film. However, if we place restrictions on developers and their creativity, we will be stunting the growth and maturity of a medium, that in the eyes of many, surpasses other mediums simply by virtue of the interactivity gaming bestows upon us.

The issue regarding censorship and gaming will really come to its own when the technology reaches greater standards in terms of realism and enhanced interactivity. In the future, I believe we will encounter a moment where the whole gaming medium will be placed under unprecedented and decisive scrutiny and decisions that we gamers and developers make today will determine the outcome for gaming.

[Conzul]

As represented in the article:

5: Meh
4: Spot-on
3: So it hasn't been done right yet, so we shouldn't try? -.-
2: Right, but only because of media / misunderstanding.
1: Same as #2. The author seems to think that if we do something in a game, it will make us want to do it in real life. This perception needs to end.

[mep69]

In Prey you see two kids killed in the alien space ship :P

[claud3]

Sorry to say, if people are afraid of exploring taboo subjects. Then they need to get out and be open minded

[guitarded77]

Yep... the "offended" police need to grow up. People have different social boundaries, and it's not everyone else's responsibility to avoid something because a handful of people are too immature to see/hear something. I'm not saying there shouldn't be boundaries in a public space, but with media, it's the buyers choice.

[Morgue]

I'm 42. What offends me in this day and age is people still get offended.

[Treian]

Sorry to say, but not every single person agrees on which subjects are taboo and what should be censored.

[thorstein]

"Censorship is telling a man that he can't have a steak because a baby can't chew it."
-attributed to Mark Twain

The only argument for censoring that I have heard that makes any sense is if it contains non consensual images.

[Legion]

So if a killer thinks his trial shouldn't be made public as he doesn't want to be seen publicly then he can over ride the judge on a public trial?

What about all those mug shots that are given to the press?

What about public figures? Are we allowed to persuade people not to take a picture of use and put it into the paper because we don't think it was a good picture of us?

How far does this consensual thing go with you?

[thorstein]

@Legion

I'll never understand the argument to give up freedom. But these should help you understand how far our society has slipped.
1) Airplane. Go rent this PG movie, then you will get an idea of how ridiculous censorship has become. Consider that the film was PG and how that has all changed.
2) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Get the edition with CODA and read his remarks about censorship. CODA can be found for free on the web but F451 is still an amazing read about a society (by the people for the people and of the people) and censorship.
3) Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau a wonderful piece about freedom.
4) “Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.”
― Harry S. Truman
and finally: Judy Blume
5) “[I]t's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.”
― Judy Blume

[M83_]

Dead on!;) It's that kind of closed minded attitude that can have a negative effect on other aspects of life other than games and the media. For example homosexuality or anything that is not heterosexual is not always readily accepted.

I think the more open minded everybody is, the better off we'll all be. It never hurt to be open to different views that went against the grain every once in a while. It builds a great understanding and tolerance I think.

[INehalemEXI]

I explored subjects once....wait that wasnt me.

[gamergirl98]

You just made me smile :) Thank you. X)

[INehalemEXI]

no no no, Thank you ;)

[PooEgg]

5 weird places spread over 6 webpages, not worth the trouble.

[lzim]

Seriously

I half expected it to include playing a Pimp in a sandbox game, but it didn't.. pointless.

[pixelsword]

That should be in all games.

[Danniel1]

Although there are some taboos better let unexplored... Incest = creepy babies, Cannibalism = Kuru.

[Laxman]

I think both of those can be explored in artforms. Both make for some very entertaining (not necessarily good, but fun to watch) films, too; Wrong Turn, X-Files episode 'Home', Ravenous, just to name a few.

[Conzul]

Wasn't 'Home' banned from showing on the network? I've got to check that one out, someone just told me about it recently.

[Legion]

Even if it was limited to cable that doesn't lessen the fact that it is Taboo by many and still has a forum for people to view it.

Video games have ratings for a reason... just as do Movies, TV shows... etc.

Walking Dead had a Zombie kid that had to be killed. Why can't video games follow suit?

[rpd123]

I disagree with all of those except for No Russian kind of stuff and killing children. If someone wants to make a feminist game, then by all means go ahead. Torture was done alright in Black Ops. The sex in Mass Effect was tastefully done, and I don't about you, but I find Miranda pretty sexy.

[DragonKnight]

"If someone wants to make a feminist game, then by all means go ahead."

Are you kidding? Although I'd pay someone to make that game (if I had the money) they'd even complain about that. "Why is it a feminist game?" *sigh*

[rdgneoz3]

The annoying kid of the king in Whiterun (Skyrim) and some of the kids in Little Lamplight deserve to die, seeing how they talk down to people.

[gamergirl98]

indeed, but unfortunately if we try to kill a child they turn into daedra and attack us... boo!

[Pintheshadows]

Wolverhampton.

On a serious note, as long as it is handled well games should go wherever they want.

Apart from Wolverhampton.

[rufusman91]

People need to experience new things and innovations. I bet in 20 years we will all be banging sex bots. There is already a Kinect game where all you do is play with boobs.

[Pintheshadows]

Finally, a legitimate reason to own a Kinect.

What is this boob fondling game called?

[rufusman91]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Pintheshadows]

Bloody hell, part of me hoped you were joking.

[Wigriff]

Wow... just... wow... lol.

[one2thr]

^^^^Lmao!!! Roflcopter!!! Lol!!

[strange1986]

"...with the characters ending up with silly looks on their faces."

Uh, how is that any different than real sex?

[soundslike]

Omg lets not think uncomfortable thoughts!

Fuck you OP, whoever you are.

[Donnywho]

They have a rating's system for Children and namby pambies.

[007Bond]

Let's all be honest here we came for dem tits.

[MacDonagh]

Games have already been to these places though. Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh had kinky BDSM sex in it and a BDSM club. The Ultima series also had a tendency for infanticide as well and the Punisher for the PS2 had some torture moments in it where you can take out a goon in some ridiculous fashion.

Mind you; I doubt publishers would have the balls to make games like that anymore.

[WeskerChildReborned]

At least we'll never have to go through puberty in a game.

[TekoIie]

I know one person who definitely wants a mini-game for it X3

[xstreetsweeperx]

Way to go Wesker, Some game developer somewhere just read this comment andis thinking deep down inside "Hey, thats a good idea"

[WeskerChildReborned]

That's not the worst i could think of though lol.

[CaptCalvin]

How come people still dont understand the "No Russian" mission as a plot element? If you skipped that mission and go straight to the next one, you'd have no way of understanding what led to the series of events you found yourself in.

[shodan74]

Jesus wept. Why shouldn't video games tackle controversial themes, so long as they're handled in the right way?

And I'm not sure why sex should be classed as a 'weird place' that games should fear to venture. Isn't it, y'know, kind of an integral part of everyday life and relationships? It would be pretty weird if adult-oriented games never dealt with it.

This piece should really be called 'Five Things That Cause a Shitstorm Whenever They're Included In Games'. Just because some people get pissed off at something, doesn't mean it should be off limits.

[Wigriff]

I concur. Funny how things like racist or bigoted games, or games that feature acts of pedophilia were eschewed from the list, but sex was considered entirely taboo.

[pixelsword]

It's because the majority of jerks are racist pedos; which, unfortunately, also constitutes the majority opinion in our society on a lot of subjects.

[AKS]

There's plenty of room to cover feminist issues in games. The word "feminism" may conjure up negative ideas from males reading this, but not every woman with feminist concerns is a man-hating extremist. Most just don't want to be discriminated against or treated poorly because of their gender.

Most of the "gamer girls" I've met tended to have a chip on their shoulder and were eager to try to prove themselves. They obviously tend to feel that way because they usually aren't treated very well by male gamers. Don't act like you haven't heard the "make me a sandwich" nonsense, especially online. It's usually meant as sarcastic a joke, but women get very sick of that. And don't pretend you haven't heard some pretty vile sexual comments made towards a female gamer in a lobby online. Most women won't use mics because of this.

Also, an entire game doesn't have to revolve around feminism. Good grief. Just having positive roles for female characters in games like Alyx Vance in Half-Life or Faith in Mirror's Edge are a step in the right direction. I could see lots of plots that could include a female character overcoming discrimination or poor treatment in a video game. How many times have we seen female characters in oppressive societies in books or movies? That can happen in just about any game. They could have easily included a character arc like that in one of the Mass Effect games. The entire game doesn't have to revolved around feminism.

[Ducky]

There's only one game I can think of that actually made me side with feminism and that was No-One Lives Forever.

Sadly, that game rarely gets mentioned nowadays.

[BelieveinGhosts]

I don't agree with you. Every gamer girl i have met online wants attention and use obvious female online ID's to get it. I wont give you their exact PSN ID's but it goes like this : Diva, Girl, Baby Girl, Kina, Love, Lady etc. I also remember a time when a girl joined our match and no one bothered to give her attention. She started saying "Aww you got beat by a girl". Mind you this was in a game of Socom so us guys still didn't react to her taunts and were pretty respectful but if it was Call of Duty, she would have gotten a very different reaction.

[ShiftyLookingCow]

Man dont ever reply in those situations, you might be accused of forcing the girl to say raep simply by being male and in the opposite team.

I am going overboard here but that was the gist of an article on Kotaku.

[kieranmfilms]

I disagree with all the "5 weird places". If other art forms can do them, why can't video games? If anything, video games should be doing all these things to be taken seriously.

[JoshEngen]

Completely agree. Putting boundaries on an artform only serves to kill artistry.

If something happens in reality, there's no reason why it shouldn't be explored in some kind of storytelling medium. Anyone who says differently is scared of reality.

[kornbeaner]

The only issue I ever had with a videogame is MW3, when the little girl gets blown up. Reason being, is that it didn't move the plot along in a meaningful way. Unlike "No Russian" I feel that this part of MW3 was merely added to add shock value to the game. They could've easily started the next mission with the cut-scene they originally started the mission with and nobody would know they missed anything. It basically was "kill faceless, nameless little girl" and try to make her important which failed horribly.

[Genghis]

Meh, with movies having explored content across the spectrum, what makes video games such a different zone? It's for all ages nowadays and honestly if the writer looked hard enough, he would find indie titles that successfully portray a lot of the taboos that he argues against.

[Tuxedo_Mask]

1. A cat's litter-box
2. A police interrogation room
3. A religious or spiritual place
4. A School Principal's office
5. A guard post of any kind

Edit: Oh, this article is about topics that games shouldn't cover...

[Azurite]

Controlled by morals.

If you don't like the result, get over it and move on, it's a game.

[level 360]

Can I just say all those unconventional human behaviour traits mentioned on the lists' have already been done by most game developers and have been available for a long time now, these games are easily accessed to by tons of gamers' all around the globe. Even some kids games if you look way past the cuteness factor have some of these characteristics.

Everything which we used to think were weird and taboo are now very much mainstream.

[MWH]

preposterous.

[Machina]

Disgaree with all of them except number 3, and that's because sex scenes in videogames are always cringe-worthy.

[bombay]

i think that you should be able to do all of them exsept for #1

[_LarZen_]

So if this should not be in games it should not be in movies and books either then?

There is a reason these games are made for ADULTS, NOT CHILDREN.

[EazyC]

Call me a sociopath, but that No Russian mission is one of my favourite levels ever in a videogame. And I didn't even dig MW 2.

[_-EDMIX-_]

No thanks. Gaming doesn't need a Haze code please.

Film didn't need it then, gaming doesn't need it now.

Don't like? Don't play.

[DMLFury]

I have pretty much become numb to any type of "horrific" acts that happen in video games. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean I'm numb to real acts of violence and torture, but in a game, it doesn't bother me. At least anymore.

[mt]

you can add those 5 points in one hollywood movie yet no one is talking or complaining about that

[BinCs]

What hollywood movie?

[sjaakiejj]

I'm sorry, but I can't agree with censoring any of the mentioned themes, nor do I agree with most of what the author has written.

"Just look at the majority of female characters in games. They’re busty babes that serve as a goal"
"Developers can barely get your standard female character right, never mind tackling something like feminism, or portraying women as actual people."

Honestly hasn't gone out much has he? I find it hard to come up with western games that don't portray women as actual people.

[ShiftyLookingCow]

Great! what is the morality police going to do to games that cross the line?
Ban and Burn them?

Damn idiots care too much about pixellated violence. I am sick all of this political nonsense about games.

Case in point: see comments on video game blogs for nvidia's new demo. So bloody annoying! all they see b@@bs rights. They don't even remember Dawn demo from early 2000s.

[BinCs]

Most game developers are not talented enough to handle controversial topics in a mature manner.

[TheGamerCenturion]

I think Game developers shouldn't be prevented from some of these things. I honestly dont agree just going up in a game and killing a kid is the most agreeable thing. But in real life when you put a bullet in someone they wont just crouch and panic, no they will be dead. It adds to realism. Games were intended from more the beginning to be created as a reality world. It happens much more in movies than we would have ever expected. If you dont want your kid to see that stuff then dont let them. Obviously its going to be rated M for mature. i find it to be half and half the parents fault for letting them get a game if it has this kinda stuff. They should look up that kinda stuff. Game stop makes sure parents know whats in the game. Thats all I got.