It is not news that video games have been associated with controversy for many years. Occasionally, some games leading to social controversies, which are not necessarily restricted to a game fraternity. These provocative titles can become the subject of controversy officially, deviate from tradition or, conversely, fail in execution. As much as they have been labelled as such, each are full of lessons for gamers, developers and the industry in general. There are many game releases which are considered to be utterly controversial and here are some of them and the lessons we can learn from them.
1. Grand Theft Auto Series (GTA)
Since its release, the “Grand Theft Auto” series for one has been implicated as; being responsible for other violent video games. Due to its representation of crime, designing and using drugs and even sexually explicit scenes, “GTA” has been accused for promoting such activities in the society. In spite of, or perhaps because of all this, the series has gained tremendous sales in the market.
Lesson Learned: Push Boundaries with Purpose The only message that can be gleaned from the GTA series is that playing with the envelope is always useful, as it provokes discussion. To address the challenges in the society, it is appropriate to use controversial content, but developers should make sure that they are aiming at creating a purpose of this perception. ‘GTA’ does this through the trick of making fun of American culture, thus the mature themes are not simply used as some extra gimmick.
2. No Man’s Sky
When it was released in 2016, the “No Man’s Sky” game gained a reputation of an overpromising and underdelivering. It made players believe that they would be able to explore a universe that was nearly infinite but the game released with many features which were absent in the mesmerizing pre- trailer demos. The response was quite negative, resulting in relatives criticism of false advertising.
Lesson Learned: Managing Expectations and Being Straight Forward
The biggest take away from “No Man’s Sky” is the concept of minimal hype and straightforward selling. The consequences of overpromising are particularly dire, as it will all too often lead to failure. Poor for the developers since for the first few years after the game was released, they actually butchered the title; however, they did spent the next years refining it with patches that helped them turn the broken mess around. The lesson learned from redemption story is critical to stick to the rescue strategies and pay attention to community voices.
3. Cyberpunk 2077
“Cyberpunk 2077” was one of the most highly-anticipated titles in recent years and it admittedly launched alongside many flaws and problems in December of 2020, mostly on prior generation consoles. Due to the poor quality of the game people were able to get their money back and the game was pulled out from multiple storefronts.
Lesson Learned: Prioritize Quality Assurance
The release debacle of Cyberpunk 2077 shows us that for any game, regardless of how great its hype may be, quality assurance testing should not be skipped. This is particularly dangerous as the launch of a game can severely harm the brand in question, and result in loss of consumers’ trust. Program bugs can be addressed with subsequent updates, but the general public does not forget the primary gaucheness. It is always good for a company to postpone some game and then release it to the market after perfecting it than to make a very bad release.
4. Hatred
The very infamous game Hatred was released in 2015; it immediately garnered a huge amount of attention due to the level of violence depicted and, of course, due to the fact that the main character is an active mass murderer. The game was actually taken down from Steam Greenlight at first, before it was put back when people retaliated in support of free speech.
Lesson Learned: I was wondering when using content in these advertising techniques become obscene and is no longer acceptable.
As for ‘Hatred’, the video game stir controversy and prompted humanity ethical relevant questions every gamers and developer were anxious to answer: What is an acceptable content of the video game? Although developers should be free artists, that do not mean they should not concerned about the consequences and the message that their games deliver. There are some boundaries for which it is better not to cross, which include illustrating real-life adverse events as mere jokes.
5. The Last of Us Part II
This is again proven in the much-debated “The Last of Us Part II” which was praised for its themes and plot, but including some very surprising and shocking choices on the character deaths and representation of the surviving characters. There were a lot of positive comments, some people appreciated its storyline and emotion, some people complained that it was not like the original game.
Lesson Learned: Lo and behold, controversy indeed pays but what effective marketing can’t is not telling compelling stories in the first place.
The experience with “The Last of Us Part II” prove the following notion correct: being daring in narrative choices will always lose some of the audience. Of course, storytelling, which does not meet the audience’s expectations, can also create productive conversations about such topics as revenge, redemption, existence, etc. For developers it is important to remain loyal to what they think will be right, even if it will offend a faction of the player base.
6. Pokémon Sword and Shield
“Pokémon Sword and Shield” launched to controversy due to the removal of certain Pokémon which the main games never did before. It was this decision, in addition to graphic quality issues, that led to the “Dexit” controversy, during which fans protested on social media.
Lesson Learned: Interacting with files As in any other project, it is crucial to respect the legacy content within the Interactive Framework, while at the same time, progress and evolve.
Long running franchises always have a hit-and-miss scenario, while always aiming to please the fan base and bring innovations to the table. It demonstrates that although developers have their reasons to make many cuts, more should be done to explain why they are made, especially when they remove popular features. Communication about change should look at the change in a positive light without letting go of the old audience.
7. Mortal Kombat
”Mortal Kombat” that first appeared in 1992 is now inseparable from video game violence. Because of its graphic fatalities and stunning and brutal look on the fight, the ESRB Came out and controls the game contents.
Lesson Learned: Conflict: the ways controversy may lead to positive industry change
The film ‘Mortal Kombat’ goes on offer the insight that controversy at times leads to change which must inevitably occur. Due to its explicit material and provocative sexual content it paved way for formation of industry judged content rating systems that would provide parents means by which they could guage what games their children played. It aided in giving games an increased degree of acceptance as an entertainment format for all different age groups.
Impact of Controversial Games on Gaming Culture
Not only are such games still debated on, but more importantly, they are games that extend the possibilities of what games are. It can result into new approaches to narrative designs, graphics and gameplay mechanics. They usually incorporate elements, which will deviate from the general societal standards and provoke debates regarding issues like ethics, representation and role of developers.
However, the impact is a double-edged sword: as we saw earlier this year controversy can sell and lead to the creation of products that sell, however controversy can also harm brands and extinguish good will. The authors argue that developers and designers have to engage in a constant battle of managing their creativity and catering to the audiences’ sensibilities.
Final Thoughts
Controversial games are always educational for the entire community of gamers. The guidelines also encourage developers to be transparent, to ensure they do what was promised, and to be conscious of the message they are putting out there. For gamers, they force one to consider the quality thoughts and innovations while providing advocations for good media.
And as it would be expected, with the progressive growth of the gaming industry, the issue of controversies will not be far from it. But there is always a lesson to learn or a chance to unleash a positive change with every negative controversy about gaming.