Hatred is a game that has caused a massive amount of controversy. As a person that supports media of any type, I want to make my stance clear now. I do not think that the game developed by Destructive Creations has crossed any lines. Video games, along with any form of entertainment, should no boundaries. The only boundaries are those that people create themselves.
Hatred was initially pulled from the Greenlight section of Steam, but since the initial decision it has been put back up. Hatred puts the player in control of a character whom hates people and pins them up to kill civilians and cops alike. The player is to have no mercy when it comes to shooting, stabbing, or blowing up individuals. It seems as though pulling this game is a bit harsh of a move for what is supposed to be a fictitious world.
Although this is a new spin on a third person shooter it isn’t like it’s the first in killing people. State of Emergency that was developed by Rockstar Studios was not entirely concentrated on killing innocent people. However, that game did have a lot of it and sure there were people upset about the launch, but they got over it and the game still sold. Rockstar has created many video games that pushed the envelope in terms of violence and other controversial issues.
Even when stepping away from the video game industry and looking at movies these issues are still relevant (looking at Rampage (2009) as a prime example in this case. The movie is based on a killer who murders his way through a small town. SPOILERS: The protagonist ends up getting away after framing his friend as the killer by forcing him into a suicide position while wearing the killers armor. Although the killer had a motive of money he still slaughtered many innocent lives. This movie was not pulled; in fact when I watched it, it was streaming on Netflix.
I feel as though gamers and non-gamers need to take a step back and look at a video game for what it is. They are made to be a form of entertainment and be taken just as that. Although Hatred is about a man running on a killing spree it is not conveying the message to do so. This game does not create any new controversy as the Grand Theft Auto series has made killing a controversy in the past. I do think that this attention as negative as it is could be good for the game developer; it definitely has sparked my interest.
Do you think that Hatred pushes new limits or is it the same controversy of violence in video games? Comment below.
