A violent shooter coming out in 2015, Hatred, has sparked a lot of chatter on whether or not it’s surpassed the limits of what a video game should contain. The game features players giving life to a misanthropist that wants to take things into his own hands and go on a hellbent mass murdering spree.
Laughably, some people are even calling for a ban on it. These thoughts are hypocritical.
Hatred could be one of the most brilliantly titled video games to hit the market. Why? There could be more vitriol from people out there against the game than the actual main character going around and shooting everything in sight.
You’d think people would finally be over violent video games years ago, but here we are, 21 years after Doom was unleashed upon us, and people still believe they’re killing simulators.
Here’s a look at the gameplay trailer. Obviously it’s NSFW as it contains extremely violent content and strong language.
There’s a lot of angles to attack this issue from. First, people have a hard time separating opinion and fact when calling for the banishment of Hatred. Just because they don’t approve of the violent content in the game doesn’t mean they should be able to prevent anyone else from playing it.
People have different tastes when it comes to video games. Seriously, what’s the harm of somebody playing a psychopath in a virtual world that’s roaming around the streets and killing innocent people? I don’t recall that being against the law.
All violent forms of media should hold responsibility
Is there research and evidence that supports long-term impacts of violent video games? You bet there is.
What about the countless mindless horror movies that have killing innocent victims for no reason? What about all the violence in today’s popular TV shows? How about all the content in books that are available for EVERYONE at a library. How about violent lyrical content in music that can be listened to on a CLOCK RADIO!
But why bring up those things when it doesn’t fit a critic’s diatribe of panning a video game they only spent a minute watching a trailer for. Then they spew initial reaction that should instead be thought out.
Wanting a ban is hypocritical
Everybody has a right to give their opinion on a video game, and if Hatred is something that disgusts you, go ahead and write it. But don’t call for a banishment of the game. That’s limiting the developer’s creativity.
It’s essentially being a hypocrite. What if somebody was going to limit Person A’s ability to write because Person B didn’t believe Person A was socially correct in his writing? That’s pretty dumb. And in contrast, it’s not like the developer, Destructive Creations, actually believes in this stuff. It’s entertainment.
It may amaze some people, but the widely critically acclaimed Journey isn’t for everyone either. While I agreed with the public and loved the game, some people do consider it a complete waste of time. Believe it or not, some people will love Hatred.
Nobody should want a ban on an overly excessive violent video game. Don’t restrict content just because it’s not on a personal approval list.
