Overshadowed by Controversy: Difference between revisions

** ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'' [[Sarcasm Mode|didn't disappoint]] [[Moral Guardians]] either, with its drunk driving sequences and the usual violence. Sensationalist media played up on a number of incidents allegedly inspired by ''GTA IV'', like when a bunch of teenagers were arrested after participating in a crime spree in New Hyde Park, New York, and when a Thai man shot and killed a taxi driver in apparent imitation of the game, which led to the series as a whole being banned in the country. In a more recent incident, an eight-year old boy (unwittingly) shot and killed her 90-year old grandmother, again apparently being desensitised to the game. A minor controversy also ensued when British tabloid ''The Sun'' played up on the presence of the in-game website "Little Lacy's Surprise Pageant", which was seized by authorities as a child pornography site in the game's lore (Little Lacy Surprise being a fictional brand of children's underwear in the series, with said brand supposedly hosting a child beauty pageant). Visiting the site on the in-game web browser gives the player an instant five-star wanted level, satirising intense law enforcement response and raids against suspected paedophiles, though in no way does the game (or the series in general for that matter) encourage or put players in the role of a sex offender, for much the same reason as to why [[Hide Your Children|there are no children]] to be seen in the games in the first place, though the series did paedophilia-related jokes from time to time with no apparent criticism.

** Unsurprisingly, ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'' courted controversy, this time over its portrayal of women and a torture sequence carried out by [[Ax Crazy|Trevor Philips]] to an Azerbaijani individual who is believed to have links with terrorists. Politicans, advocacy groups and even video game journalists deemed the mission in poor taste. Asked about performing the torture sequence, Trevor's actor Steven Ogg said that he treated it like "just another day at the office", and was focused more on not making mistakes during filming than the scene's ethics. The sequence along with a few others was censored in the Japanese release due to the country having more stringent guidelines; ironically enough the German release was uncut considering the country's history of censoring and banning media deemed unsuitable to the youth. As for the portrayal of women, certain commentators remarked how females were unfairly treated ingame, one of them being GameSpot journalist Carolyn Petit. Adding to the complication was that the game was released at the time when the Gamergate controversy was taking place; the less said about the latter, the better. Not to mention that ''GTA V'' was also released just as when the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting was still fresh off people's minds, with a number of politicians calling for the game to be cancelled or banned pre-emptively. In 2021 the game attracted controversy once again, but not because of whatever sociopolitical backlash the series historically got over the past few decades, but due to franchise fatigue from fans who are understandably [https://kotaku.com/gta-fans-are-starving-and-rockstar-keeps-giving-them-n-1847652818 sick and tired] of ''GTA V'' being continually re-released and anxious over the next major instalment. The trailer for the so-called "Enhanced and Expanded" edition for the [[PlayStation 5]] and [[Xbox Series]] consoles was panned for offering practically nothing in the way of actual improvements to the game's graphics or gameplay, instead using vague marketing buzzwords rather than a thorough comparison of what was changed.

** On top of the series being the butt of numerous controversies and lawsuits, it was reported that series co-writer Dan Houser cited changing sociopolitical attitudes as the reason why he left the company, as he felt increasingly uneasy with satirising modern American society without attracting controversy or offending anyone.

* ''[[Mafia III]]''{{'}}s social commentary sits right smack in the middle of the civil rights and racism issues the US is facing in recent years, especially with its portrayal of the [[Ku Klux Klan]], Confederate apologists and racist Southeners as [[Acceptable Targets]]. [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgement|Needless to say]], said right-wing/alt-right bigots took to Steam to review-bomb the game in what they saw as turning the ''Mafia'' series into an agenda-pushing propaganda piece by "social justice warriors". Not helping matters was series creator Daniel Vávra's connection with the Gamergate movement either; Vávra left 2K mid-way through ''Mafia II''{{'}}s development out of dissatisfaction over the publisher's demands for the game.

* Heck, even Daniel Vávra himself wasn't spared from any controversy either. On top of his political views, which lean towards the right-wing/alt-right spectrum and has expressed contempt over what he views as "progressive bias" (read:feminists and other contentious sociopolitical debacles spilling over to popular media), he has been criticised even by fellow Czech gamers, particularly fans of the original ''[[Mafia]]'' game, for his egoistic and arrogant demeanour especially in light of criticism levelled towards the ''Definitive Edition'' remake of the first game. Adding fuel to the fire was when he ridiculed actor Jeremy Luke for looking too much like [[Shrek]] or the notorious webcomic character Pepe The Frog, just as when Luke was still recovering from the loss of his father during development. Vávra tried to play damage control in a comment on Mafia Game Videos' YouTube video<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXCunXaKRRA Dan Vávra Being Toxic Towards Mafia Definitive Edition (MAFIA 1 REMAKE)]</ref> about the controversy, but some were still understandably displeased with the ''Mafia'' series creator's opinions towards the remake, viewing them as either childish or uncalled for.

* The 2007 video game ''[[Resistance (series)|Resistance: Fall of Man]]'' got embroiled in a controversy involving Sony, Insomiac Games and the Church of England, the latter accusing Sony of desecration and copyright infringement over its use of the Manchester Cathedral in a level from the game where the protagonist has to fend off waves of Leapers in a shoot-out taking place inside the cathedral. The Very Reverend Rogers Govender and other church officials were dismayed beyond belief to see the cathedral being reduced to a shooting gallery, and called for Sony to make a statement of apology, complete withdrawal of the game or modify the level in question to avoid any visual similarities to the cathedral, and financial support to groups who are trying to reduce gun crime in the city, which was also a point of discussion in the ensuing controversy. Sony however maintained that Insomniac's portrayal wasn't firmly rooted in reality and has no connection "between contemporary issues of 21st century Manchester and a work of science fiction in which a fictitious 1950s Britain is under attack by aliens." Sony did issue a formal apology over its use of the Cathedral and has since pledged not to use it in subsequent titles, though church officials felt it wasn't enough and drafted a set of guidelines to be followed by media companies on what (not) to do with fictional portrayals of places of worship. Though perhaps ironically enough, the whole desecration row both benefited Sony, Insomiac and the church itself, as ''Resistance'' was financially successful as a result of the controversy, and the Cathedral experienced a surge in tourism from both teenagers who wanted to know what the fuss was about and tourists in general who saw photos of the church.

* Due to [[Values Dissonance]] over the portrayal of teenagers in Japan compared to in the West (e.g. age of consent and [[Ephebophilia]] concerns), the 2011 [[Nintendo 3DS]] game ''[[Dead or Alive (franchise)|Dead or Alive:]] [[Super Title 64 Advance|Dimensions]]'' courted controversy in Scandinavia when a Swedish internet user pointed out that three of the characters in the game, namely Kasumi, Koroke and Ayane, are under the age of 18, and the game's photo mode allowed any character–including the ones in question–to be viewed from any angle, even those considered lascivious. As such, ''Dimensions'' wasn't released in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries, and had its PG age rating revoked in Australia, only for Nintendo to re-submit the game and was granted an M rating instead.

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==