Top 10 Pointless Video Game Controversies

Top 10 Pointless Video Game Controversies Is it really worth complaining about every little thing? Ugh, anyways… Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today, we'll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Pointless Video Game Controversies. For this list, we're looking at some video game “controversies” that felt more like a waste of everyone's time rather than pointing out legitimate issues within the industry.

#10: False Claims About a Sadistic Purpose

“Saw: The Video Game” (2009) Of all the games to complain about in 2009 for its violence, “Saw: The Video Game” should not have been on the chopping block. Media outlets criticized the game for being “torture porn”, accusing the game of merely existing to let players torment and kill people. The first problem with this is the fact that this is based on the “Saw” film franchise, which is famous for its torture porn content. Second, the goal of the game was to track down Jigsaw, not blatantly kill people, which, by the way, is part of the game. How else do you defend yourself from people trying to kill you? Did we mention the game also sucked?

#9: Pushing SJW Propaganda

“Virginia” (2016) “Virginia” wasn’t one of the best games to come out of 2016, but it was still a solid experience for players wanting a good mystery story. Sadly, this didn’t stop a vocal minority of people from slamming the game. What reason could they have? Was the game racist or sexist? Did it improperly handle sensitive subject matter? Actually, the game was accused of pushing an SJW agenda because you play as a black woman. This wasn’t anything to complain about; this is just a mystery game! You’re only solving puzzles. Why this was such a big deal to some people, we’ll never know.

#8: The Invincibility Leaf

“Super Mario 3D Land” (2011) & “Super Mario 3D World” (2013) To assist younger and inexperienced gamers, Nintendo implemented a new power-up in “Super Mario 3D Land” and “3D World” called the Invincibility Leaf. After losing a certain number of lives, players can nab the leaf to get a shiny Tanooki suit. Some players complained that this would allow others to breeze through the game. Even Cinemassacre complained about it! You guys all realize the power-up is an option, right? Why does an optional easy mode affect your emotions? What’s wrong with making a game easier for others? You don’t HAVE to take it!

#7: Stabbing a Rat

“Battlefield 3” (2011) Military shooters like the “Battlefield” series strive to deliver action-packed and cinematic moments. In the eyes of PETA, none of that matters because in one of the games, you stab a rat! Yes, when “Battlefield 3” released in 2011, PETA took issue with a quick-time event that prompts you to kill a rat that is biting your hand. What’s the player supposed to do, then? Just let the rat chew, contract some disease, and get a game over? PETA would state that this brief moment could have “a brutalising effect on the young male target audience.” You see, that’s weird because when did video games cause anyone to want to go around stabbing rats?

#6: Having a First-Person Camera

“Cyberpunk 2077” (TBD) Many of us here at WatchMojo are incredibly excited to play “Cyberpunk 2077” when it releases. Unfortunately, some people are letting minute details keep them from boarding the hype train. During E3 2018, some people complained about “Cyberpunk” having only a first-person camera, expressing their disappointment in the lack of a third-person perspective. CD Projekt RED would respond to these complaints by explaining that a first-person camera can add to how immersive a game is. After all, this is an RPG where YOU are playing as YOUR character. Guys, can we please wait to judge a game until we get to play it?

#5: Sideboob = Full Digital Nudity

“Mass Effect” (2007) Sex and graphic nudity is nothing new in video games. Yet, that didn’t stop Fox News from putting “Mass Effect” on blast two months after the game’s launch. Reporter Martha MacCallum claimed the game displayed full nudity. In an attempt to spin the story, she brought on a “psychology specialist” (not a psychologist) who made claims that the game was teaching players that women are sexual objects. Geoff Keighley was also interviewed and exposed MacCallum and her guest for not even playing the game. If she had, she’d see that the sexual content only goes so far as an alien sideboob and nothing more. At least she apologized, later on.

#4: Channel 9 vs. Fortnite

“Fortnite” (2017) As we’ve seen with “Grand Theft Auto”, when your game is on top of the world, you’re bound to attract haters. In the case of “Fortnite”, those haters are the people at Australian news show, “A Current Affair”. The show produced a lengthy report labeled “Fortnite WARNING”, using buzz words like “violent”, “addictive”, and “signs of aggression” to send parents spiraling into a panic. The report failed to present any solid evidence and was clearly biased. This is somewhat surprising considering we live in a world where “Mortal Kombat” and “Doom” exist. Parents, if you’re really worried about your kids suffering from video game addiction, go read a few articles. You’ll learn more that way.

#3: Woman on the Cover

“Battlefield V” (2018) When “Battlefield V” was revealed back in May 2018, it didn’t take long for some people to revolt. How dare EA put a woman on the cover of their game! They gave her a robot arm, too?! Have they gone mad? Whiners were quick to point out that women never served in World War II, and that everything was historically inaccurate. Regardless of the inconsistencies, DICE and EA defended the choice to allow playable female soldiers, simply replying with “Accept it or don’t buy the game.” Really, guys, we’re talking about a video game here. When did we suddenly start caring about realism in this medium?

#2: The Lindsay Lohan Case

“Grand Theft Auto V” (2013) Everyone remembers Lindsay Lohan, right? She was in “The Parent Trap”, that awful Herbie movie, and tried suing Take Two Interactive for using her likeness without permission? Oh yeah, that last one was a waste of everybody’s time. In 2014, Lohan made claims that the character Lacey Jonas held a strong resemblence to her. Rockstar Games would respond to the allegations, stating that Lohan was simply looking for attention. The case would be dismissed only for Lohan to try and open it again in 2018. It would be dismissed, once again, stating Lohan’s stance “has no merit”, and computer-generated avatars and NPCs classify as “portraits”.

#1: A Joke about Adoption

“Portal 2” (2011) What were they even trying to do here? In May 2011, North Carolina news team WBTV was contacted by a father who was offended by a joke in “Portal 2”. The controversy that “erupted” (as WBTV describes it) came from a moment where Wheatley calls Chell “fatty, fatty, no parents”. Many fans, including those who were adopted, spoke out against the father with the general consensus being he simply took the game too seriously. Even gaming news outlets mocked the story for how pointless it really was, and the whole problem left us unphased like a biased news report about “Fortnite” being violent.