Top 20 Video Game Controversies of the Last Decade
What's the gaming related controversy of the decade that shocked you the most?
Top 20 Video Game Controversies of the Decade
Top 20 Worst Video Game Controversies of the Century (So Far)
It’s been a…contentious decade for many a gamer. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top twenty video game controversies of the decade. For this list, we’ll be looking at the loudest and most infamous video game-related controversies of the decade and ranking them based on clamor and spread.
#20: Sexism at Riot Games
Sexism remains a prominent problem in the gaming industry, the biggest example being Riot Games. Back in the summer of 2018, Kotaku published an article titled “Inside the Culture of Sexism at Riot Games” which exposed the company’s sexist traits and overt corporate culture. Included were numerous reports of unsolicited sexual advances, unfair double standards, and a general disrespect towards female workers, much of which was confirmed by Riot employees over Twitter. This is without a doubt a problem that needs to be addressed, both at Riot Games and in the overall corporate landscape.
#19: YouTubers Paid to Praise the Xbox One
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With the rise of YouTube personalities comes deceptive business and advertising practices. An investigation by the Federal Trade Commission found that Machinima and Microsoft were in cahoots with popular YouTubers and influencers. They were paid upwards of $30,000 to promote the Xbox One and portray Microsoft in a positive light, and they were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements to keep quiet. The two companies issued a response saying that it was “a typical marketing partnership.” Typical or not, it didn’t seem to work very well now, did it?
#18: Voice Actors Union Strike
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In 2016, the Screen Actors Guild partook in its longest strike in history. And it all had to do with video games. The basic gist behind the strike is that voice actors wanted extra pay for the games they had performed in, asking for a bonus for every 2 million copies sold with a cap at 8 million. The industry companies in turn stated that a bonus for the voice actors would belittle the important work done by the programmers and make them feel less integral to the game’s success. This caused a massive debate online – some sided with the voice actors and the union while others called them greedy and entitled. Either way, it ended in September 2017 after a record-setting 340 days.
#17: No Man’s Lie
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Few game launches this decade were as bewilderingly disastrous as that of “No Man’s Sky.” This was a little indie game created by a company no one had ever heard of, yet it was being pushed like it was “Half-Life 3.” It was advertised out the wazoo and gamers came to believe that it was the next major evolution in gaming, with the games front runner Sean Murray making some pretty bold claims about some of the games features. The gaming community went nuclear once the game was released, likening it to a cheap, unfinished Kickstarter game and abusing both Murray and Hello Games through social media. It is now used as a prime example for how to avoid fatal marketing pitfalls.
#16: Gaming Disorder
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The internet went absolutely ballistic in 2018 when the World Health Organization added “gaming disorder” to their 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases. According to the WHO, a gaming disorder is when playing video games “takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation…despite the occurrence of negative consequences.” In short, an unhealthy addiction. Despite admitting that “gaming disorder affects only a small proportion” of gamers, many people took the proclamation far too personally and became obnoxiously defensive towards their hobby and active participation in it. To them, it was just another campaign against gaming by the big wigs.
#15: Overworked & Poorly Treated Employees
Making video games is a stressful endeavor, and that has never been more prevalent than it is right now. Game development has become a socially conscious issue thanks to countless reports of overworked employees, harmful stress levels, and insane crunch time. This issue stretches all the way back to 2004, when the famous EA Spouse Letter was made public. The issue hasn’t resolved itself, and many big-name companies, including Rockstar, Epic, EA, Telltale, and CD Projekt Red, have been slammed with claims of stressed out and overworked employees. Vague promises have been made to address the systemic issue, but no one can be sure of the application. Not until more claims come out, anyway!
#14: The Epic Games Store
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In such a short time the Epic Games Store has already caused a whole debacle. It launched in December 2018 and served as one of many competitors to Steam. In order to draw gamers away from the competition, Epic has laid down a lot of cash in order to procure many timed exclusives of AAA games such as “Borderlands 3” and “Metro Exodus”. These deals have caused an incredible uproar within the gaming community, with many PC users feeling like games were being held hostage, and it doesn’t help that some of these titles were originally available on steam for preorder just weeks before release.
#13: The “Fallout 76” Disaster
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We could spend all day discussing the numerous missteps that plagued the hotly anticipated “Fallout 76.” In fact, so many things went wrong that it can be used in the future as a case study in total launch failure. For one thing, the game itself was terrible, filled with game-breaking bugs, dull gameplay, a non-existent story, and a suspiciously (and hilariously) empty open world. The extra goodies were also pitiful, like the infamous nylon duffel bag and cheap, plastic rum bottle. Oh, and how can we forget that time when Bethesda accidentally doxed dozens of its customers? The game’s launch was a complete PR nightmare and has permanently affected Bethesda’s reputation.
#12: BioWare’s Mismanagement
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There was a time when BioWare was one of the most revered names in the industry. Games like “Knights of the Old Republic” and “Mass Effect” helped perpetuate their reputation as masters of the story-driven video game. In recent years, we got “Dragon Age: Inquisition,” “Mass Effect: Andromeda,” and “Anthem.” The company clearly took a wrong turn and got lost, but no one really knew why. That is, until writer Jason Schreier released an exposé detailing gross mismanagement within the company. This includes a complete lack of direction and oversight, rushed development cycles, massive design overhauls, and a total lack of communication within the company infrastructure. BioWare is in shambles and it is heartbreaking to see.
#11: Telltale Games Calls It a Day
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Telltale was THE name in gaming in 2012 when it released the critically acclaimed “The Walking Dead.” The company proceeded to chase the acclaim (and financial success) through expensive IPs, but a combination of bland storytelling and a woefully outdated engine resulted in declining sales. In September 2018, Telltale’s CEO surprisingly announced that the company was closing and that 90% of its workforce had been laid off. Unfortunately, this was also a surprise for said workers, as they learned of their unemployment that very day, failed to receive severance, and were forced to leave the building in thirty minutes. Their entire lives were upended in the span of an hour, and the general gaming community was none too happy about it.
#10: E3 Doxxes Journalists
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The gaming industry has been plagued with accidental leaks in recent years, and this problem stretches all the way to E3. The Entertainment Software Association accidentally published the personal information of up to 2,000 journalists and content creators that attended E3. And it’s not like this information was well hidden and properly secured – nope, it was literally right there on the E3 website. While many attendees used their work contact info, many freelance journalists registered with their personal home addresses and cell phone numbers. While nothing overly malicious seems to have occurred, two game journalists told Kotaku that they had received prank calls after their personal information was leaked.
#9: CS:GO Lotto
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The skin economy in “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” is a pretty well-known phenomenon within the gaming community, but it reached mainstream attention in 2016 when two YouTubers were caught in a gambling-related firestorm. The popular YouTubers in question, Trevor Martin and Tom Cassel, constantly promoted an online skin casino called CS:Go Lotto that was accused of promoting and encouraging underage gambling. They came under further fire when it was revealed that they actually owned the website and failed to disclose this fact in their promotional videos. This flew in the face of Federal Trade Commission laws, and the two were ordered to disclose their business ties with websites and endorsements in future videos.
#8: Paying for “Skyrim” Mods
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“Skyrim” is certainly a great game, but the main reason it has remained so relevant throughout all these years is its dedicated userbase and their passionate mods. Naturally, Bethesda and Valve saw a great business opportunity here and jumped in the middle of a zealous community by offering for-profit mods. Needless to say, people were not willing to pay for mods, and to make matters even more insulting, Bethesda and Valve promised creators only 25% of the profits. The fanbase grew so incensed and ravaged that the idea was abandoned entirely and they were forced to admit that they unceremoniously “stepped into an established, years old modding community.”
#7: Blitzchung vs. Blizzard
In late 2019, Blizzard was caught between the gaming community, Hong Kong, and a monumental PR disaster. It all started when professional “Hearthstone” player Blitzchung donned a ski and gas mask and proclaimed his support for the protests in Hong Kong on a stream. This resulted in Blitzchung both losing his prize money and being banned for a year, which in turn started a total frenzy within the gaming community. People would show support for Blitzchung and claimed that Blizzard only cared their important business interests in China. Too many, Blizzard put profits before human rights and that’s less than ideal look.
#6: “Star Citizen” is a No Show
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“No Man’s Sky” and “Fallout 76” were both major disappointments, but at least we got to play them! The same can’t be said for “Star Citizen,” and it’s seriously been upsetting people for a while now. The game was announced way back in 2012, when the idea of Kickstarter promised a previously unattainable level of communication and agency between developer and fan. By the end of 2018, the game had raised more than $250 million through public and private funding! And yet…nothing. It has since become the subject of countless controversies, including pay-to-win mechanics, reports that development is going poorly, and concerns over the ridiculous amount of money raised and lost. To be honest, we don’t know if we’ll ever see it…
#5: Konami Lives Long Enough to Become the Villain
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Not long ago the word Konami conjured goodwill and served as a certifiable seal of guaranteed quality. Now they’re one of gaming’s certified villains. It all started in 2015, when Konami seemingly erased the heralded Hideo Kojima from existence. Not only did they strip his name from their works and company listing, but they banned him from attending the 2015 Game Awards. Later that year they unceremoniously scrapped the critically acclaimed “P.T.” and to no ones surprise Kojima would leave the company. The Japanese newspaper The Nikkei has also published claims of gross mistreatment within the company, like instructing other companies to not hire former workers and preventing Kojima Productions employees from obtaining health insurance.
#4: Microtransactions
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Like hippies growing up into corporate suits, our younger selves would be so disappointed in us for allowing this to happen. Back in the day, microtransactions were reserved for very few titles, and gamers damn near started a riot over “Oblivion’s” horse armor. Today, microtransactions and loot boxes plague the gaming industry, and it is headline-making news when a AAA game is released without them. Let’s face it – the age of the complete AAA experience is dead. Microtransactions are here to stay, and the youngest generation are being raised believing them to be normal. Within five or ten years, it won’t even be a controversy; it’ll be the way of things.
#3: Donald Trump Suggests Video Games Are to Blame
Gun violence remains an enormous problem in the United States, and somehow, someway, accusatory fingers are STILL being pointed at video games. Following numerous tragedies, Trump blamed video games by essentially saying that they are a glorification of violence. He wasn’t the only one to blame games, as conservative lawmakers like Dan Patrick and Kevin McCarthy also decried violent video games. Of course, the correlation between violent video games and real-life violence has been debunked countless times over, but hey, anything to deflect and ignore the issue, right?
#2: “Star Wars” Mismanagement
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Some people will argue that the “Star Wars” franchise has gone down the drain in recent years, and that includes both movies and video games. EA has repeatedly mishandled the “Star Wars” license, and really, it’s getting pretty tiring. Both “Battlefront” games were subjected to controversy, including the first game’s lack of single player and the second’s infamous loot box fiasco that resulted in government intervention. They also cancelled Ragtag and closed Visceral. Oh, and they also cancelled the hyped open world game because it would take too long to make. Granted, “Fallen Order” was received quite positively, so hopefully there is…a new hope…on the horizon.
#1: Gamergate
Gamergate is probably the biggest gaming-related controversy of all time. It was a real doozy. Or should we say, remains a real doozy, because its repercussions are still being felt. It all started in 2014 when it was claimed by independent video game developer Zoe Quinn’s former boyfriend, Eron Gjoni that she was in a relationship with a Kotaku reporter in exchange for a favourable review of her game “Depression Quest”. This would lead to many attacks against her and in turn would grow into something much worse as a harassment campaign against many other prominent feminist video game critics. While the whole movement has seemingly cooled off slightly in recent years, it feels like it could reignite at any moment. It’s fair to say the gaming community has gotten itself into a right mess.
