10 Beloved Video Game Moments That Would Be Too Offensive In 2017
Oh, Final Fantasy VII, you've not aged well...
In gaming, progression tends to happen far faster than any other entertainment medium. Just at time of writing, Bioware are profusely apologising for the portrayal of a transgender character in Mass Effect Andromeda, patching in new dialogue, responses and ways to interact with them, all as a direct response to specific conversations they've had with consumers since launch.
It's not the first time, either. Tekken's Katsuhiro Harada walked back the implementation of various 'swimsuit' costumes for Tekken 7 after a minor outcry on Twitter, The Punisher's various torture scenes were forced to ship with a black and white filter in 2005, and even Rockstar changed the name of Bully to 'Canis Canem Edit' in the UK after controversy swelled around what many assumed would be a game that glorified child violence.
Spoiler: It wasn't anything of the sort.
Whilst the debates surrounding what is acceptable, offensive or morally questionable tend to get new candidates every day, gaming as a medium has a history forever linked to immaturity, or the whims of "a teenager living in their mom's basement". To that end, there are a ton of enjoyable, fantastic and totally acceptable moments from their respective times, that would get immediately shut down today...