6. Torture And Sexual Violence In Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has never been shy to controversy, and this year was no exception. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes acts as a short precursor to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom, which will probably see a release at some point next year. Ground Zeroes courted controversy with its inclusion of an audio tape that depicts someone called 'Skullface' torturing, interrogating and raping. The sessions include the sounds of forced sex, gang rape, whipping, and even a bomb being forced inside a girl's abdomen. It was possible to deduce what Skullface had been up to from various guard's chatter and other sources, but the tape shocked players with its explicit demonstrations of the acts. Kojima responded to the negativity surrounding the tapes by stating, "I did kind of see it coming that people would react to this. But that doesn't change the message that I want to relay." Kojima believes that the tapes help players to understand Snake's feelings and motivations for his undertakings in The Phantom Pain. He concluded his statement by saying, "there are things that I really think that we cannot look away from."