Everything's easier to stomach when you're a kid. You're less aware of how formulaic and repetitious the major industries and business practices of the world are, controversies global, political or otherwise wash right off your back - and when it comes to gaming; literally everything is playable, understandable and straight-up fun to talk about. Nowadays things are more streamlined, gaming is the most successful and ludicrously profitable industry in the world (2014 saw a global take of 82 billion dollars), and like the insane difficulty spikes that came with its early days, so to was there a huge amount of questionable, foot-finding material from developers that would make today's audiences question how the hell it all took off. Still, there was something about controlling the madness on screen that gave it an edge, and when the surrounding world of the late 90s insisted on labelling gamers as basement-dwelling hot pocket-hoarders, it helped create a community where the most ridiculous and controversial material was instead embraced - and to some degree even championed. We were the harbingers of the alternative, proud to be out of step with the majority and in-keeping with whoever remained, but it's not until you take a look back at the industry's most furtive stages, that you realise just how many insane creative decisions somehow got pushed out the door in the first place.
