8 Times Video Game Violence Went Too Far This Generation
What is it with Outlast and genital mutilation?
Video game violence is far from the controversial topic it once was. In fact, it's hard to believe just how much furore and debate surrounded depictions of violence in games as recent as a decade ago.
Gone are the days of Fox News being loaded with 'experts' talking about how violence in GTA is turning our kids into psychopaths, and it's generally been accepted that the medium's focus on violence is no more harmful than your average action movie or HBO show.
Consequently, with greater technical advancements and a more lax approach to censorship, games have embraced the gore this generation. Fatalities in Mortal Kombat have never looked better or been grosser, and players have enjoyed more imaginative ways to dispatch their enemies in COD than ever before.
Just because the industry doesn't receive anywhere near the attention or criticism it once did though, doesn't mean that some video games don't go too far with their violence. Issues of taste and sensitivity still have to be taken into account when unpacking a new release, and there's no denying that a few games this generation have definitely pushed the boundaries of these standards as far as possible.
8. Rise Of The Tomb Raider's Gratuitous Death Scenes
Over-the-top gory deaths have been a staple of the Tomb Raider franchise since it was rebooted in 2013. Attempting to showcase the brutal new world of Lara Croft, even the smallest mistake in the original game could result in the player having to watch the character being completely mangled.
While it was still gratuitous in that game though, at least there was a believable context for it, as the first title was all about Lara's quest for survival against a punishing new reality. With everything including the very island itself trying to kill her, the constant punishment felt in fitting with the title's themes of overcoming insurmountable odds.
Unfortunately Rise of the Tomb Raider doesn't have that same origin story context, yet the OTT death scenes are still present in full force.
Moving away from the grounded universe of the original and putting more focus on the fantastical themes the franchise was previously known for, Lara's punishment in the second game came across as exploitative and unnecessary, even more out of place than they previously were.