1. Manhunt - Executions
Whenever anyone mentions video game controversy, one of the first games to come to mind is most definitely Manhunt. For its time, both the graphics and the realistically-animated kills were highly disturbing to many that played or saw footage of the game (so much so that even the developers at Rockstar felt uncomfortable with their work). Both politicians and the media criticised the game's disturbing content and even claimed that it had inspired a murder. Many countries banned the game. The executions within the game play out as short sequences that are activated when the player sneaks up on an enemy. The player then uses whatever tool they are wielding to kill their opponent. Such executions include: yanking of someone's head with razor wire, stabbing someone's eye with a knife, and gutting someone with a chainsaw. Whilst by today's standards the graphical detail is lacking, the sound effects are still enough to make gamers cringe. The fact that executions like decapitations aren't just simple, clean swipes but in fact multiple, brutal hacks makes the game, to this day, visually disturbing to many audiences.
If there are any video game scenes that have disturbed you in the past that aren't mentioned here, please share your story in the comments section below.