10 Video Games Accused Of Having Hidden Agendas
8. Sonic The Hedgehog As A Metaphor For Environmentalism
This ones a little more lighthearted and the reverse of the other entries on this list - which is to say, Sonic actually did have a hidden agenda this entire time, it just took years for it to come out, despite fans and academics drawing parallels since release. See, designer Yuji Naka simply felt that he couldnt outright disclose any environmental messages or agendas evident in Sonic the Hedgehog, because they would be considered to controversial back in the early 1990s. In a 2010 interview, Naka finally stated that the games are directly engaging with environmental issues, commenting:
"In 1991, it was a very sensitive subject to talk about the environment and while I had my viewpoint, I did not speak of it. With Sonic, I was given an opportunity to express my views in a different way and did so, showing Robotnik using pollution and creating machinery which desecrates the environment and it is down to Sonic to change his ways.
Though these themes may seem obvious in retrospect - and many sources have drawn comparisons - Naka was somewhat forced to leave fans speculating as to the environmental implications of Sonic for over fifteen years.