Japan is the heartland of video games, having resurrected the industry from the brink of death in the mid-80s with the NES, and serving up some of the greatest games in the industry today. Metal Gear Solid, Dark Souls, Final Fantasy, and just about every IP from Nintendo are just a few of the things we should be thanking Japan for. But there is a dark underbelly to Japan's eclectic and vibrant gaming scene. For every great title that pushed the medium's boundaries and help drive it forward, there are ten bizarre ones that pushed the boundaries of sanity and good taste. Many of Japan's weirdest and most disturbing games never made it out of their country of origin, probably because they're so specific to Japanese culture that we just wouldn't understand them. Riding through space shooting overly-muscular mean in thongs? Looking after a virtual pet with the face of a middle-aged man? Or how about a game where you fondle the buttocks of a child molester? What's there to get, right? There is seemingly no limit to the uncompromising strangeness of Japanese video games...
12. Boong-Ga Boong-Ga (Arcade)
Spanking's a good bit of harmless fun so long as you're not doing it to unwilling strangers, which is pretty much what you're asked to do in Boong-Ga Boong-Ga - quite possibly the most bizarre arcade game ever created. The arcade cabinet features a rotund behind protruding out from the cabinet towards you, and your goal is to spank it and, erm, stick your finger up it using a giant plastic hand. You can molest one of several on-screen characters in this way, including a child molester, ex-girlfriend or boyfriend, or mother-in-law. While this may sound bizarre to us here in the west, the practice of sticking your finger into someone's behind is apparently a popular prank in Japan, called 'Kancho'. Most would probably called it sexual abuse, but you know, it's all relative, man. Who are we to judge?
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
