12 Controversial Video Game Scandals That Rocked The Industry

1. The Downfall Of The Entire Western Gaming Industry

1984 isn't just the name of a dystopian novel by George Orwell, it's also the middle year where video games dropped off the face of the Western hemisphere. Why? Well, in a move similar to where we looked to be heading across 2014 and early 2015 as there was nothing but broken titles in sight, the industry collapsed under its own weight just one year prior.

The means to create a game were at an all-time high, yet quality control and general testing was all but forgotten about.

"Just get it out the door and make some money!" appeared to be the mandate across every developer/publisher combo, and that resulted in a visible public backlash when 700,000 unsold copies of E.T. were buried in the Mexican desert, as Atari spectacularly misjudged the market.

Video games as you know them wouldn't even exist in a remotely positive light if it wasn't for the launch of the NES in 1985, which brought with it Super Mario and actual, well thought-out games, not just churned out products aimed to make a quick buck.

So say what you like about Nintendo's crazy ideas over the years, you genuinely have them to thank for the existence of the industry as we know it.

Cheers!

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Are there any other monumental scandals that shocked the world? Let us know in the comments!