8 Times Video Game Violence Went Too Far This Generation
3. Hatred's Depiction Of Mass Shootings
Hatred became the number one target of critics long before it came out. Ridiculed for putting players into the shoes of a mass shooter and letting them live out their most murderous fantasies, the title remained in the public eye right up to its release.
When players finally got their hands on it however, they realised Hatred wasn't as controversial as it could have been, and that a lot of the fears leading up to the game turned out to be unfounded or blown out of proportion. Trying hard to paint the main character as a laughable parody, it was clear that players weren't supposed to be onboard with his mission, and that the title was a far cry from a glorification of mass shooters.
Still, just because players weren't supposed to sympathise with the killer or take their side, it didn't mean that the violence committed was any less uncomfortable. Despite its stylised presentation, the title still hit a bit too close to home, and its themes remain as sensitive today as they were in 2015.
Hatred wasn't quite as distasteful as many thought it was going to be, but that still didn't detract from the fact that making a game around a remorseless mass shooter probably wasn't what the world needed.