How Gaming Has Changed Since 9/11

Nothing would ever be the same again.

splinter cell conviction
Ubisoft

Well, it's taken me a good five tries to even find a way to open this article.

There's just so much wrapped up in those fateful numbers - things that have had horrific impacts for America itself, entire ethnicities, socio-political upheavals and everything in between.

Every year that date rolls around and we at least try to talk about it again. Almost 20 years later, at least to me, the images and footage of 9/11 is still burned into my brain. I remember seeing it unfold on TV, and after visiting the memorial set up in place of the towers in New York City, that feeling of profound horror and loss on such a massive scale was unlike anything else.

In the worlds of entertainment, the ramifications were both immediate and wide-reaching. Something like GTA 3 - which was set to drop only 2 weeks after 9/11 - had content altered to avoid comparisons to the horrific event.

It wasn't just Rockstar reacting in real time though, and you can see the impact of 9/11 on gaming and specific video games to this day.

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Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.