Video Games That Went Way Too Far

Video games have certainly attracted more than their fair share of controversy over
the past few decades.
But while most gamers simply shrug it off, once in awhile the critics may actually have
a point.
Here's a look at some video games that went way, way too far.
And to kick things off, we're going to travel all the way back to the 1980s, with a little
game called...
Custer's Revenge
The Atari 2600, shockingly, had its share of adult video games, even if it was sometimes
hard to distinguish a human body from a palm tree thanks to the system's blocky graphics.
The worst of these was the infamous 1982 release Custer's Revenge.
“Shows a nude General Custer, fighting his way past Indian arrows.
You score the big points in this game by getting the general to rape an Indian woman.”
Needless to say, people were outraged, and Atari attempted to sue the game's publisher,
which went out of business a year later.
Grand Theft Auto V
The Grand Theft Auto series is no stranger to controversy.
That said, it's hard not to think that the series' developer, Rockstar, went to a bit
too far with the torture scene in Grand Theft Auto V.
In the mission, "By the Book," the player controls Trevor as he tortures a man by waterboarding
him, ripping out his teeth with pliers, and shocking him with a car battery.
If Rockstar's goal with this scene was to showcase the horrors of torture, then they
certainly succeeded.
If it was to create a fun moment of gameplay… well, maybe not so much?
And that wasn't the first time a Grand Theft Auto game pushed the envelope.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
If you've been playing video games for any amount of time, then you probably recall the
controversy surrounding 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and the so-called "Hot
Coffee Mod."
That was actually a hidden mini-game that allowed the player to control the main character,
Carl "CJ" Johnson, during sex scenes with various women.
Of course, these types of mods are pretty common in gaming, but the difference here
is that Rockstar itself included minigame on early PC editions of the game, via code
hidden on the disc but otherwise inaccessible without hacking.
After a massive controversy, Rockstar ended up removing the code and releasing a new version
of the game — but not until after it had cost the company untold millions of dollars.
JFK: Reloaded
In 2004, Traffic Software released a first-person shooter called JFK: Reloaded.
As you'd suspect from the title, the game allows the player to reenact the the 1963
assassination of President John F. Kennedy by controlling his alleged killer, Lee Harvey
Oswald.
You get more points for how closely your shots match the historical assassination.
Traffic Software claimed that it was attempting to educate players by creating a historically-accurate
depiction of the assassination.
Others felt the game simply glorified the tragic presidential assassination, because...well,
it does.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
In 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, you control of an undercover CIA operative
who infiltrates a cell of Russian terrorists.
During the "No Russian" mission, you accompany the terrorist group on a mission to gun down
innocent civilians in an airport.
The game doesn't force you to actually shoot anyone during this mission — it's up to
the player to decide whether or not to participate.
But the scene is nevertheless extremely disturbing.
Given the high-profile terrorist incidents in western Europe and elsewhere, it's no wonder
the game was highly controversial.
“You bring a game into a house, nothing to stop an eight-year-old kid from becoming
a terrorist and shooting people.”
“That’s right.”
“On a video game.”
“Yeah but not a terrorist, that’s ridiculous.”
While many intentionally shocking games are made by indie publishers looking to cash in
on free publicity, Call of Duty is made by Activision, one of the world's biggest game
publishers.
They should probably have known better.
But considering how far all these games have pushed the boundaries of good taste, one stands
out as being the sickest of all...
Mario Teaches Typing
There is perhaps no series more offensive as the two Mario Teaches Typing games for
the PC.
These "edutainment" games were an unholy alliance between Nintendo and Interplay in the 1990s.
Seriously, could they have chosen a worse educator?
Mario's never even shown that he can read — much less type.
And if he does know his way around a keyboard, how can he hit the keys with any precision
while he's wearing those gloves?
And when was the last time you looked for typing lessons from a plumber?
The answer is "never."
A good teacher for kids?
He's constantly eating mushrooms and can't even stop his girlfriend from getting kidnapped.
“Well, you’re the one who got captured by mushrooms, how the hell does that even
happen?”
“Don’t flip things!”
“I’m not, you got kidnapped by something that goes on a salad!”
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Video Games That Went Way Too Far

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