Top 10 most controversial games ever

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Posted on 1 Apr 2010 at 15:11

Computer games have consistently pushed boundaries of what's possible and, in many cases, what's deemed acceptable. While some titles have carefully traversed the boundaries between stunning game play and shocking scenes, others have crossed the line and kept on running. Regardless of which camp they fall into, here's our list of the most controversial games ever made.

10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was shaping up to be one of the best games ever, with only good things being written about it. Then came the day when footage was released showing the player taking part in a massacre at an airport, gunning down helpless civilians.

The outrage was almost tangible and all too soon the ill-informed were joining the battle. Keith Vaz, a Labour MP with a long-term hatred of computer games, launched himself straight into the breach and said how 'shocked' he was at the level of violence in the game.

For Vaz, and other knee-jerk reactionaries, Modern Warfare 2 was simply too realistic. Quite what this statement implies we have no idea. After all, the scene in the game features you as a good guy infiltrating a terrorist ring in order to gain vital intelligence. Are people that speak out against this game really expecting that thousands of gamers will suddenly be pulled in by the realism, join a secret-service division and infiltrate a terrorist organisation?

The outrage and controversy missed one important fact: you don't have to shoot any civilians. If you don't, the airport scene turns from one of abject violence to a rather shocking piece of game play that few games can touch upon.

In this case the controversy wasn't warranted and Modern Warfare 2 remains one of the best first-person shooters ever created.

9. Manhunt

If ever a game was destined for controversy it was Manhunt. In it, you assume the role of a serial killer who's saved from Death Row by the mysterious "the Director" who tells you that you'll get your freedom by following his instructions. As you can probably guess, these are to gruesomely dispatch people.

The real controversy in the game surrounds the fact that you have to kill people close-up using a variety of grim methods from plastic bags to crowbars. With brutal over-the-top violence, it was never going to be a game that impressed everyone.

In the UK the big turning point was the tragic murder of Stefan Pakeerah by his friend Warren Leblanc. During the trial it was claimed that Leblanc was influenced by Manhunt - something that Keith Vaz was all too keen to believe. Ultimately, it emerged that the only person in the trial who had Manhunt was the victim and that Leblanc was acting of his own accord.

Manhunt gathered positive reviews and went on to sell 1.7m copies. The controversy didn't stop there, as the Manhunt 2 (a slightly rubbish game) was initially banned in the UK, before the courts overruled the decision.