The Desert Colossus

(http://www.relyonhorror.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dead-Island.png)

Before you watch, let me just explain that the trailer is extremely controversial. It apparently has people everywhere upset, and parents are up in arms. If you're easily offended, please don't watch the video. Now what I'm asking for is TDC's opinion. Do you think it's "sick" like most people are claiming, or do you think that maybe people are overreacting. This kind of violence has been shown in movies for a long, long time. But the issue here is that a little girl was killed, which GTA didn't even have the gall to do. I made it poll, but I want to know your detailed opinions in your posts.

I think the trailer is a little macabre, dark, and twisted. To show the death of a child is taking one heck of a step in the gaming industry- I don't think it's been done. While I think the video is quite morbid, I don't see how people get offended by this. Movies have been horrible forever, and nobody criticizes them for it. What makes gaming a critic's target? I think the the trailer did exactly what it needed to do- gripped me emotionally and got my attention. The trailer fulfilled its purpose. It made me want to buy and play the game upon its release. I haven't seen a whole lot of work out of these initial companies, but I'm more than willing to see what they've got to offer after a trailer like that. All in all, I think the trailer could have stood to be a bit less... killing children... But without the child being the center of the video, I wouldn't have been emotionally touched by the story. I don't think people are "overreacting" but I do think the trailer could have been a bit less dark.

That was awesome, and I want it.

HYPER violent, very dark, gruesome and depressing.  Sounds perfect to me.

I think people are overreacting.  Since you brought up GTA, I'd still say some of the stuff in those games is worse than what was in that trailer.  In GTA you can run around killing all kinds of innocent people, but in Dead Island it's not like you as the character are killing children.  I agree with you that it was emotionally engaging, and I really think that by not being too reluctant to show the death of a child that they are making it more real.  I mean, if a zombie outbreak actually happened, I'm sure a lot of casualties would be children.  There's no sense tiptoeing around that issue.

I kind of feel sick after watching the trailer. I'm not offended, but...man.

It's interesting, but I'd rather not have so much emphasis on the girl, like you said. In fact, that's kinda turning me off to it. Thinking that it's going to be depressing as hell, and boring to play. But that's just me. >.>

My little brother of 11 was sitting next to me watching it too, and he was just like:
O_______O

I kinda was too. XD

I wish they showed the gameplay, or interesting plot. Not make me want to jump out the window too. ;_;

Quote from: ZeldaVeteran on February 17, 2011, 04:05:19 PM
To show the death of a child is taking one heck of a step in the gaming industry- I don't think it's been done.

Bioshock? But that may be just research failure on my part.

Anyway, I think I'm detecting an age double standard in the controversy, personally.

Quote from: MagmarFire on February 24, 2011, 02:46:35 PM
Anyway, I think I'm detecting an age double standard in the controversy, personally.

What do you mean by that? ^.^"

Quote from: MagmarFire on February 24, 2011, 02:46:35 PM

Quote from: ZeldaVeteran on February 17, 2011, 04:05:19 PM
To show the death of a child is taking one heck of a step in the gaming industry- I don't think it's been done.

Bioshock? But that may be just research failure on my part.

Anyway, I think I'm detecting an age double standard in the controversy, personally.

But in Bioshock they were called "little sisters" and as my friend tells me, they weren't completely human.

Quote from: ZeldaVeteran on February 25, 2011, 12:41:19 PM

Quote from: MagmarFire on February 24, 2011, 02:46:35 PM

Quote from: ZeldaVeteran on February 17, 2011, 04:05:19 PM
To show the death of a child is taking one heck of a step in the gaming industry- I don't think it's been done.

Bioshock? But that may be just research failure on my part.

Anyway, I think I'm detecting an age double standard in the controversy, personally.

But in Bioshock they were called "little sisters" and as my friend tells me, they weren't completely human.

Homonculus or human, they're analogous in appearances.  Seeing a not-quite human little girl die horribly in a video game is just as traumatic (to many) as seeing a completely human little girl die horribly in a video game.

Did Bioshock show this in a trailer, though? And I think people may be freaking out more because this little girl was connected to the family, is dressed innocently, and is seen in the process of becoming a zombie...but I'm not sure.

Quote from: Shikatache on February 27, 2011, 08:57:42 AM
Did Bioshock show this in a trailer, though? And I think people may be freaking out more because this little girl was connected to the family, is dressed innocently, and is seen in the process of becoming a zombie...but I'm not sure.

Well, is it better to not have it in the trailer, only to have it happen in the game and make millions of people very unhappy?

Well, I think the people who would be most likely to be offended by that sort of image would be much less likely to buy a game like Bioshock, and see the image in the first place. Gamers who are cool with violence are going to be the ones to buy it. A trailer, though, everyone sees, regardless of whether their favorite game is Dead Space or Animal Crossing.

Well, not every game can be My Little Pony...which is a really cute show, btw.

But back on topic...

I, personally, am not one to get involved when there is an explicit scene involving a little girl-look-alike die, or anything of the sort, but if it's implied...I'll consider it. That's the one thing that bothers me about Bioshock. Especially with this picture (http://www.halolz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/halolz-dot-com-bioshock-girlscoutcookies.jpg).(Linked for indecency.)

But if it weren't for that, I might consider. MAYBE.

The idea of harvesting children was what initially drew me to Bioshock

And now I have more reason to think that your a sociopath.  :P

It's a videogame. It's not real. Learn the difference. You would have to have extreme antisocial personality disorder for you to play this game, see a little girl die horribly in real life and not feel any more emotion than you did when you saw her die in the game. And quite frankly, anyone who thinks that videogames are real life have anything to do with each other. Think again, because of that aesthetic barrier that allows us to tell the difference between reality and acting. And that, my dears, is my two cents.

Exactly. See, I support the idea of this game, but this kinda thing just isn't my territory!

And by the way, I was just joking about the "sociopath" thing.

psychopath, thank you very much.  I get along perfectly well with society, I just happen to have no capacity for emotion beyond a decent understanding of its symptoms.

Well... that was disturbing, to be sure. But because as far as I can tell the game isn't about killing children, I support it fully as a way of pushing the medium of video games forward.

Video games have always been controversial, but I think developers poking gamers and asking "does it hurt when I do this?" adds a certain amount of spice to the industry and helps the medium to progress beyond what it might otherwise be. If we had never had Mortal Kombat or Doom or slightly more recent games like Grand Theft Auto, we'd all probably be stuck still playing games like Sonic the Hedgehog. We'd never have masterpieces like Half-Life 2 or Bioshock or Fallout 3/New Vegas. Violence or other controversial factors on their own may not make a game enjoyable, but when used correctly, they can greatly enhance an experience by playing with your emotions. Being thrust into a life-or-death situation like in the trailer, one where perhaps all your choices are bad, inevitably causes you to make real connections with characters. This trailer alone really got a variety of emotions going through me, so I'll be keeping an eye on the game itself.