Top 9 Gaming Controversies in 2014

Video games are always on the spotlight and have become a major source of revenue. The games can project the environment and the feelings of what the developers think and is a platform to come up with something new and show that to the rest of the world. Because of this, the video games also remain continously in the controversies. Some of them become bigger whenever only the good side is projected during the promotions. And if there is any flaw, then that game is doomed forever. So here we are, with the top 9 gaming controversies that happened last year.

#9 Racism

Video games have always been a centre of accusation. The source of entertainment have been much barred due to the various elements of society it shows. One of these elements, Racism, have always been showed in video games like GTA series and the SaintRow.

The study involved players being randomly assigned either a black or white character in the game Saints Row 2. They were then given the task of either breaking out of a prison or non-violently finding a chapel. While playing the game, the players who were assigned with black players stated that,Its really a matter of some people not trying hard enough; if blacks would only try harder they could be just as well off as whites.

#8 No playable female character in Unity

The co-op mode of Assassin’s Creed Unity was hugely anticipated and also praised by the critics, thus making it one of the few positive points about the game. When it was announced that the game would feature upto four players playing the co-op campaign together, the fans expected that there might be a possibility of having a female assassin.

But these hopes were turned down by the creators Ubisoft when they revealed that there will be no female playable character in the game. The developer claimed that featuring female characters would require “double the animations, double the voices, all that stuff and double the visual assets.”

#7 Facebook buying Oculus VR set

The Oculus Rift is one of the best pieces of evidence of virtual reality. The headset captured the attention of gamers all around the globe, and the press and fans alike tried it on at various game shows and praised how good the prototype was.

However, they were less impressed when it was announced that Facebook purchased their company for $2 billion. The fans felt bad and betrayed because of being cheated and the multi-billion dollar company buying the prototype even before the release of the final product.

#6 Battlefield 4

Battlefield 4 didn’t work out the way it was supposed to. The game was no way close to it’s predecessor, Battlefield 3. The game proved to be one of the most controversial games of 2014, as the game was full of bugs and issues.

The studio made endless effort to fix the game and also released numerous patches. But still there are a number of bugs which are unresolved. And in the midst of all this, EA announced the sequel of the game, “Battlefield: Hardline”. Hardline seems to be taking the series in a fresh new direction, with a focus on the police and their war on crime.

#5 Kinect Free Xbox One

On the release of Xbox One, the console came along with Microsoft’s motion sensor Kinect. The Microsoft studio mentioned that the Kinect is essential to the console and will simplify the gameplay.

But soon, after being outsold by Sony’s PS4, the studio released a new bundle which was titled “Kinect Free Xbox One”. It was pretty ironic after the studio said that the Kinect is essential for Xbox One. But it did help in increasing the sales of XOne and soon the XOne sales were ahead of PS4 by the month of November.

#4 Flappy Bird

The year 2014 saw the period of the “Flappy Bird” madness. The game was released on iOS and Android platforms. The game soon received spotlight for its annoying and addictive gameplay.

But in February, something else about the game came infront. It was revealed that the game was making $50000 per day from the App Store and Google Play Store. Soon after this, the creator of the game pulled off the game from the stores, stating that he didn’t like how addictive the game was.

#3 Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes

MGS: Ground Zeroes remained in the limelight since the announcement of the game. The creator Hideo Kojima was never afraid or shy of controversies.Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes acts as a short precursor to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom.

The game was criticised for a character named, Skullface, who was indulged in the activities of torturing, interrogating and raping. Several cut scenes in the game include the sounds of forced intercourse. Because of this, the game was accused of torture and shear violence.

#2 Destiny

If we are to catagorise the controversial games, then Destiny will top that list. As said earlier, rather than releasing it as a single game, Bungie studios should have released the game as a set of DLCs because since it’s release, the game has been receiving patches to fix the bugs.

The game was a very big project undertook by Bungie studio and failed terribly to impress the critics. And also few days after its release, the game was facing connectivity issues which didn’t allow the players to log in. Not a sign of a good game.

#1 Ubisoft

The year 2014 was not quite what Ubisoft expected. They released three games in total this year. All the three, “Watch Dogs”, “Assassin’s Creed: Unity” and “The Crew” were hyped much and were also hugely anticipated.

But all the games turned the hopes of the players down. Watch Dogs didn’t have the graphics which were shown during it’s press conferences. Assassin’s Creed: Unity had good graphics but was full of bugs and the studio had to release patches after patches to fix them. The Crew didn’t have the graphics and neither a good storyline. So, not a good year for Ubisoft. Let’s hope 2015 proves good for them.