Controversies regarding video games are rarely ever fun. We’ve all heard the talk that video games are too violent repeated ad nauseam despite multiple studies proving it wrong. The interactive part of video games is sometimes at war with itself as an art form, typically earning bans and starting debates when one goes a bit too far with dark topics. Company decisions are usually the reason why most games come under fire these days, but it’s not always so heated and complex. Sometimes, it’s just weird or interesting.
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Were you around when Pokémon first started taking off? If you weren’t, you completely missed the craze where some parents thought Pokémon came from the devil, eventually needing the Vatican itself to step in to cool the tide. It’s a bit hilarious to look back on now, but sometimes, issues with a video game can be so strange and almost baffling. Let’s take a look at some video game controversies that make you go “huh?” when you hear about them now. Or, at least, that’s what I said to myself when learning about them.
8
Karate Champ
Classic Copyright Frustration
Released
September 1984
Developer
Data East
Publisher
Data East
I think we’re all used to the subtle art of video game copycats by now. Whenever there’s a highly successful game, there are usually five more that come after it a few years later, aiming to emulate that same success. There’s usually a fine line with these titles where you can tell that they took the time to add their own ideas to make their game special, or they added things to make it legally distinct. Over the years, there have been a few attempts to sabotage any competition by trying to monopolize on one specific gameplay style.
The first of these was Karate Champ by Data East. In 1989, Data East sued Epyx over World Karate Championship, saying WKC was so similar to Karate Champ that it infringed on trademarks, copyright, and trade dress. The thing is, Data East won at first, forcing World Karate Championship to be taken off shelves and recalled from customers. Two years later, this would be appealed, with the court saying that Data East can’t monopolize one sport for its games and its games alone.
7
Animal Crossing
That Explains A Lot
There was one part of my childhood where I remember taking advantage of my power as the player. While many youngins these days would say that the Genocide Route of Undertale taught them that sometimes the sacrifices aren’t worth the extra dialogue you can get from a game, I learned that lesson with Mr. Resetti in Animal Crossing. One day, after receiving about three lectures from him because I genuinely forgot to save, I wondered what would happen if I kept going. Resetti eventually took over the camera, spoke to me directly, said he’d wipe everything, and turned my TV off. That was one of the first times I remembered being scared because of my actions in a video game.
After I made sure my town was safe and I got the adrenaline out of my system, I saved regularly to not earn Resetti’s ire anymore. I wasn’t the only person genuinely scared by this moment, though. Animal Crossing’s developers have said that they’ve received letters saying that not only Mr. Resetti, but the general villagers from the first few games were so rude that they would make children cry. As a long-time Animal Crossing player, it’s interesting to know why the game’s sanded down its social aspects overtime. I still wish a few villagers would get mad at me for not talking to them for a while, but at least Mr. Resetti’s blood pressure isn’t a problem anymore.
6
Harvest Moon
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
There’s a chance you’ve long heard about the issues with Harvest Moon by now. If not, as a quick recap, the Japanese owners of the original Harvest Moon IP decided to allow its own subsidiary to translate the games in 2014. Natsume Inc, the original localizers, held legal rights to the Harvest Moon name and decided to keep them. Natsume has been releasing subpar games under Harvest Moon for a while now, while the original games have been titled Story of Seasons.
It’s old news, but some people still get confused by this distinction whenever Story of Seasons rereleases what used to be a classic Harvest Moon game. While it’s true that the newer Harvest Moon games fail to deliver on the same quality the series had put out before the switch, developmental changes and company purchases have made it hard to really define what a “true” Harvest Moon game is. Even the original creator, Yasuhiro Wada, left before this switch-up took place. What a true Harvest Moon game is really depends on the player these days, and that makes it even more difficult to define.
5
Stardew Valley
Gotta Take Care of Your Furry Friends
Like many other gamers, I admire indie devs like Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone and Toby Fox. The things those two have managed to do completely on their own, more or less, are impressive without a single shade of doubt. There’s a lot that goes into indie game development, especially as a solo dev. When creating anything, not just games, it’s easy for some important things to get overlooked along the way. Stardew Valley fell victim to one of these afterthought decisions once upon a time.
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Slow and steady wins the race.
Reddit user Buffy_B in particular took notice of how Abigail used to treat her guinea pig. In an open letter to ConcernedApe, the player noted how the cage was inappropriate, the pet was being kept on its lonesome, and that guinea pigs can hurt themselves on hamster wheels. While many fellow Redditors thought Buffy_B’s concerns were overblown in a farming game where the Stardrop Fruits exist, ConcernedApe eventually addressed the issue. He stated that he didn’t really think about it too much when making the sprites, and made appropriate adjustments. It’s nice to see people taking the time to right pet wrongs!
Always do due diligence and research before getting a pet!
4
Formula 1 Championship Edition
Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes
Released
September 26, 1997 (EU)
Developer
Bizarre Creations
Publisher
Psygnosis
Formula 1 Championship Edition or Formula 1 97 should be a nostalgic name for some of you. It’s a classic PS1 and PC game that lets you live a power fantasy of being a Formula 1 race car driver in the 1997 season, every single track included. It was even a bestseller, despite everything that tried to stop it. What tried to stop Formula 1 Championship Edition? Why, the FIA themselves. Six weeks after Formula 1 Championship Edition was released, it was pulled from store shelves because the FIA didn’t approve of a logo on the box. Yeah. That was it.
Formula 1 Championship Edition was put back on shelves with the logo removed, but the FIA for some reason tried to sue publisher Psygnosis over it anyway. The FIA lost the case, and Formula 1 Championship Edition went on to earn its legacy of positive reviews, impressive graphics for the time, and tends to be remembered as a fun game that handles a good mix of realism in a classic racing title. And to think, the FIA nearly stopped it from getting the chance to shine.
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3
Battlecruiser 3000AD
Flew Too Close to Home
Battlecruiser 3000AD was an infamous DOS game that has fallen into obscurity after years of scrutiny. Unfortunately for it, and anyone else who remembers this game, I’m here to drag it back into the light. I could bring up how 3000AD was released earlier than the main developer wanted, leaving it as a buggy mess, but that conversation’s been done to death. Instead, I feel like it’s worth talking about the fact that Battlecruiser 3000AD was advertised to have neural network AI… in 1996.
Neural network machine learning was around in 1996, surprisingly enough. Considering that it was released without consent, though, there’s been plenty of debates and doubt about whether Battlecruiser 3000AD includes neural network learning in its simulations. Even still, with how many heated discussions right now revolve around generative AI, looking back at Battlecruiser 3000AD almost feels like history is repeating. Or maybe it was more of a cautionary tale?
2
Tomb Raider
Forever a Class Act
I remember the kind of world we lived in when Tomb Raider was at its prime. Unfortunately. There was such a strong… adult presence, if you catch my drift, that even E3 had a subsection dedicated to it. There were the infamous “booth babes,” as well, and that included a Lara Croft cosplayer before cosplay was even a popular term. It shouldn’t surprise you when I say that a lot of Tomb Raider fans wished for a code that would undress Lara for them.
In the face of these rumors, Core Design added a few cheat codes to Tomb Raider II that circulated around the rumor mill, saying that it would finally show the sides of Lara they wanted to see. In truth, these codes were pretty obtuse to put in, and they worked as intended, but not as expected. Instead of delivering what these nosy players wanted, Lara would straight up explode. Blow up into tiny little pieces littered all over the screen, leading to a game over. Well played, Core Design. Well played.
1
EA Sports MMA
My Sport is Better Than Your Sport!
Released
October 19, 2010 (NA)
Developer
EA Tiburon
Publisher
EA Sports
Sorry to big sports game fans, but the genre is kind of just… there for me compared to stuff like Mario Golf and Mario Tennis. I had no idea that there was an entire pitch and data process behind trying to make new sports games. I always just thought EA Sports would make the sports games they want to make, no questions asked. If only someone had been able to tell the CEO of the UFC this back in 2009. EA Sports MMA came under fire by him, with him swearing that EA Sports once told him that MMA wasn’t a “real sport.”
Dana White was apparently told EA Sports “wouldn’t touch” MMA just before THQ found success with UFC Undisputed 2009. When EA Sports MMA was announced, White went off and swore that any fighters that gave their likenesses to the new game would be blacklisted from the championship. I feel like a lot of the people purchasing these games really didn’t care what White thought, because EA Sports MMA got positive reviews, and both games are just more sports games in a bargain bin somewhere.
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