I have a personal saying, "controversy is just whatever people aren't mature enough for".
Honestly, just the existence of controversy seems bizarre to me. This hyperdimensional object. One of those imaginary social constructs that bothers people. Why do people try to filter everything? How does ignoring/censoring anything, regardless of the perceived message or problem, help solve anything? Why does the conversation about any issue always focus on "should we be having this conversation?" Personally I think the answer is ALWAYS yes. Ignorance is not enlightening.
Some life story shit:
I was one of those almost feral kids, without a friend or parental figure to speak of. I grew up basically raised by movies, anime, and games, learning morals from them, learning empathy from them, as well as my emotional toolset and perspective. (alright so I learned to walk and tie my shoes from random kids, a videogame about that would have been damn helpful though)
I also went through my own HATRED phase, but honestly it was games, mostly violent games, that endowed me with the idea that anything in this world had purpose and reason. (People were of no help there, I didn't make a conversational friend until my final year of high school). The idea that the violence in this world had some
story behind it, that people had motivations and feelings, instead of it just being something to push out of mind. Instead of the idea that we were all rabid dogs by nature, I could finally relate to people, imagine that. It made me think, and empathize, instead of thoughtlessly accepting the violence in the world.
All while watching people being disemboweled alive on a screen, since I was five years old. Hell, I'd say I see it less in videogames than other things, I think it's strange that ultraviolence is culturally acceptable in horror movies, or for whatever wars that are always going on, for example. I mostly just think it's strange that people depend on others, others trying to tell each other what's acceptable to begin with. Isn't it strange to have anyone telling you "don't talk about this?" I don't understand what people are trying to moderate, is it reality?
I would not even be in this community, I may not have even have had the strength to keep living, if Mortal Kombat wasn't the first game I'd ever laid hands and eyes on.
This is just my personal story, an anecdote, an opinion, so I don't know how useful it will be. Sorry for the rhetoric, sorry for the life story. It's unintentional, I have trouble with language, and tend to go on roundabout neurotic rants since I find it hard to relate. I am still pretty disassociated with people (faces make me uncomfortable for example), but I like to think I'm pretty accepting, pretty understanding, and laid back on a personal level. The friends I have now can ask me absolutely anything, and know that I won't judge them. I largely attribute that to the perspective games have given me.
Maybe someone will find this post disturbing, maybe it will get me in trouble (it's happened on other forums). Honestly I think it should be disturbing. People need to be reminded that violence, our society, and reality is disturbing. I think the media could use a kick in the ass like this, to get them to just look at themselves. Any medium is supposed to expand our awareness.
I will give a shit, no matter how much people tell me to turn a blind eye, or invent controversy that clouds the real issues.
If you want my opinion on the HATRED trailer, I think it's the right kind of interesting, it also gave me a good laugh. I'll probably give it a try to see what direction the presentation will go, even if cinematic kills are boring gameplay. Will there be endings with some moral message? the new "winners don't do drugs?" of our time?
If you want my opinion on what would help a society and culture that raises "monsters", look in the mirror.
Thanks for reading.