Virtual Vox Pop is a weekly open mic in which we ask you, the reader, to sound off on a particular topic. This week, it’s shocking video games.
Left 4 Dead 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii have made big splashes over the last few days, but no game has been in the mouths and hearts of gamers, pundits, and journies alike as much as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for its infamous “No Russian” level.
FOX News, that bastion of fair and balanced reporting, essentially called it a terrorist training sim. Slashgamer‘s Jon Christensen referred to the game as “pixelated violence.” Regardless of ow far left or right you stand on the issue, it’s not without great risk to say that many gamers were surprised by the brutality of the level, if not outright shocked. This isn’t, however, the first time that we’ve experienced an earth-shattering gaming moment.
Mine occurred in 1992 with the release of Mortal Kombat. Before actually playing the game I had gleaned from a bud that this “Street Fighter killer” was one hardcore game with blood and guts, practically splattering onto the inside of the monitor. I expected a goofy fighting game with lots of blood (in retrospect, that initial deduction was quite true), but when I waded my way through the sea of bodies surrounding the arcade cab, I saw decapitation and impalement. It was gory, it was dirty, it was shocking, and it was awesome.
Mortal Kombat traumatized every parent and politician over age 40, and eventually led to the formation of the ESRB. In other words, it had plenty of shock factor. What was your most shocking gaming experience?
