Letting children die horribly seems to be the new 'hook'. (Now includes video, due to popular demand

[Kopikatsu]

I just saw a trailer for a game called Dead Island. (Awesome trailer, by the way. It's in the thread like two below this one)

The trailer basically consists of a young girl and her parents dying horribly. (From zombies. Of course!)

I'm led to believe that if a game has 'Dead' in its title, it automatically hates children.

Dead Space: Lurkers, Crawlers, and Pack. Babies, Toddlers, and Infants! Death to all!

Dead Rising (2): The protagonist's 11-ish year old daughter can turn into a zombie and murder everyone! Death to all!

Dead Island: Focus of the trailer dies horribly and turns into a zombie! Death to all!

I'm not saying that its BAD to answer the question 'Well, what about happened to the children?' It's just kind of shocking that they include it. Probably because I'm used to games just straight up not having children, or if they do, the children are totally invulnerable. (Looking at you, Fallout)

Has killing children become the new way to garnish free publicity, as controversy always does? (For example, the Church's outcry against Angels & Demons probably made MORE people go see it.)

Especially with the 'Video games make rapists and murderers!' craze that seems to be flaring up again. (Not that it ever died down, just seeing more articles about it all of a sudden. Again.)

Edit: Weeeeeeell, I was asked to put the Dead Island trailer here, and I suppose it would make it easier on people who didn't see the thread I mentioned. Sooooooo...here it is!

Edit2: WARNING. Apparently, some people found this video very depressing. If you think you may be one of these people, please contact a doctor before viewing. If a doctor is unavalible, please feel free to try this 'happy' version of said trailer.
http://www.tubedubber.com/#Bwtr_-4vz6g:0N1_0SUGlDQ:0:100:17:5:true





In other news, stay tooned for my Sympathy-Powered Death Ray! (Patent Pending)

 

[Cookiegerard]

Maybe it is because children are the most annoying thing on this earth?

 

[GiantRaven]

Probably because I'm used to games just straight up not having children, or if they do, the children are totally invulnerable. (Looking at you, Fallout)

Interestingly enough, the original Fallout games had children in them that were not invulnerable.

 

[KalosCast]

Fallout 2 let you kill children, with predictable results.

It's a good way to make people sit up and take notice, though I would say it's more that publishers think that they can finally start getting away with it again, rather than a shameless attempt to provoke controversy.

 

[RollForInitiative]

Honestly, seeing kids in a zombie game -- or similar -- is fine by me. The complete lack of them has always struck me as odd. Dead Rising 2 did a great job of having zombies of all manner of ethnicity, body type, and gender, but it still didn't have kids. Something has to cross the line eventually, so why not now?

Besides, who didn't want to shoot a few of the obnoxious brats in Fallout 3?

 

[Solo-Wing]

Well all the old Zombie games and such never had any zombie children. This is pretty much saying that is anything horrific happens to the humans, the children will be spared. It's like the monsters will spare them and keep their tummies empty just because they are little and defenseless. Hell if I was a monster I would go after them. Easy meal.
It's just to be more realistic. Like if a Nuke goes off in real life everything will die. Plants, Animals, Children included. Games are now becoming more realistic so it has to be done.

 

[somonels]

It's a cheap and inneffective ploy against most players. I have no qualms violently murdering men, women, children, wildlife, etc. in video games. The form they take is irrelevant to me, they are just obstacles on my path.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Fallout 2 let you kill children, with predictable results.

It's a good way to make people sit up and take notice, though I would say it's more that publishers think that they can finally start getting away with it again, rather than a shameless attempt to provoke controversy.

Makes sense. ?What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.? and all that.
Still...I'm a bit suspicious about the provoking controversy aspect of it. Ah well. Whatever sells.

Edit: It seems like most people like the change. (So do I, to be honest. I remember trying to kill the Sheriff's son in Fallout 3. "I killed your father, your friends, and nuked your city. SO WHY WON'T YOU DIEEEEEEE?" Well, I didn't really nuke the city, because I needed the house to store my things in...THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.)

...Lost my train of thought. Anyway...have to wonder, though. After children, what do they move on to? Seems like they've gotten pretty much everything in video games at this point. Even threesomes. (God of War)

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

Probably because I'm used to games just straight up not having children, or if they do, the children are totally invulnerable. (Looking at you, Fallout)

Interestingly enough, the original Fallout games had children in them that were not invulnerable.

at least until later patches. and god i wish they hadn't patched that possibility out... i always used to plant dynamite on the friggin' pickpocket kids in the Den.

the problem is, most countries have laws prohibiting you from killing children in games. it's usually ok for them to die via plot points, but you can't do the killing. although, apparently zombie children are fair game? dunno, haven't actually played Dead Space 2 (or 1, for that matter).

 

[KalosCast]

Makes sense. ?What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.? and all that.
Still...I'm a bit suspicious about the provoking controversy aspect of it. Ah well. Whatever sells.

Okay, let me amend that. I don't think that SO FAR it's been used as a shameless attempt to provoke controversy... but just wait 'til EA's marketing department gets wind of it.

And it's already something that's been used in movies and literature for decades to tug at our heartstrings.

 

[RollForInitiative]

Makes sense. ?What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.? and all that.
Still...I'm a bit suspicious about the provoking controversy aspect of it. Ah well. Whatever sells.

The suspicion is likely warranted. There is some legitimate shock value to it because nobody has done it before -- well, not for a while at least. Consequently, it makes for a reasonable way to get some attention but I don't think it's purely intended for that purpose.

At least, I'd hope not.

 

[Continuity]

its obvious isn't it? lots of kids play games, how to draw the kids into the story: include a kid in it, so they can identify.

 

[Solo-Wing]

its obvious isn't it? lots of kids play games, how to draw the kids into the story: include a kid in it, so they can identify.

And have nightmares.

 

[AmbitiousWorm]

Its not so its more realistic. Its because we have become so desensitized to violence that developers needed to mix things and try something new or else we just wouldn't care.

Its sad and scary that we have reached this point as a culture.

I vote for human extinction. Some nice plague that wipes us out and doesn't destroy the planet.

Read "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. Really good book.

 

[JoJo]

Maybe it is because children are the most annoying thing on this earth?

Um... so why if that was true would they use it in this context? It's actually for the opposite reason, that the majority of mature adults feel a strong emotional attachment towards children so depicting their death or injury is an easy way to invoke emotion.

 

[Harkonnen64]

The concept of seeing evil, boogery children die appeals to me for some reason. Am I a bad person?

 

[Booze Zombie]

Interestingly enough, the original Fallout games had children in them that were not invulnerable.

Yeah, that was fun; if pointless.
All killing the children did was cement your reputation as a heartless bastard who bounty hunters loved killing.