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

[Technicolor]

Have you ever played Deus Ex? In that game most npc characters are likable & unintentionally hilarious (due to horrid voice acting). But there was one exception.

Meet Louis Pan, he is one of the most annoying pricks I've ever met in a game, and he's only like 9 years old.
However you can kill, and kill him I did.

The remarkable thing is that other NPCs actually respond to this, specifically Louis Pan's murder (kill anyone else, they don't give two shits even if its a kid). Meaning that the developer's anticipated that you would want to kill Louis Pan specifically.

 

[Zack McSleuthburger]

That's a whole three games out of... A lot more than three! Wow!

It's because it's the dramatic cliche now. At least Dead Space 2 they were only there for the reason that you can't expect Necromorphs to ignore a large portion of the Sprawl's population.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I think they always had the "think of the children" because children are "innocent".....no they aren't! They're as capable of committing murder as I am!

Anyone remember the story of that kid who was kidnapped in a mall by two other kids and then lead down train tracks or something and horribly murdered? Yeah, kids did that, I say lets kill them in video games.

 

[Moosh50]

Maybe kids dying is just the next 'thing'. Murder, narcotics and sex have all gradually made their way in to videogames, isn' this just the logical next step? But yeah, at the moment it does seem that child deaths are just used to make games seem more "edgy" and "controversial" and therefore boost sales.

Except that the game designers of today are almost 20 years late. In Ultima 7, you could see an infant brutally sacrificed to dark gods, and that was back in 1992.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

I don't think it should be used as a hook, but I definitely think that if a game where everything else can die has children in it, they shouldn't be the exception to that rule. They're small and squishy. Those are not qualities that ward off deathclaws.

 

[Verkula]

They are called games for a reason. Its not real.

Emotions are by nature irrational. That's why horror games make you afraid. Movies make you afraid. You can tell yourself it's not real all you want, it's still scary. (Your mileage may vary)

So if it looks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, you're going to feel for it as if you would a duck, and some (maybe not all) emotional response is going to happen if something bad happens to that duck.

That might be true, but what i meant with my comment, is that i dont see whats the problem showing things like these.
The best things about movies and games is that you can see or do stuff you wouldnt want to in real life.

 

[newfoundsky]

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.

theirs scarier shit going on the the real world then in most video games

I defy you to show me a single instance were one is mauled by a death claw.

 

[Jzolr0708]

Im not too comfortable killing kids in a game. Why?

Lets say I'm about to kill a citizen in Oblivion. An Average man in the game. That man can run. That man can realize that when I charge at him with a sword, I mean him harm. He has the resources and brain power to escape the situation, and even if I sneak up on him, he's likely commited numerous sinful deeds throughout his life.

A Child? A Child has none of those qualities. Sure they can kind of process an intent of harm, but they have no chance. Im faster, Im stronger, and Im smarter. That may also be true of the earlier man, but he has some form of a chance. In addition, whereas adults have had plenty of time to live and commit atrocities while Children are much more innocent.

To put it this way, it's the difference between killing a wolf that is on the prowl and killing a bunny, but to a much larger degree.

 

[-Ulven-]

The kid is not the real centre of this trailer. It just shows that real shit is going on and noone is spared.

A reall really really good trailer too btw.

 

[luckshotpro]

I'm too lazy to look through the rest of the thread to see if somebody already mentioned this, but I'd like to bring up the Little Sisters in Bioshock, the scythe-babies from Dante's Inferno, and Alma from F.E.A.R. You do seem to have a point with all of this, and in terms of controversy, it's pretty hard to create anything truly shocking anymore with the things mentioned above and No Russian from Modern Warfare 2 being casually shrugged off by most.

 

[Asuka Soryu]

Children are considered taboo so it does pull in peoples attention seeing them killed. But seriously, if you can kill an adult, then why not a kid? What, a 10 or so years instantly makes them open to killing practice?

You must be this tall to die.

 

[DarkRyter]

Kids dying is like, super edgy, man.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Children are considered taboo so it does pull in peoples attention seeing them killed. But seriously, if you can kill an adult, then why not a kid? What, a 10 or so years instantly makes them open to killing practice?

You must be this tall to die.

http://clansnap.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dark-carnival.jpg

I knew I saw that somewhere.

 

[RicoGrey]

This sort of thing didn't bother me until I became a father. People wonder why perfectly intelligent parents' act so stupid, its because you feel like if something happens to your children, your entire life has been a waste. The things I would be willing to do to protect my kids, would make the Devil cry in disgust.

Video damn near made me cry.

 

[Asuka Soryu]

Children are considered taboo so it does pull in peoples attention seeing them killed. But seriously, if you can kill an adult, then why not a kid? What, a 10 or so years instantly makes them open to killing practice?

You must be this tall to die.

http://clansnap.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dark-carnival.jpg

I knew I saw that somewhere.

Oh, come on! It's true, everything you do and say has been done by someone else already.

That movie... I don't know how to feel about it. Is it a comedy? Is it a bad horror that Phelous should review?

Heh, funny coincedence that I'd say something that it said... wait... I feel dirty.. ugh, I was on the same wavelength as that...

 

[Zinaxos]

I'm glad they are finally adding kids to the mix. Games need more kids. Especially kids that can be brutally murdered...

 

[Kopikatsu]

Children are considered taboo so it does pull in peoples attention seeing them killed. But seriously, if you can kill an adult, then why not a kid? What, a 10 or so years instantly makes them open to killing practice?

You must be this tall to die.

http://clansnap.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dark-carnival.jpg

I knew I saw that somewhere.

Oh, come on! It's true, everything you do and say has been done by someone else already.

That movie... I don't know how to feel about it. Is it a comedy? Is it a bad horror that Phelous should review?

Heh, funny coincedence that I'd say something that it said... wait... I feel dirty.. ugh, I was on the same wavelength as that...

Eh? Movie? That's Left 4 Dead 2. In the L4D series, all 'chapters' start with a fake title card. Here's another.

http://www.gamemanx.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/left-4-dead-2-dead-center.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/2e390gm.jpg

Anyway, no, I agree. I just found it amusing. Your reaction was doubly amusing.

 

[Asuka Soryu]

Children are considered taboo so it does pull in peoples attention seeing them killed. But seriously, if you can kill an adult, then why not a kid? What, a 10 or so years instantly makes them open to killing practice?

You must be this tall to die.

http://clansnap.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dark-carnival.jpg

I knew I saw that somewhere.

Oh, come on! It's true, everything you do and say has been done by someone else already.

That movie... I don't know how to feel about it. Is it a comedy? Is it a bad horror that Phelous should review?

Heh, funny coincedence that I'd say something that it said... wait... I feel dirty.. ugh, I was on the same wavelength as that...

Eh? Movie? That's Left 4 Dead 2. In the L4D series, all 'chapters' start with a fake title card. Here's another.

http://www.gamemanx.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/left-4-dead-2-dead-center.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/2e390gm.jpg

Anyway, no, I agree. I just found it amusing. Your reaction was doubly amusing.

I haven't nore never intend to play Left 4 Dead since I don't have a wireless connection for my consoles, so I obviously wouldn't have known of the game.