The controversy surrounding Metal Gear Solid 5's narrative

[Salandrin]

Granted I haven't been following the series or played the game, but it seems the story depicted in Ground Zeroes has received significant backlash from the media for its apparent depiction of extremely grisly torture and rape.

What do you make of it though? Did it take it too far? In a world where games like Gears of War are not minded, as the violence is generally aimed at aliens, this is a bit interesting to me.

[derpkitteh]

i wish i wouldn't have been such a failure. i'd make a game so brutal, violent, and downright psychotic that it'd put manhunt and every other gory game to shame. then when people bitched and moaned about it, i'd tell them it's not my responsibility to control what their kids see.

[Faroth]

I think it's doing exactly what Kojima intended for it to do, it's stirring outrage. This is a grisly and realistic story that's looking at the horrors of man and the horrors of war. The story has to do something that basically strips away the humanity and lays the foundation to push Big Boss into the villain that would threaten the world.

It's not really different than the backlash Tarantino gets with his films, or any film maker that pushes the boundaries into uncomfortable, yet sadly realistic, territory.

I haven't uncovered all the tapes, but I'm somewhat aware of what they reveal, but honestly just the ending cut scene of Ground Zeroes bothered me with getting the bomb out and the detail of the second bomb. It was uncomfortable to watch and that, I think, was entirely the point and the intention.

[Edge-]

And somehow, this is going to turn into giant flaming whales...

[pickley]

Granted I haven't been following the series or played the game, but it seems the story depicted in Ground Zeroes has received significant backlash from the media for its apparent depiction of extremely grisly torture and rape.

What do you make of it though? Did it take it too far? In a world where games like Gears of War are not minded, as the violence is generally aimed at aliens, this is a bit interesting to me.

Torture and rape in War?

Say it aint so!

Plus, you never see or hear anything. Its just heavily implied.

[Tech614]

As if any of this is new to the MGS series.

Torture and rape have been in the MGS narrative all along. Maybe you don't cut a bomb out of a girl stomach in them, but torture has been graphic in the series forever and rape has been implied all along as well.

It's also not like Paz was some innocent girl who got forced into war. If these idiot journalists or game designers who claim she is a throwaway character to turn Skull Face into a super villian don't realize she has a pretty deep and fleshed out story in peace walker that just further proves how full of shit they are.

[pickley]

As if any of this is new to the MGS series.

Torture and rape have been in the MGS narrative all along. Maybe you don't cut a bomb out of a girl stomach in them, but torture has been graphic in the series forever and rape has been implied all along as well.

It's also not like Paz was some innocent girl who got forced into war. If these idiot journalists or game designers who claim she is a throwaway character to turn Skull Face into a super villian don't realize she has a pretty deep and fleshed out story in peace walker that just further proves how full of shit they are.

Every female character (Except maybe Rose) in the MGS series is deep, and has a meaningful role. Hell, Skullface Tortured and Raped Paz and she still didnt talk, it shows how strong willed she actually is.