Is gore in video games getting out of hand now?

[YUPPIE]

Tech has evolved to photorealism levels, as games like the Callisto Protocol and the new Mortal Kombat show.

Now I actually see people complain gore in gaming is almost indistingushable from real life, which I think is valid since I've spent so much time seeing real gore from 2022 to 2023.

When the new MK12 trailer dropped, people cringed because it's not even distinctively separated from real life anymore. The gore is taken so seriously and is so vivid now it's stomach-churning instead of cartoony.

But what do you think of these complaints?

[Irian]

In MK11 there was mention of how graphic designers had to go to therapy after development because they had to watch real gore for reference. That's way too far.

Most games keep it goofy and cartoony and I don't think have an issue with this at all. It seems to only be MK, who is intent on pushing the envelope at the possible detriment of their own developers. I personally can't stand it and liked MK for the campiness more than realistic gore, but hey, this is the route they decided to take. If it's successful then we'll know that that's what people wanted, I guess.

That being said, as far as other games go? Nah, most games don't go too crazy with it I don't think. We're far from having an issue with this, and I think most developers are reasonable enough to know that there's a line with this stuff that doesn't really need to be crossed and won't benefit them to do so. I think there's a time and a place for everything so I don't want to say that I hope no game ever goes into hyper-realistic gore though.

[Kumorii]

In MK11 there was mention of how graphic designers had to go to therapy after development because they had to watch real gore for reference. That's way too far.

How does this even work? Doesn't feel legal to force someone to watch REAL gore...but yeah that is too far.

OT:
I'm always impressed when games manage to up the bar when it comes to gore.
It requires quite a lot to make a game feel realistic in that department. Disagreeing with the take on that previous it's "cartoony" because there are games that where it wasn't true nor designed as such. There's a difference in something being cartoony and something not being realistic. Which gore was in older games that aimed to be realistic.

Even old games such as Quake tried to be realistic in it's graphics and for that time it succeeded. Same with the gore in it, simplistic and not realistic at all by todays standards, but definitely not cartoony.

To answer the question if it has gone too far. Nah, same with everything else if you can't handle it or don't want it, don't engage in it.
Should be easy to find out if a game is gory or not.

[Miseration]

I still very much can see Billy Butcher smashing in Mesmer's head on that sink still. Gore even in shows has me cringing from time to time. like GOT DAMN

[ldev]

In MK11 there was mention of how graphic designers had to go to therapy after development because they had to watch real gore for reference. That's way too far.

Most games keep it goofy and cartoony and I don't think have an issue with this at all. It seems to only be MK, who is intent on pushing the envelope at the possible detriment of their own developers. I personally can't stand it and liked MK for the campiness more than realistic gore, but hey, this is the route they decided to take. If it's successful then we'll know that that's what people wanted, I guess.

That being said, as far as other games go? Nah, most games don't go too crazy with it I don't think. We're far from having an issue with this, and I think most developers are reasonable enough to know that there's a line with this stuff that doesn't really need to be crossed and won't benefit them to do so. I think there's a time and a place for everything so I don't want to say that I hope no game ever goes into hyper-realistic gore though.

Lmao, fucking what? Watch real gore? I could have done that by looking at medical books. Seriously? Sounds like marketing bs - "oooh our game is so spooky wooky, the designers who created had to go THERAPY wooo spoopy!11".

edit: yea, it's marketing, look at this cartoony bs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F9vb-nA0lE real gore lmao

[Powerogue]

Seconded on Mortal Kombat in particular. I do not do good with realistic gore, so the shift over time from sillier stuff like "punching a pixelated guy's head and having it fly off the screen" to the detailed x-rays and stuff makes me physically sick.

yet for some reason I have absolutely no problem with Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal. The only reason I can think of is the fact there's virtually no humans getting eviscerated. Even Doomguy dying is mostly silly stuff like you seeing his fully covered helmet fly off or that Terminator reference where the hand sinks in the lava. Flying meat bits rather than detailed gore.

They're video games, I play them for escapism from real world problems, violent death included. But ripping an imp's arm off and beating him with it, causing him to spew health and armor is disassociated enough from reality to not bother me.

Rather than show that, which might still be too much for some, here's a vid of Brutal Doom, the mod which inspired a lot of the shifts in gameplay in both those games, and the first incredibly violent game I actually enjoyed.

[Irian]

How does this even work? Doesn't feel legal to force someone to watch REAL gore...but yeah that is too far.

I don't think it's legal to force them to, but it seems like the workplace itself had several people using real life executions as reference points for anatomy and realism. It was probably just a workplace culture thing more than a mandate if I had to guess, but in particular they wanted to see how things like bloodspatter would look on some surfaces.

Apparently it was a complaint from an anonymous employee, and then several others chimed in once the story broke. I just find it all silly because the average game player isn't going to know real anatomical gore from movie-style gore.

[PACOX]

Yes. All video games should be banned.

[Jastall]

Seconded on Mortal Kombat in particular. I do not do good with realistic gore, so the shift over time from sillier stuff like "punching a pixelated guy's head and having it fly off the screen" to the detailed x-rays and stuff makes me physically sick.

yet for some reason I have absolutely no problem with Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal. The only reason I can think of is the fact there's virtually no humans getting eviscerated. Even Doomguy dying is mostly silly stuff like you seeing his fully covered helmet fly off or that Terminator reference where the hand sinks in the lava. Flying meat bits rather than detailed gore.

They're video games, I play them for escapism from real world problems, violent death included. But ripping an imp's arm off and beating him with it, causing him to spew health and armor is disassociated enough from reality to not bother me.

Rather than show that, which might still be too much for some, here's a vid of Brutal Doom, the mod which inspired a lot of the shifts in gameplay in both those games, and the first incredibly violent game I actually enjoyed.

Doom is silly and over the top so it's mostly funny. Real violence is short, brutal, and sickening. I once watched a very NSFW video of a guy shooting himself live on camera, it was awful due to how unceremonious it was. His head didn't explode, there wasn't a camera focusing on the impact, no energetic music or whatever. He was a human that moved until he pulled out his gun, did the deed and slumped to the ground limply with dead eyes. That's hella disturbing due to how real it is.

It's not space Conan ripping a huge monster's heart out, force feeding it to him, then amusingly watching the monster explode after he rubbed his tummy in distress. No one can mistake that for the real deal and the only thing that suffers is a big monster man with guns for arms so who cares anyway.

[Hotmail]

The Callisto Protocol's violence and gore is pretty tame compared to something like House of Velez, an indie game from 2017.

Photorealistic/modern doesn't necessarily mean shocking or out of hand. I think people will latch onto anything for the sake of having a moral panic, it's the 90s' "muh vidya violence" all over again.

[Kumorii]

I don't think it's legal to force them to, but it seems like the workplace itself had several people using real life executions as reference points for anatomy and realism. It was probably just a workplace culture thing more than a mandate if I had to guess, but in particular they wanted to see how things like bloodspatter would look on some surfaces.

Apparently it was a complaint from an anonymous employee, and then several others chimed in once the story broke. I just find it all silly because the average game player isn't going to know real anatomical gore from movie-style gore.

That sounds more like an issue with those people. Hopefully they learned something if they had to go to therapy after watching real-life executions. Seems like a variant of "play stupid games, win stupid prizes". I can see it happen though, if you want to push something it's very human to sometimes go to far when it comes to oneself.
As long as it was their choice.

Not even forensics uses "real gore" to make simulations of crime scenes and recreation of blood splatters. There are substitutes for it at a quality it's used as proof.
Seems like an easier venue if they want "real splatter". But looking at the game, I don't think they went for real splatter either. If they want anatomy, MRI images is perfect to see the entire body gore-free.

[LemonDemonGirl]

Yes. As someone who's (accidently) seen pictures of real gore, I think I prefer cartoony splats of blood/unrealistically huge gushes of blood, to hyperealistic guts flying everywhere. I tend to avoid M Rated games altogether because I don't need to see that. I think the only M Rated game I've played recently was Bloodlines, and that game's so old it didn't really bother me (except the "flesh house", fuck that).

I want to have fun, not get physically ill.

P.S. Ignore my pfp. I know.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

How does this even work? Doesn't feel legal to force someone to watch REAL gore...but yeah that is too far.

I do believe they said they were using animal gore and with how animal processing is a thing for meat that should be perfectly legal.

The real question is rather it was cooperate mandated or if said employee did it them self's to try and make there work better. Personally I doudt any one made them do it when they could have just used wide spread anatomy gallery's.

[aeuhe4yxzhds]

In MK11 there was mention of how graphic designers had to go to therapy after development because they had to watch real gore for reference. That's way too far.

Most games keep it goofy and cartoony and I don't think have an issue with this at all. It seems to only be MK, who is intent on pushing the envelope at the possible detriment of their own developers. I personally can't stand it and liked MK for the campiness more than realistic gore, but hey, this is the route they decided to take. If it's successful then we'll know that that's what people wanted, I guess.

That being said, as far as other games go? Nah, most games don't go too crazy with it I don't think. We're far from having an issue with this, and I think most developers are reasonable enough to know that there's a line with this stuff that doesn't really need to be crossed and won't benefit them to do so. I think there's a time and a place for everything so I don't want to say that I hope no game ever goes into hyper-realistic gore though.

So because some weak people that have never been outside of their little bubble cant watch liveleak, everyone else should suffer with shitty products?

Meanwhile soilder if fortune... did just fine

[LordVargK]

That argument is as old as 2D video games...

[Powerogue]

On the note of how the reaction by the audience can be so drastically different and completely separate from the amount of blood shown, I thought of Zootopia and the parallel scenes of Judy "dying." There's a drastically different result the second time, with the jump cut where the painfully believable scream might make you think for a moment her throat had been torn open, the audience reaction is completely different despite the fact that neither scene even has any blood in it! It's about the way that fake death is presented.

[Cynical Asshole]

I'm honestly not affected by gore.

But kill a dog in a video game, and I won't buy it.

[Poppincaps]

I will say watching the Mortal Kombat 1 trailer did make me a bit uncomfortable. I think that's just part of the game's appeal though and if it's too much for me then I just won't play it.

[Biomega]

If you have a problem with gore or overly realistic gore, that's fine - nothing wrong with that.

Buuuuuuut....

That doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't have any gore or realistic gore. Everyone has different preferences. If a product features something you don't like or object to, purchase a different product. There are enough of them out there. Don't like seeing someone's spine ripped out? Mortal Kombat may not be the right fighting game for you. Play Street Fighter or Tekken or whatever else that doesn't have that.

Simple solutions for a simple problem.

It's not like gore is somehow ubiquitous and invasive, and you simply cannot guard yourself against the relentless onslaught of photorealistic innards being torn from body cavities everywhere you look. Nothing anywhere near that. It's a very specific, very niche aesthetic, and if you don't like it, simply skip over media that feature it and you'll not miss out on more than a tiny fraction of a fraction of the total products out there. Seems like a very reasonable proposition.

[ParanoiD84]

Pretty sure Mortal Kombat was the reason age ratings became a thing in videogames.

I love it in games and movies though.