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  1. Games
  2. Action

Morally dubious messages in seemingly innocent video games

Features
By David Houghton published 19 March 2013

Slyly sinister subtexts to quietly corrupt

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Clandestine corruption

Clandestine corruption

Some games proudly display their morally dubious nature front and centre, like a flag made out of a big grubby bedsheet that hasn't been washed for a month.

But others hide the musty stink of misconduct beneath a deceitful sheen of presentability. They smuggle in their immorality under subtext, hoping that no-one will notice until it's too late. Well we have noticed. And we're having none of it. Click on as we expose these vile innocence disruptors for the insidious filth they are.

Page 1 of 20
Page 1 of 20
Gears of War series

Gears of War series

The sinister subtext: If at first you dont succeed (at genocide), try mutually-assured destruction instead. If that doesnt work, give genetically-targeted ethnic cleansing a go.

Page 2 of 20
Page 2 of 20
Uncharted series

Uncharted series

The sinister subtext: Its okay to be mass-murdering grave-robber as long as theres a worse one around.

Page 3 of 20
Page 3 of 20
God of War series

God of War series

The sinister subtext: Violence is never the answer. Except when it is. Which is always. Be aware that violence begets violence, but also know that you can easily deal with any violent repercussions of violence by using more violence.

Page 4 of 20
Page 4 of 20
Metal Gear Solid series

Metal Gear Solid series

The sinister subtext: The absence of war is a perfectly good reason to get upset.

Page 5 of 20
Page 5 of 20
Pokemon Conquest

Pokemon Conquest

The sinister subtext: Global totalitarian rule is basically okay as long as youre the guy in charge.

Page 6 of 20
Page 6 of 20
Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

The sinister subtext: If people try to turn you into something you dont want to be, just go with it. Itll probably end up being awesome.

Page 7 of 20
Page 7 of 20
Tomb Raider (2013)

Tomb Raider (2013)

The sinister subtext: The best way to deal with the horror of killing a person is to get really good at killing.

Page 8 of 20
Page 8 of 20
Heavy Rain

Heavy Rain

The sinister subtext: If not absolutely everything goes your way, suicide is a perfectly acceptable response.

Page 9 of 20
Page 9 of 20
Farenheit/Indigo Prophecy

Farenheit/Indigo Prophecy

The sinister subtext: If not absolutely everything goes your way, punching the internet is a perfectly acceptable response. As is suicide.

Page 10 of 20
Page 10 of 20
Shadow of the Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus

The sinister subtext: If orthodox modern medicine cant help, try one of those weird foreign cures made by killing endangered species. Whats the worst that could happen?

Page 11 of 20
Page 11 of 20
Bulletstorm

Bulletstorm

The sinister subtext: Excessive military force is only a problem if you fail to look cool while partaking in it.

Page 12 of 20
Page 12 of 20
Dishonored

Dishonored

The sinister subtext: The best way to refute accusations against one's character is to murder or incapacitate everyone in town.

Page 13 of 20
Page 13 of 20
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

The sinister subtext: Decadent, utterly pointless material possessions are always worth killing for.

Page 14 of 20
Page 14 of 20
Singularity

Singularity

The sinister subtext: Never help a stranger in need. For all you know they could be a total dick.

Page 15 of 20
Page 15 of 20
Assassin's Creed series

Assassin's Creed series

The sinister subtext: The best way to deal with a troubling present is to start living in the past.

Page 16 of 20
Page 16 of 20
Resident Evil series

Resident Evil series

The sinister subtext: Scientific endeavour always leads to pain, death, and unholy physical aberrations. The government needs to clamp down on medical research and ideally blow it up.

Page 17 of 20
Page 17 of 20
Saints Row series

Saints Row series

The sinister subtext: Crime pays. It pays really, really, really well. In fact it pays all the way to the White House if you stick with it for long enough, at which point it will become clear that criminality provides exactly the skill-set that a strong President needs.

Page 18 of 20
Page 18 of 20
Batman: Arkham Asylum

Batman: Arkham Asylum

The sinister subtext: If the mentally ill step out of line, beat the crap out of them.

Page 19 of 20
Page 19 of 20
Gotta corrupt 'em all

Gotta corrupt 'em all

So, is that it? Are we safe? Or are there yet more guileful games out there, quietly preaching their vile sermons under the guise of entertainment? Let us know if there are any we've missed and we will eradicate this scourge together.

And while you're here, why not protect yourself further against games' iniquitous influence with a couple more features? We'd particularly recommend The secretly sinister storylines of your favourite games and Video game villains who got away with it.

Page 20 of 20
Page 20 of 20
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Wii-u PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms Nintendo
PRODUCTS
Saints Row IV Tomb Raider Pokemon X and Y Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Indigo Prophecy Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Shadow of the Colossus Heavy Rain Deus Ex: Human Revolution 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Batman: Arkham Asylum Singularity Bulletstorm Resident Evil 6 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Dishonored Pokemon Conquest God of War: Ascension Gears of War: Judgment
David Houghton
David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.
See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
CloverPit
This Balatro-style roguelike is Localthunk's nightmare, because it swaps Poker for a literal slot machine to really simulate that gambling feel and its Steam Next Fest demo is dangerously addictive
The cover of Edge Magazine showing Cronos: The New Dawn spread across all the way to the back cover
Edge 410 goes hands-on with Cronos: The New Dawn, the new survival horror from Silent Hill 2 studio Bloober Team
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 screenshot of J.J. Hardwell standing with a handgun and looking warily at the shadow of Evil J.J. looming behind him
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is the first "survival horror comedy RPG metroidvania" I've ever played, and that sure is a lot of words
Mass Effect 2 - Garrus
The 25 best video game stories to play right now
Look Outside screenshot of the player character looking out of the window at an unseen horror
I kissed a creepy neighbor in a survival horror RPG and all I got was this lousy photo paper
Mixtape protagonists lounge in a sunlit bedroom with purple walls and fairy lights
Nostalgic indie game from publisher Annapurna is a "respite from the current cursed reality" inspired by real-life, dev says: "Ended about as well as you can expect, including a nice scar, and cow s***"
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