Most people don’t play video games specifically for the violence. Or, if they do, I haven’t met them… nor do I want to. Growing up, I heard the authority figures in my life talk about how video games are making kids violent, and that every time there was a news story about a kid going rogue, it was because he played video games.

Much to my parents’ dismay, I took a liking to ’em. I discovered that while there are always rumors about video games making kids violent, and at this point I’m convinced there always will be. And for the most part, that’s what they are– rumors. A vast majority of gamers I’ve met are, without falling in to cliché here, nice people. While the majority of gamers are fine, you always run into those that like to spite people for fun. You know, like people who unabashedly support Donald Trump because of his stances on non-white Americans and women.

This is where a game called Hatred comes in. (Image from Wikipedia)

Right at the beginning of the summer last year, Destructive Creations released Hatred, and it was instantly disapproved of as a whole. I mean, the backlash was wild. Twitch.TV banned anyone from streaming the game in a matter of days, and it even caused them to rework the guidelines on what users can broadcast on their site.

Basically, the game boils down to the fact that you, as The Antagonist, need to kill people. The Antagonist is even quoted as saying this in the announcement trailer for the game, which was released in October of the previous year:

My name is not important… What is important is what I’m going to do. I just fucking hate this world and the human worms feasting on its carcass. My whole life is just cold, bitter hatred… and I always wanted to die violently. This is the time of vengeance and no life is worth saving. And I will put in the grave as many as I can. It’s time for me to kill… and it’s time for me to die. My genocide crusade begins here.

(via Polygon)

First of all, The Antagonist doesn’t care for his life or the life of anyone else. He’s got a death wish and his main goal is to fulfill it, no matter the cost. This leads to a rampage across New York City, in which he decimates innocents and criminals alike.

If you’re like anyone else with a conscience, this is irritating. Some developer decided to give gamers a game they really wanted, where the main character is just as violent as they want to be, or that’s what it seems. It seems like Hatred is a game based on rumors that got too out of hand, and maybe now they actually have some claim. Of course, there’s always gonna be that kid who wants to steal a car because that’s what they saw in GTA. Then again, they’re kids and their parents should really have better discretion about their media consumption, but I digress.

Here’s an example of violence in a game done so, so right. (Image via Youtube)

Here’s where DOOM comes in. The fourth installment in Bethesda’s Doom series, I can’t say it’s ponies and rainbows compared to other games, but it is indeed a violent game. And I can’t help but feel that it takes the violence angle and does it right. You, as Doom Guy, have a mission to protect your home, which happens to be Hell. It’s been used for energy and gain by the human race, and you’re a demon who’s gonna put an end to that.

But really, what’s the difference between DOOM and Hatred? They’re both games where the main character rampages across the setting. You have a clear mission in both games. But when you pull back from the oversimplified facts, the difference really lies in the message behind the games.

Hatred is a game that was made in response to all the “political correctness” that many gamers feel has infiltrated the market. Simply put, people want to see themselves in games, as diverse and expansive as they are. There’s nothing wrong with that. What I’d assume that the devs of Hatred took that to mean was that every so-called special snowflake wanted their specific self in a game, and thought that slaughtering the masses in a fictional New York City was an appropriate response.

What’s up with that? (Image via MediaMath.com)

DOOM is a game that has rage and anger at its center, but because humans on Mars have ravaged hell for its energy and thus, provoked the wrath of hell itself. It’s your typical video game plot about a bunch of bad guys stealing artifacts from the good guys and using them to their own personal gain.

When you look at it objectively, both games are about shooting something in the face until it’s really dead. But the fact that Bethesda took the time to at least continue their franchise and put some other meaning behind the whole thing rather than just taking their frustrations out on people wanting to see more faces than white guy with brown hair and stubble in games means that there’s a lot to be said about the culture that allowed Hatred to become a fully-realized game.

A studio, who had experience with the industry in the past, allowed some of their devs, designers, and marketing people to sit down at a formal, professional meeting and listen to someone pitch this idea. This idea was then approved, and actual real life money was put into making it. It went through the normal steps of getting published through Steam, and albeit without a big publisher, this game made it to the public eye. And for what? Is this really the impression of gamers that Destructive Creations wants to give off: violent, homicidal dudes with a death wish?