This past Monday, Sony showcased an exciting press conference to kick off Paris Games Week that was full of new footage of its hottest upcoming PlayStation 4 games. One of the most talked about trailers at the event was forThe Last of Us Part 2, which featuredshocking brutality and violence. As one might expect, the new trailer has sparked some controversy, with some people feeling as though the game is being sold purely on its violent content.
Jack Ryan, president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, commented onThe Last of Us Part 2controversy, saying, “The Last of Usobviously is a game made by adults to be played by adults.” Ryan went on to predict that the game would earn an M for Mature rating for its violent content, which would mean anyone under 17 wouldn’t be able to just walk into most stores and buy a copy.
Ryan also pointed out that Sony didn’t just show violent games during its Paris Games Week press conference. He singled outConcrete Geniespecifically, which is a new IP about a boy whose paintings come to life. The game is devoid of much violent content, and should be appropriate for younger audiences.
While Ryan had to defendThe Last of Us Part 2’s trailer for its violent content, he didn’t say much about the other controversy surrounding the Paris Games Week trailer. As many fans likely know, there’s been a lot of debate about the trailer, and who the new characters are that were shown. Some conspiracy theories state that one of the charactersmay be related to Ellie somehow, or is perhaps even an older version of the beloved character.
In the meantime,The Last of Us Part 2wasn’t the only game Sony showed at Paris Games Week that was criticized for its disturbing imagery.Detroit: Become Human, the next game fromHeavy Raindeveloper Quantic Dream, also came under fire, with some people upset for itsdepiction of child abuse and infanticide.
What’s odd is that films and television rarely seem to come under the same scrutiny when it comes to the kind of violence they depict, and so it seems a bit unfair to attack video games for tackling similar issues. Unfortunately, it’s clear by the controversy surrounding the trailers forThe Last of Us Part 2andDetroit: Become Humanthat the fight for video games to be recognized as an art form is far from over.
The Last of Us Part 2will launch in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation 4.
