A Message to the Developers

[LoneUnit]

Okay, I realize there's a good chance this is going to get me flamed/trolled and possibly even banned from here, the Steam forums being the Steam forums but I honestly think I need to air this to the developers regarding the "Head Asplode" trailer. I will never buy your game. Ever.

First, I'd like to say that I honestly do think the developers have done something interesting here in blending Doom/Quake style gameplay with rougelike elements. That doesn't excuse that trailer though. Look, I’ll be up front with everyone who may read this thread (and I’m under no illusion the devs read the Steam forums since I’ve seen no evidence of their presence here outside the recently stickied FAQ thread) I’m not a stranger to blood and gore. Far from it in fact. I enjoy mature games/shows/books as much as the next well-adjusted adult but I think there are some limits and lines that are not to be crossed, ever. I’ll freely admit that I grinned like a maniac the first time I took the chainsaw to an imp in Doom 2016 and I love gameplay mods for Classic Doom like Project Brutality, Insanity’s Requiem, D4D and others, many of which have their own gore systems to one extent or another. I’m an avid reader of military science fiction, and believe me when I say that the authors of those novels often do good research and can describe in vivid and disturbing detail the wounds inflicted by the weapons in their settings, be it a good old fashioned M16, a laser rifle or some sort of mag weapon. None of this has ever bothered me, and I say that as someone who watched “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as a kid (probably a bad idea in hindsight) and played “Return to Castle Wolfenstein” around the same time, among other things.

That all being said, I realize the trailer is meant to be cheesy and over-the-top. The problem is that charm is lost when you decided to graphically depict the death of a child in a manner analogous to shooting them with a high caliber round and follow it up with the distraught mother trying to scoop the remains of his head back onto his neck all the while promising herself he’d be okay. I mean, seriously I ran to the bathroom and dry heaved for a good ten minutes, minimum, after that. I realize that some people have no problem with this. Fine, but I do. I mean, good lord all mighty. The kid’s head popped as though it had been hit by a large caliber rifle round. And no, that’s not me exaggerating. I’m a firearms enthusiast. I admit that and as I like to get details right in discussions and anything else involving accurate depictions of firearms, I’ve done my research. I’ve seen the sorts of wounds that can be inflicted by a wide variety of calibers. Never once has any of this, from video game gore to actual wounds inflicted by rounds like 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition, elicited such a response from me. I mean, Jesus Christ, the above caliber I mentioned can, from my understanding of the ballistics, remove a good chunk of a grown man’s skull if not outright destroy it depending on the angle of impact, whether it bounces inside the skull, etc. and here you are depicting what I think is a good example of what happens when a child is shot with such a powerful round.

So, all in all, I’m sorry but I will never buy this game nor any other game these developers produce in the future. As far as I’m concerned, you crossed a line here with that trailer. Yes, upon further research I realized it was an older one but what made that worse is that it’s apparently not age gated on YouTube (which it really should be). Well, kudos to your effects department is the only thing I have left to say really. You folks sure do know how to do your jobs at least. And…well, I guess that’s it. I’ve said my bit. Peace to all of you and good luck to the developers in their future endeavors.

[DisableBore]

lol who cares

[Zumbah]

What the actual ♥♥♥♥ are you whining about? Is this just a thread to show how much you know about guns?

[LoneUnit]

No. I'm just voiceing a grievance and I have every right to do so. I'm simply backing up my logic with real world knowledge.

[DisableBore]

Originally posted by Perseus:

No. I'm just voiceing a grievance and I have every right to do so. I'm simply backing up my logic with real world knowledge.

Go back to tumblr. It's played for laughs and it's not real.

[Neo Te Aika]

Well the description for the game mentions "bloodiest, deadliest, most adjective-abusing" right there, and the youtube name for the video has "banned" (as a joke) so it's kind of on the viewer if they watch it enough to arrive at that scene.

[LoneUnit]

Love the fact the Tumblr insults started this early (I detest that site), plus it says you really didn't read the rest of my post where I talk about enjoying other content that is considered quite graphic. Yes, I realize that it's played for laughs. I'm not stupid. The fact I'm being insulted for voicing a grievance is disheartening quite frankly but I can't say I'm surprised by these forums. I just think there are lines and that developers should be told when some people think they've been crossed.

Further, perhaps I should have included this in my initial post, but I don't think we should have developers creating trailers that can give the anti-game lobby more munitions. I mean, come on, we all know at least one person who looks at anything game related and goes ballistic over it.

What's more, if it were say...done in the style of the game's graphics or a less realistic way I would have possibly had less of a problem with this trailer. As it is, depiciting the violent death of a child in such a manner really doesn't sit well with me and I'm amazed that in this day and age there wasn't an uproar over it. I'm not saying an uproar would have been a good thing, it's just surprising. And frankly, this was more me venting given how strong my initial reaction to it. I fully expected people like you to react this way as well. So go ahead with the insults. I've done nothing to insult you or the developers which shows just what sort of person you really are.

Edit since Neonspider posted before me and Steam doesn't notify you of new posts before you post yours: Well, yes and no, Neon. Until that point the video's "gore" effects were...pretty tame outside of things like blood pooling around the mouse for some reason and the actual in-game gore, which isn't really that bad compared to some modern Doom style shooters (or some Classic Doom mods for that matter). I honestly expected the kid to just fall over comatose or something so the whole "exploding head bit" caught me none to by surprise (which should say how effective the trailer is). I'm just voicing what I think is a legitimate criticism of the marketing for this game, something I have every right to express.

Also, thank you for being mature in your response.

[Barry the Bounty Hunter]

btw its fake, you're over-analysing, just chill.

[LoneUnit]

*Sighs* Why is it that you voice a compaint about something everyone thinks you have trouble perceiving reality these days? Are we that conformist that any sign of dissent is seen as a mental problem? I'm aware it's fake. I'm just criticizing the marketing for this game which I have every right to do so. And maybe I am over-analysing. I do have a tendency to do that, but I suppose that's one of the many problems of being well read in a variety of subjects, you begin to see analogs and applications everywhere. That and I'm just not okay with people depicting the deaths of minors for the sake of "humor", but maybe that's because I don't find killing "funny" like that in most circumstances really.

[sOIIOs]

Originally posted by TheDisableBore:

lol who cares

[Barry the Bounty Hunter]

Originally posted by Perseus:

*Sighs* Why is it that you voice a compaint about something everyone thinks you have trouble perceiving reality these days? Are we that conformist that any sign of dissent is seen as a mental problem? I'm aware it's fake. I'm just criticizing the marketing for this game which I have every right to do so. And maybe I am over-analysing. I do have a tendency to do that, but I suppose that's one of the many problems of being well read in a variety of subjects, you begin to see analogs and applications everywhere. That and I'm just not okay with people depicting the deaths of minors for the sake of "humor", but maybe that's because I don't find killing "funny" like that in most circumstances really.

If you knew people would react in such a way perhaps you should keep it to yourself, I understand everything you're saying and I think about this stuff all the time, the difference is I don't want to be spammed with people saying otherwise and such.

[LoneUnit]

I understand your stance, but I think that in an age where we're being told to sit down and shut up by publishers, developers, and other gamers we need to actually discuss things more then ever, otherwise actual problems and criticisms will go unspoken and unresolved. That's why I didn't keep this to myself because in an age where anyone who utters criticism of anything is labeled a Tumblr SJW and told to shut up, we need to push back against that with legitimate and mature discussion that avoids insults and petty attacks.

I considered the things in the trailer to be over a certain line and as such I aired my grievance as I have a right to do so and I believe it's irresponsible to not do so in light of people that will take things like that trailer and use it to further demonize gamers, among other things. It's one thing to do something over the top and silly. It's another thing when you do something that's legitimatelly disturbing such that for some people, myself included, it sucks out any of the charm and goes straight to nausea inducing with such a realistic and graphic depiction of gore followed by an emotional breakdown. As I said before, I'm not adverse to gore by any means and I've seen some terrible real world injuries. I just don't find entertainment in showing a child dying in such a graphic manner over a game. If the kid had just passed out or something I may have chuckled. As it is, I found myself asking who thought that trailer was a good idea and the fact I'm being insulted for actually having a problem with a game's marketing (which is itself a form of presentation and a big part of a product's first impression) is sadly very telling.

What's more, Neon pointed out the "banned" joke in the video name on YouTube (I'd like to point out that I didn't know it was on YouTube until I did further research), I still don't think that makes it okay to not have it age gated given how easy it would be for some kid to just wander onto it and if I were a parent I wouldn't want my kid watching such a video. I realize that's more a parenting problem, but it causes problems for the whole of the gaming community and not just a given developer when moral guardians get up in arms about something.

Also, Barry I'd like to thank you for keeping your posts mature. It's refreshing to find such a thing around here.

[Barry the Bounty Hunter]

Originally posted by Perseus:

I understand your stance, but I think that in an age where we're being told to sit down and shut up by publishers, developers, and other gamers we need to actually discuss things more then ever, otherwise actual problems and criticisms will go unspoken and unresolved. That's why I didn't keep this to myself because in an age where anyone who utters criticism of anything is labeled a Tumblr SJW and told to shut up, we need to push back against that with legitimate and mature discussion that avoids insults and petty attacks.

I considered the things in the trailer to be over a certain line and as such I aired my grievance as I have a right to do so and I believe it's irresponsible to not do so in light of people that will take things like that trailer and use it to further demonize gamers, among other things. It's one thing to do something over the top and silly. It's another thing when you do something that's legitimatelly disturbing such that for some people, myself included, it sucks out any of the charm and goes straight to nausea inducing with such a realistic and graphic depiction of gore followed by an emotional breakdown. As I said before, I'm not adverse to gore by any means and I've seen some terrible real world injuries. I just don't find entertainment in showing a child dying in such a graphic manner over a game. If the kid had just passed out or something I may have chuckled. As it is, I found myself asking who thought that trailer was a good idea and the fact I'm being insulted for actually having a problem with a game's marketing (which is itself a form of presentation and a big part of a product's first impression) is sadly very telling.

What's more, Neon pointed out the "banned" joke in the video name on YouTube (I'd like to point out that I didn't know it was on YouTube until I did further research), I still don't think that makes it okay to not have it age gated given how easy it would be for some kid to just wander onto it and if I were a parent I wouldn't want my kid watching such a video. I realize that's more a parenting problem, but it causes problems for the whole of the gaming community and not just a given developer when moral guardians get up in arms about something.

Also, Barry I'd like to thank you for keeping your posts mature. It's refreshing to find such a thing around here.

All of that is absolutely true, but if i had a problem I may have just searched for a number to ring or something rather than a public thread, but it is something people need to understand however. But the thing about YouTube is that parents with such concerns can use YouTube Kids or have the restrictions on all the time and stuff, but really if a kid found his/her way to the video they would have been watching similar stuff for it to have been recommended.

I get what you're saying though, the trailer messed me up a bit and they definitely could have toned it down a bit.

[LoneUnit]

I wasn't aware of YouTube Kids. And perhaps you have a point there. Maybe I'm just a bit old fashioned in that regard but even with all such safe guards you really do have to watch kids like a hawk. They'll get up to all sorts of things even if you take precautions. Seriously, look up some stories about kids stealing their parents' cars. A recent one I saw was a kid who learned how to drive from YouTube videos and drove himself and his little sister down to McDonalds (and was apparently a better driver then a lot of adults in the process, go figure).

As for finding a number, I really hadn't considered that simply because it's been years in my experience outside of tech support that developers really use phones numbers to communicate with their customer base. Or maybe I'm more out of touch with such things then I thought. It just seemed to me that in this day and age, using a forum that the developers at least look at seemed to be the best option but maybe I will try giving them a call if I can find a number.

And yes, I'm gald we agree that trailer could have been more...restrained in its presentation.

[Barry the Bounty Hunter]

I still preordered it 'cause it looks like a fun game and is right up my alley with the whole 1990s thing and it being rogue like and procedurely generated and such regardless of the trailer. Hopefully you didn't really like this game before watching the trailer and was turned off it because of it.

[LoneUnit]

Sadly, in my case I was seriously considering getting the game because of the Classic Doom gameplay combined with the rouge like and procedural generation aspects and was then turned off because of the trailer. First impressions beyond screenshots are an important thing and given how I reacted to the trailer I don't see it likely right now that I'll get the game. Maybe when it's on sale or part of a HumbleBundle or when I've reconsidered things, but as of right now it's not likely I'll give this game another look for a good while.