Hatred: Destructive Creations' Bleak Take on the Human Condition

The video game universe has seen any number of controversial titles wreak havoc on the impressionable hearts and minds of children everywhere. The last two decades have seen furores over Doom, Carmageddon, Mortal Kombat, Postal, Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, Rule Of Rose, Silent Hill and a helluva lot more.

In fact, it seems that any game with blood, violence or sex is fair game for the perpetual complainers. We’ve seen school shootings, domestic violence and road rage blamed on the Evil Video Games countless times. It can get a little tiresome.

But hold on to your hats, because there’s an imminent wave of self-righteousness from discerning dads and mums everywhere on the way. Step forward, if you will, Hatred

For video game veterans, it’s probably a case of seen it, done it, murdered somebody for their t-shirt. But whether you like it not, you’re going to hear a lot about this game in the near future.

Hatred is the brainchild of brand new studio Destructive Creations, who have guaranteed a PR whirlwind for their very first release. “an isometric shooter with a disturbing atmosphere of mass killing, where the player takes the role of a cold blooded antagonist, who is full of hatred for humanity.”

Destructive Creations seem to see themselves as anarchists, their work a statement against games “trying to be higher art”. Sure, they might sound bold and militant, but is it anything new?

We briefly touched upon a selection of the vast array of games that have caused all kinds of trouble in the past. It’s not difficult to name many more. Is there a place in the market for Hatred; a puerile, nihilistic and purposefully offensive kill-em-up?

Hatred: Destructive Creations' Bleak Take on the Human Condition

If you’ve been paying attention you’ll know the answer is yes, otherwise this game wouldn’t exist. But past the gaudy headlines, innuendo and token Goths eating up the game’s “fuck the world” message, will anybody actually buy it?

Video games have moved on a great deal since the 80s and 90s. Now that the technology is advancing rapidly, consumers want a more immersive and memorable experience. Besides, gamers are a very serious bunch. The low demand for tastelessness was revealed in August this year, when the Bomb Gaza Android game was removed from Google Play after a massive outcry.

We live in a cynical and at-times terrible world. Hatred is one form of response to it, whether it’s the ‘right’ one is a matter of personal taste. If the game does make an impact in the media, the evidence suggests it will burn brightly but disappear in a short time.

One Comment

  1. I own and play my share of fucked up titles (GTA, Manhunt, MW2 with its airport scene, and Condemned) but this one crosses every line. But I sound hypocritical judging, so I protest by silently refusing to purchase a game like this. The difference between this and those other titles, though, is this one has no point whatsoever. If you strip the shocking violence out of this all you will have is a boring ISO shoot ’em up. All those other titles do not reward you for murdering random civilians. In fact, as is the case with GTA, if you kill civilians the cops come after you and kill you. And you lose. Postal offered a similar experience to Hatred but it was not nearly as visceral. So…where do we draw the line? The answer is: we don’t. Freedom of expression is too valuable. It is up to parents and the collective to determine whether or not a game like this succeeds. If it succeeds, then all it does is reflect what our society has become at some point, and we are then only stripped of the illusion that this is who we were before this game was even conceptualized.