Game – Listorati

10 Failed Sports Leagues That Changed The Game

Brian Sepp — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 16:38:36 +0000

As we all learned through high school dating, it takes a tremendous amount of failure to learn anything worthwhile. The same lesson applies to modern sports. Sports would not be where they are today without the mind-boggling failures of many other leagues. These upstart leagues made the same mistakes over and over again, all while leaving behind important touchstones which still resonate in modern sports.

10Coloured Hockey League

The National Hockey League (NHL) fielded its first black player in 1958 when Willie O’Ree signed with the Boston Bruins. Eight years earlier, a player named Art Dorrington signed with the New York Rangers in 1950, but he never played in the NHL. This was nearly five decades after the formation of the Coloured Hockey League (CHL), which was Canadian as the spelling shows. Founded in 1895, the CHL featured only black players along with an incredibly modern style of play.

Hockey at the turn of the 20th century was a stale, low-scoring affair, lacking in both speed and agility. And slap shots. There were no slap shots before the CHL. Eddie Martin, a CHL player, is believed to have invented the slap shot decades before it was introduced into the NHL.

The CHL was also innovative in how goalies were used on the ice. Previously, goalies never left the crease, and played the entire game standing up. CHL goalies changed this by chasing pucks out of the crease and dropping to their knees to stop pucks. The goalies quickly became the team leaders in the CHL, a role they still hold today. These CHL tactics were quickly co-opted by neighboring white leagues, who were, of course, averse to giving credit to the black players.

The CHL toiled as a moderately successful regional league in eastern Canada until World War I robbed it of many of its best players, and the league folded in 1925.

9Federal League

Only once in Major League Baseball’s history has anyone attempted to challenge “America’s Game.” Naturally, the attempt ended in dismal failure, but it led to some interesting footnotes which still reverberate in modern baseball.

In 1913, the Federal League (FL) enacted its plan to become the “third” professional baseball league—after the American League (AL) and National League (NL)—in 1913. The FL offered players exponentially higher salaries than the other major leagues, and started franchises in major baseball markets to compete directly with already established franchises.

The plan was unsustainable since the FL could never hope to make enough money to pay the players in already saturated markets. It didn’t help that many FL teams lacked official nicknames and instead went by “Brooklyn Feds,” “Kansas City Feds,” etc. These factors caused the Federal League to disband in 1915, but not before suing the AL and NL for being “illegal monopolies.”

This case was decided by the Supreme Court in 1922 in Federal Baseball Club v. National League in favor of Major League Baseball. The Supreme Court ruled the MLB was a legal monopoly since it was primarily entertainment, and the Sherman Antitrust Act did not apply to it. This ruling effectively ended all future attempts to create rival baseball leagues, and gave the MLB the freedom to do whatever it wanted.

Additionally, the forgotten Chicago Whales of the Federal League built a stadium which came to be known as Wrigley Field, a minor cultural touchstone in baseball history.

8World Football League

The World Football League (WFL), begun in 1974 as a rival to the upstart NFL, immediately ran into trouble after the Philadelphia franchise gave away tens of thousands of tickets, but then marked them down as “paid for” in the accounting books. This caused many to view the league as illegitimate and amateurish. These naysayers were supported by the constant financial problems which plagued the league. Players were not paid during the season, and at least one team used McDonald’s coupons as meal money. The Birmingham Americans’ jerseys were even repossessed immediately after they won the championship.

Amid all of this turmoil, there was the bizarre situation of the Houston Texans’ John Matuszak. While Matuszak played in the WFL, the NFL’s Houston Oilers, who Matuszak had previously been under contract with, filed an injunction banning him from playing in the WFL. This injunction caused federal marshals to force Matuszak off the field in the middle of a game immediately after he sacked the opposing quarterback.

Additionally, the schedule (a blistering 20 games long) was so poorly formatted that teams often played each other in back-to-back weeks. And the league instituted a bizarre new rule where touchdowns were worth seven points and a bonus “action point” made them worth eight.

But the WFL achieved notable success in luring nearly 60 players, including Super Bowl Champions Ken Stabler and Larry Csonka, to switch leagues. However, like many upstart leagues, the salaries they offered (a combined nearly $3.5 million to Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield)—in an era without multimillion-dollar contracts—were unsustainable.

Besides exorbitant salaries, the league was years ahead of the NFL with many other innovations. The WFL added an overtime period for games tied at regulation, and outlawed bump-and-run coverage after three yards (changed to five yards in the NFL). Most importantly, the WFL changed the location of the field goal to its modern location. Until then, the field goal was puzzlingly located at the front of the end zone. This helped to end the dominance of field goal kickers at the time and just makes complete sense.

7Continental League

By the 1950s, baseball was a stale game. There had been no new franchises since the MLB’s formation, and the Yankees won every single year. Also, when the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles they discovered that people west of the Mississippi liked baseball, too, but they simply had no other teams in that half of the country. This state of affairs prompted Branch Rickey, the guy who signed Jackie Robinson, to orchestrate his Continental League (CL) “scheme.”

In 1960, the CL publicly announced its plans to add new franchises in major cities currently without baseball teams, such as Houston. No one knows if Rickey was serious about the Continental League or if he simply wanted to force MLB’s hand to expand. Either way, his plan worked and the mere threat of a new major league caused Major League Baseball to immediately expand into Minnesota, Houston, and Washington, D.C. All of these cities were chosen since they would have been the homes of Continental League teams. Over the next 15 years, the MLB added teams in Seattle, Toronto, Kansas City, Montreal, and San Diego, and threw in the New York Mets for good measure. Without a single pitch being thrown, the Continental League shoved baseball into the modern era.

6United States Football League

Donald Trump has been the part of many failures over the years—often marriage-related—and his forays into sports have been no different. In the mid-1980s, Donald Trump, then a legendary real estate tycoon, decided he had had enough of the National Football League. He teamed with David Dixon, the guy who built the Superdome, to create the United States Football League (USFL) in 1983.

Dixon had a conservative plan, which called for moderate spending, a spring schedule, and slow expansion into NFL markets, to allow for the USFL to successfully compete. The Dixon Plan was moderately successful over the league’s first two seasons as the USFL signed three straight Heisman Trophy winners, including Herschel Walker, and began to generate interest from major networks for a network television deal.

The deal with Herschel Walker, valued at $5 million over three seasons, foreshadowed the USFL’s demise, as it greatly exceeded the $1.8 million salary cap established for each team by Dixon. Once the Walker deal was allowed, other teams began signing exorbitant contracts, some to future Hall of Famers like Steve Young and Jim Kelly. These deals gave the league credibility but made it financially unstable.

But the league could have perhaps survived if “The Donald” had not convinced the other owners to switch the USFL to a fall schedule in 1985 to compete directly with the NFL. The results were disastrous, and the league decided to stake its future on filing an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. Shockingly, the USFL won the lawsuit, but were awarded only three dollars in compensation. The jury found the NFL was an illegal monopoly, but that the USFL had failed based on its own poor management, so they did not deserve any compensation. Almost immediately after this, the USFL folded in disgrace.

But the dispirited league left behind the legacy of the two-point conversion, instant replay reviews, and a salary cap, all of which the NFL adopted within a decade.

5American Basketball League

The American Basketball League (ABL) was founded when Abe Saperstein, the owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, was spurned for the new Los Angeles NBA franchise in 1960. Naturally, as revenge, he decided to create his own league, because that’s how rich tycoons settle grudges. To enact his plan, Abe enlisted the help of a relatively unknown young man named George Steinbrenner, who would lose boatloads of money in this venture before finding success with the New York Yankees.

The ABL was doomed for failure from the start since many of the players were amateurs, washed-up stars, or players previously banned from the NBA. To worsen matters, the owners clearly did not know how to run professional teams. Such was the chaos that Steinbrenner, owner of the Cleveland Pipers, sold player Grady McCollum’s contract at halftime. These wild moves caused Steinbrenner to personally lose over $2 million and taught him well for his future sporting ventures.

However, the ABL was instrumental in introducing two new innovations to the game of basketball. They added a three-point line and a wider free throw lane to curb the dominance of big men like Wilt Chamberlain. In time, both of these changes were implemented in the NBA, providing for a more energetic and high-scoring game.

4World Hockey Association

Surprisingly, the National Hockey League was made up entirely of North American players before the late 1970s. That all changed after the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA) attempted to, and failed to, compete with the NHL. As with many upstart leagues, the WHA signed its players to lucrative contracts which forced NHL owners to pay their players more. The WHA’s higher salaries had a major impact on the NHL since, until then, NHL players had been by far the worst paid of the Big Four leagues.

These high contracts eventually caused the WHA to fold in 1979, but it allowed the WHA to achieve playing parity with the NHL. The WHA won the majority of interleague exhibition games during its existence.

Most importantly, though, the WHA decided its best bet was to sign players from Europe. Until then, Europe had been a surprisingly overlooked market considering how dominant European teams were in the Olympics. This flood of foreign talent forced the NHL to do likewise, and changed the game into a more fast-paced and high-scoring affair, more like European hockey.

Wayne Gretzky started as an unknown player in the WHA before becoming “The Great One,” and five modern teams (among them the Edmonton Oilers, who became an NHL dynasty in the 1980s) originated in the WHA. Hollywood is even indebted to the WHA, as the Hanson brothers from Slapshot are based on the Carlson brothers who played for the WHA’s Minnesota Fighting Saints.

3North American Soccer League

Before the North American Soccer League (NASL) began in 1968, soccer was a mostly unknown and, at times, reviled sport to many Americans. The game’s mechanics, such as a clock which counted up, and a plethora of draws, made no sense to traditional American viewers. However, the English victory in the 1966 World Cup captivated English-speaking viewers around the world and gave the NASL the boost it needed to slowly bring soccer to America.

By 1973, the NASL was popular enough for the Philadelphia Atoms to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the first time soccer had been profiled by a major American sports publication.

Then, in 1975, the New York Cosmos signed Pele—arguably the greatest soccer player ever—and American soccer exploded. Soon, the Cosmos were regularly drawing crowds of 50,000 people and Pele was a media sensation. Pele was the sort of famous where his mere presence caused Nigeria to pause its civil war for 48 hours when he visited.

Such a star attraction caused CBS to pick up the Soccer Bowl (the NASL championship), and other networks began broadcasting regular season NASL games. Other NASL teams also signed aging European stars such as Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff to create a truly cosmopolitan league.

Pele’s popularity during three seasons with the Cosmos created a youth soccer boom, which catapulted soccer to the top of many youth sports statistics. The ensuing popularity led FIFA to award the US the 1994 World Cup. Of course, the NASL was still unable to make soccer a fully profitable league, and the high salaries to European players, along with the 1980 economic downturn in the US, led to its demise in 1983.

However, the lessons learned from the NASL were remembered by those in Major League Soccer (MLS), which began in 1994 and still operates today. The MLS imposed a strict salary cap, while still maintaining a high level of play and luring in past-their-prime-but-still-famous European players. Thanks to the NASL, soccer finally “made it” (kind of) in America.

2National Basketball League

The modern day National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed in 1949 when the Basketball Association of America merged with the National Basketball League (NBL). Yet, in 1996, the NBA celebrated its 50-year anniversary, which marked the 50th anniversary of the BAA, completely ignoring the NBL’s contribution to modern-day basketball.

This historical disregard for the NBL is unfathomable since the NBL was the league which first welcomed African Americans into the basketball world. The NBL also was where George Mikan, whose athletic prowess and star power practically saved the NBA in its unstable early years, began his career. Mikan’s scoring dominance eradicated the dead ball era of basketball, where scores were routinely in the 20s and 30s.

The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (which became the Detroit Pistons), a stand-out NBL team, were owned by Fred Zollner, an automobile magnate, whose money was integral to the NBA in its infancy. Additionally, five current NBA franchises—the Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, and Philadelphia 76ers—can trace their lineage to the NBL. Without the NBL, there might not be Christmas Day basketball.

1American Basketball Association

Plain and simple, the American Basketball Association (ABA) is one of mankind’s greatest creations, and certainly the only truly successful upstart major league. There was an ABA coach named Slick and a star player named “Bad News.” They played with a red and white ball, the Indiana Pacers even used a wrestling bear as a halftime show, and a franchise called the Memphis Tams offered all their players $300 to grow a mustache. All those novelties, combined with frequent financial chaos, created the most colorful sports league in history.

The ABA, founded in 1967, brought NBA basketball out of the doldrums and into the modern era by redefining how basketball was played. Like the ABL, the ABA instituted a three-point line which dramatically increased scoring by forcing defenses to defend the perimeter. This, in turn, created more space for drives and dunks. Given how obsessed modern basketball is with dunking, its shocking to know that dunks were not a major part of the game until the ABA’s flashy playing style began. The ABA capitalized on the popularity of dunks with a yearly slam dunk contest.

Furthermore, the ABA revolutionized the financial structure of basketball by allowing free agency, eliminating the reserve clauses which tied players down, and recruiting players directly out of high school. This allowed the ABA to grab talent before the NBA, and gave them a competitive balance most upstart leagues never achieved.

The list of NBA legends who began their career in the ABA is simply ridiculous: David Thompson, George “Ice Man” Gervin, Connie Hawkins, Spencer Haywood, Artis Gilmore, Jerry Lucas, Moses Malone, Dan Issel, and the human highlight reel—Julius (Dr. J) Erving. Future NBA coach Larry Brown also began his career coaching the ABA’s Denver Nuggets.

Yet, for all its flashiness and innovation, the ABA still failed because it was poorly managed, and put franchises in places like Pittsburgh and Baltimore. In 1976, amid dwindling revenue and only nine remaining teams, (most of) the ABA merged with the NBA in 1976. From the ABA came the Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, and the New York Nets, along with an influx of talent which resurrected the NBA from declining attendance and TV sponsorships in the early 1970s.

Geoffrey earned seven worthless liberal arts degrees before deciding to become a comedian. Follow his missteps on Twitter @filthyson.

10 Notorious and Interesting Video Game Controversies

Marjorie Mackintosh — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 06:31:37 +0000

The world of video games is an endlessly fascinating place, especially when you peek behind the curtain and learn its inner workings. Controversy is no stranger to video games, whether it’s attributed to a specific title or the people who made it. In this list, we’ll be running down some fascinating examples of various times the gaming industry was making headlines but for all the wrong reasons.

10. The Last of Us Part II Leaks

Honestly, we could just mention the title The Last of Us Part II, end this paragraph early, and just assume the comment section is already in flames. Whether you love it or hate it, the follow-up to Neil Druckmann and Naughty Dog’s 2013 smash hit, The Last of Us, is still a point of contention for many fans.

Not helping matters were the leaks before the game’s release back in April 2020, just two months before the game’s official release. On April 27, a leaker took to the internet and dropped over an hour of gameplay and cutscenes, spoiling some big reveals and moments from the impending sequel. These spoilers not only included the switch to the secondary protagonist of Abby partway through the game but the death of Joel as well! With these rather major reveals let loose on the web, many passionate fans quickly began voicing their displeasure with Naughty Dog’s creative choices.

Despite Naughty Dog’s best efforts to extinguish the fire, the damage had already been done, casting a dark shadow over the once highly anticipated sequel. Despite these leaks, the game still went on to garner solid critical praise, as well as selling over four million copies in three days.

9. The Mass Effect 3 Ending

If one were to harness the concentrated rage directed at BioWare in 2012, you could probably use it to power a small country for over a thousand years. For those of you not familiar, back in 2012, the hype for the third installment of the Mass Effect series couldn’t have been more rabid. What amplified the anticipation was the “Choose your own adventure” tinted nature of the game’s ongoing narrative. From the customizable appearance of the lead character, Commander Shepard, to the way the player chooses to engage with the plot and characters, the experience is beyond immersive.

So upon reaching Mass Effect 3’s ending and discovering that their various decisions over the past few years meant next to nothing, people were beyond disappointed and betrayed. For something this underwhelming and lazy to be presented as the finale to such a lauded franchise resulted in quite the backlash to be sure. Bloodthirsty fans look to the web to voice their displeasure, even going as far as to craft petitions for BioWare to change the ending.

Overwhelmed by the backlash, BioWare opted to release the Extended Cut DLC, to expand on the previously released ending. While this redux did resolve some lingering plot and character threads, it still wasn’t enough to satisfy the fans.

8. The False Advertisement of No Man’s Sky

There have been many instances in the video game industry of a highly anticipated project simply not living up to fan’s expectations. A major example of this is No Man’s Sky, released in 2016, and the allegations of false advertisement thrown at it following its launch.

For content, the advertisements of No Man’s Sky very much made it look like a next-level science-fiction game experience. Not only did the marking lead players to believe that the game would be teeming with diverse planets, wildlife, and deep exploration possibilities, as well as multiplayer functionality. Needless to say, players were very excited to play the game and explore every inch of its allegedly lavish and diverse world.

Unfortunately, when people bought the game on its release day, they were met with a game that was a far cry from what was promised. Not only was the promised multiplayer functionality absent, but the planets in the actual game were not as diverse and immersive as initially promised. Hello Games and its founder, Sean Murray, were soon swept up in a tidal wave of backlash and criticism from the gaming community, many of whom felt cheated and lied to. It got to the point where Hello Games needed to publically address the disconnect between the marketing and the disappointing final product.

7. Star Wars Battlefront II Microtransactions

In the world of modern gaming, one of the more frustrating developments has been the genesis of microtransactions within major titles. This refers to a business model where users can purchase in-game virtual goods – such as weapons, skins, and rare items – with micropayments. This means that many players can simply buy their way to a higher level in a certain game without progressing via their skill.

Nowhere was the inclusion of this aggravating trend more prevalent than when it came to Star Wars Battlefront II, published by Electronic Arts (EA). The game was heavily predicated on a loot box system, which effectively hinged the gameplay on a pay-to-win-based mechanic. When beta players realized that buying these loot boxes was integral to progressing in the game, it wasn’t too long before the backlash began. EA even found themselves under investigation by the likes of Belgium and the Netherlands as to whether the loot box mechanic constituted a form of illegal gambling.

Eventually, EA was forced to temporarily remove microtransactions from Battlefront just before its official release. They later reintroduced a revised gameplay system wherein the loot boxes were only for cosmetic upgrades. The whole debacle served as a harsh reminder that the modern consumer, especially in gaming, won’t blindly accept predatory microtransactions in their AAA titles.

6. The Cyberpunk 2077 Launch

Following the success of The Witcher games, hardcore gamers were ready for whatever CD Projekt Red, the studio behind them, had in store next. So when it was announced that they’d be adapting Mike Pondsmith’s Cyberpunk tabletop RPG series into their next title, fans were ecstatic.

Despite being announced in the early 2010s, Cyberpunk 2077 wouldn’t arrive on store shelves until late 2022, the release date having been delayed several times. However, when console users, specifically PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners, popped the game in on launch day the disappointment was almost instant. Players quickly ran into a downpour of technical problems, including crashes, low frame rates, and graphical glitches that made the game borderline unplayable for some. Additionally, players were also dissatisfied with the lack of deeper customization, the shallow NPC interactions, and the incomplete open world.

This couldn’t have fallen further from the mark of what was originally advertised, which made the game out to be a visually stunning and fast-paced gaming experience. CD Projekt Red was severely criticized for putting out a game that, from a programming perspective, was as unstable as a house of cards. Not only that but their stock price sharply plummeted following the launch of the game, even offering refunds to dissatisfied players.

5. Ubisoft Workplace Misconduct

No industry has been untouched by the Me Too movement which picked up steam in the late 2010s, especially the gaming industry. A major example of this was a major scandal in 2020 surrounding allegations of workplace misconduct within the walls of Ubisoft. Things kicked off when numerous reports began to surface regarding the toxic behavior of several high-profile Ubisoft executives and employees.

Before too long, multiple current and former female employees were coming forward with stories of mistreatment and harassment within the company. The stories ran the gamut of heinous actions, ranging from inappropriate verbal comments and behavior to several instances of assault and systemic sexism. These revelations led to the resignation or dismissal of several key figures within Ubisoft, including the chief creative officer, Serge Hascoët. Another key figure who found himself out of a job was the managing director of Ubisoft’s Canadian studios, Yannis Mallat.

Many current and former employees, publically expressed disappointment and ample frustration with Ubisoft’s lack of accountability and transparency. Following this, Ubisoft opted to launch internal investigations, as well as implement changes to foster a safer environment and a more respectful workplace culture. The whole incident stands as a harsh reminder of how grimy the gaming industry can be and what needs to be done to improve it.

4. Rockstar’s Infamous “Hot Coffee” Mod

When it comes to controversies within the gaming world, you can always count on the Grand Theft Auto franchise to provide more than a few. The irreverent and hyper-violent crime-based action-adventure games have always had a knack for making it into mainstream news headlines. Whenever there’s a discussion about violence in video games corrupting the youth, GTA has more often than not been a poster child for that claim.

However, the most noteworthy scandal revolving around the franchise came in the form of a minigame found in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In 2005, following its release, players who dug into the programming made a rather raunchy discovery, a hidden minigame buried in the game’s code. The game, now referred to as Hot Coffee, allowed the player to control the main character, CJ, as he engaged in aggressive sex acts with various women. The name itself is derived from CJ’s girlfriends asking him “Do you want to come inside for some coffee?” before the minigame starts.

While some fans might’ve been entertained by this discovery, it wasn’t too long before Hot Coffee was a source of major controversy. Rockstar Games and, their parent company, Take-Two Interactive were hit with a slew of lawsuits and fines, including a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

3. Blizzard’s Hong Kong Controversy

To understand the 2019 Blizzard Hong Kong Controversy, we must first quickly explain the game Hearthstone, one of the company’s flagship titles. Hearthstone is a free-to-play digital collectible card game where players build decks composed of different creatures, spells, and abilities from the Warcraft universe. The game became so popular that many skilled players have gone pro, even showcasing their prowess on highly touted tournament livestreams.

This leads us to the aforementioned controversy that began when a professional Hearthstone player, Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai, used said platform to signal-boost the Hong Kong protests. Blitzchung opted to wear a gas mask, a symbol of the then-ongoing protests, and shout a slogan calling for Hong Kong’s liberation during a post-match interview. This resulted in Blizzard banning Blitzchung from competitive play for a full year and revoking his prize money.

This decision kicked off an influx of outrage from fans, fellow pro players, and human rights organizations around the world. Many were incensed that Blizzard would punish a player so harshly, simply to appease the often stringent Chinese government. Blizzard soon had fans boycotting all of their game titles, as well as their employees staging walkouts and protests within their offices. Eventually, Blizzard relented and reversed the ban they’d placed on Blitzchng, even returning his prize money as well.

2. Bethesda’s Fallout 76 Launch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9FGaan35s0

It’s a bit hard to properly summarize just how passionate Fallout fans are about the still-ongoing post-apocalyptic game series. From its retrofuturistic style to its extremely immersive gameplay, when there is some new brewing in the Fallout universe people’s expectations are usually pretty high. So, when Fallout 76 was announced, especially following the success of Fallout 4, the anticipation train was right on track.

So, when the game finally arrived in November 2018, you can imagine fans’ disappointment when they discovered the subpar quality of the released game. While bugs on a game’s initial launch day are to be expected, players dealt with a staggering amount of bugs, glitches, and performance issues that hindered gameplay. These issues included server instability, frequent crashes, graphics issues, and even side-missions that were broken or just flat-out unfinishable. Additionally, the game itself was just devoid of any real substance, especially compared to prior Fallout games, lacking meaningful quests, NPCs, or storylines.

In response, Bethesda, the game’s publisher, had no choice but to issue an apology, as well as address the technical issues with a series of patches and updates. Regardless of where the Fallout series goes next, this entry will likely always be regarded as its lowest point.

1. GamerGate

Dread it, run from it, GameGate arrives all the same. Given the subject matter of this list, it was only a matter of time before we discussed one of gaming’s most volatile periods. Several years on, people are still analyzing and unpacking GameGate, the problematic online movement wherein female game developers and players were hit with targeted abuse and harassment.

The whole thing was spurred on by allegations surrounding Zoe Quinn, a female indie game developer. It was rumored that Quinn had engaged in a romantic relationship with a gaming journalist for positive coverage of her game. Despite these claims being largely baseless, many gamers believed it and went to work on attacking Quinn online and defaming her character. From there, the whole situation only got worse, with more developers and journalists, including Anita Sarkeesian and Brianna Wu, finding themselves the target of harassment campaigns. This harassment even escalated beyond hateful online comments with reported incidents including threats of violence, and even public doxxings of private information.

The whole thing served to highlight many of the deep-seated issues within gaming culture, including sexism, racism, and homophobia. Even now, people are still unpacking the shameful fallout of GameGate and how gaming culture can move forward and improve.

10 Historical British Massacres That Outdo ‘Game Of Thrones’

Marcus Ribeiro — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 03:02:42 +0000

Game of Thrones is clearly inspired by the jostling of power that has happened in the British Isles for thousands of years—with a few more dragons peppered in. In reality, British history is littered with tales of murder and betrayal that make the Red Wedding look like . . . well, a normal wedding.

Here, we detail 10 of the most fascinating and gruesome historical British massacres that have taken place in the name of conquest or just sheer bloodlust.

10 The Harrying Of The North

William the Conqueror successfully invaded Britain in 1066 and spent most of the rest of his life attempting to consolidate his power in one way or another. Three years after his initial invasion, his most notorious attempt came in the form of the Harrying of the North.

English rebels in the North had been employing guerrilla tactics—attacking when William’s Norman forces were off guard and then retreating. William found it incredibly hard to engage his enemy or get them to agree to any fixed battle in order for both sides to settle their differences swiftly. Therefore, William decided to fight dirty.

At the end of 1069, he launched a campaign of total annihilation in the North—burning down entire villages and slaughtering the inhabitants. He didn’t stop there. All food supplies in the North of England between the Humber and the River Tees were destroyed to guarantee any survivors would starve to death during the winter. It’s believed that over 100,000 people died.

The massacre was chronicled 50 years later by Benedictine monk Orderic Vitalis:

Never did William commit so much cruelty; to his lasting disgrace, he yielded to his worst impulse and set no bounds to his fury, condemning the innocent and the guilty to a common fate. [ . . . ] I assert, moreover, that such barbarous homicide could not pass unpunished.^[1]

9 The Massacre Of Glencoe

In 1692, 15 years before the Act of Union between England and Scotland, James VII was in exile in France as William of Orange looked to consolidate his power within the British Isles.

The clans of Scotland were bound to an oath they had made to James, and as such, William felt the need to clarify his newly acquired authority. He gave them a deadline of January 1, 1692, to declare their allegiance to him or face “the utmost extremity of the law.”^[2]

So loyal were the clans that they waited for word from James, still clinging to the idea that he might return and regain power. It took James until December 12, 1691, to admit to himself that it was impossible, and then he released the clans from their oath. It took a further 16 days for the message to reach the Highlands, leaving the clans only a few days to meet William’s deadline.

The MacDonalds of Glencoe struggled to meet the date. Their leader, Alastair MacIain, set off to sign a declaration of loyalty on December 31. Due to the amount of red tape and travel, his signing couldn’t be completed until days after the deadline. This pleased John Dalrymple, Scottish secretary of state, who had a particular dislike for Highlanders. He rejected the late signing and ordered the eradication of the MacDonald clan.

Commander Robert Campbell of Glenylon arrived at Glencoe 12 days before the massacre took place. The soldiers accompanying him had not yet been given their orders. They were friendly with the MacDonalds and requested shelter. The MacDonalds let the soldiers stay in their own houses.

During the night of February 13, Glencoe was caught in a blizzard. While the MacDonalds slept, their guests’ orders were finally laid bare. Thirty-eight were murdered, including MacIain. Of those who managed to escape, 40 more died of exposure in the hills.

8 The Massacre Of The Jews At York

On March 16, 1190, an estimated 150 Jewish people lost their lives. It was arguably the worst day in the history of York.

There was a strong undercurrent of anti-Semitism throughout Great Britain in the Middle Ages. In this case, the people of York were successfully riled up by four men in particular. They were William Percy, Marmeduke Darell, Philip de Fauconberg, and Richard Malebisse. The men’s motives were born out of financial incompetence and greed.

They had borrowed a large amount from Jewish moneylenders based in York and saw the increasing unrest in the city as an excellent opportunity to wipe their debts clean. Under the cloak of carnage, they were able to access all records of their financial failings and destroy them.^[3]

So successfully incensed was the general public that every Jewish person of York became a target and thus was forced to take refuge in the city’s castle. Even there, they were not safe. The crowd remained at fever pitch, unwilling to disperse. Many Jewish people inside the castle’s walls recognized this as an impossible situation and decided to take their own lives rather than eventually face the primal mob.

In the castle’s keep, patriarchs of Jewish families killed their wives and children before setting fire to their surroundings to kill themselves.

7 The Wihtwara Pagan Massacre

In 686, Caedwalla, the king of Wessex, conquered what was then known as Wihtwara and is now known as the Isle of Wight. It’s a strategically useful island off the south coast of England.

The island had changed owners quite a lot. Each time, the occupying power pushed its own beliefs on the existing inhabitants. However, once the dust had settled and the captors had moved onto bigger mainland projects, the people of Wihtwara would routinely revert to good old-fashioned paganism. It was a belief system that was abhorrent to Caedwalla, who professed the importance of Christianity.

To lay lasting claim to Wihtwara and to begin its proper Christianization, King Caedwalla gave every pagan islander a choice. He or she could either sincerely convert to Christianity or be killed. Caedwalla must have doubted many of the islanders’ sincerity because most people are believed to have been killed.^[4]

Records are kind of sketchy on what the actual death toll was. Only one survivor is recorded—the king of Wihtwara’s sister, who was married to King Egbert of Kent.

6 The Betrayal Of Clannabuidhe

No entry on this list has acted as a greater inspiration for Game of Thrones and, in particular, the Red Wedding than the Betrayal of Clannabuidhe in 1574.

Sir Brian MacPhelim O’Neill, leader of the O’Neill clan of Clanaboy in what is modern-day Northern Ireland, had been well-liked by the English. He was knighted in 1568 in recognition of his service to the Crown. However, in the six years following his knighting, O’Neill fell progressively out of favor with the English.

The English were suspected of plans to garrison major buildings in Clanaboy, which strongly contributed to the dissolution of the alliance and O’Neill’s preemptive destruction of those structures to make the plans impossible.^[5]

It was in the name of peace that he invited the earl of Sussex to a feast at his castle at Castlereagh, and indeed, everything was amicable until the feast’s end. At that point, O’Neill and his close family were seized as English forces slaughtered between 200 and 500 unarmed, unsuspecting guests. O’Neill, his wife, and his brother were then taken to Dublin Castle, where they were hanged, drawn, and quartered.

5 St. Brice’s Day Massacre

St. Brice’s Day occurs on November 13 and has become synonymous with the massacre that took place on it in 1002.

Fed up with persistent Danish raids in the preceding years by Danish King Sweyn I, the English King AEthelred the Unready decided to take extreme measures. Fearing further Danish attacks and to prevent an uprising, AEthelred decided to kill every Dane already living within his territory.

The exact number of deaths is unknown, but it’s believed that many people died. Most likely, the campaign of extermination only took place in areas of England that were not in the Danelaw. Naturally, those places were protected by Danish law and had been for over 100 years. Any attempts at slaughter in the Danelaw would have been met with significant resistance.

We do specifically know that there were a lot of deaths in Oxford. AEthelred wrote of an incident at a local church:

All the Danes who had sprung up in this island, sprouting like cockle among the wheat, were to be destroyed by a most just extermination . . . those Danes who dwelt in [Oxford], striving to escape death, entered this sanctuary of Christ, having broken by force the doors and bolts, and resolved to make refuge . . . but when all the people in pursuit strove, forced by necessity, to drive them out, and could not, they set fire to the planks and burned, as it seems, this church.^[6]

In 2008, during an excavation at St. John’s College, Oxford, the charred remains of at least 35 men were found. Further tests found that they were Vikings.

4 The Storming Of Bolton

The Storming of Bolton (aka the Bolton Massacre) most likely resulted in the greatest loss of life of any massacre during the nine-year English Civil War. It occurred on May 28, 1644, when the Roundhead (Parliamentarian) town of Bolton was attacked in the night by the Cavaliers (Royalists), under the command of Prince Rupert.

His army consisted of 2,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry. In the dark during a heavy rainstorm, Rupert’s forces adopted a slice-first-ask-questions-later policy that resulted in the deaths of around 1,600 people. This included civilians as well as off-guard soldiers.

As is often the case, the numbers are disputable. The death estimate comes from Roundhead sources. It could have propagandistic roots, with the Roundheads inflating the number of unarmed casualties to heighten perceptions of Cavalier barbarism. Only 78 Boltonians’ deaths are noted in the town’s parish register.^[7]

3 The Peterloo Massacre

In the years leading up to the Peterloo Massacre on August 16, 1819, there had been a tremendous amount of unrest in the entire Lancashire area. The textile industry was largely concentrated in the northern areas of England and was badly affected by a national economic depression.

Factory owners had cut the wages of their workers by as much as two-thirds. Also, the Corn Laws had been introduced in 1815, which enforced tariffs on grain. When these measures were combined with pay cuts, factory workers could no longer afford food. This affected around one million working-class people in the Lancashire area, yet they were represented by only two Members of Parliament.^[8]

Politicians such as Henry Hunt became incredibly popular with the working class during this period by championing parliamentary reform and the repeal of the Corn Laws. The massing of 60,000–80,000 people on August 16, 1819, was centered on hearing Hunt and others speak about such issues as well as sending a message that change was needed to the greater powers that be.

It’s been documented that the gathering was fairly calm. People brought their entire families and had picnics during the day. However, when Henry Hunt began to give his speech, the chairman of the local magistrates ordered his cavalry to arrest Hunt.

The cavalry was separated from Hunt by the crowd and decided to simply use their sabers to hack away all who stood in their way. It took 10 minutes for the crowd to flee, and 11–18 people suffered injuries that resulted in death. The number of nonfatal injuries has been estimated to be as high as 700.

As a direct result of this incident, a newspaper called the Manchester Observer was formed to report the truth about the Peterloo Massacre. Two years later, this morphed into The Manchester Guardian, which is now simply known as The Guardian.

2 The Massacre Of Berwick

When Margaret, Maid of Norway and recognized Queen of Scots, died in 1290, no clear heir was apparent. As a result, many people claimed that the throne was rightfully theirs. This prolonged period of uncertainty meant that the Guardians of Scotland, then serving as de facto heads of state, asked King Edward I to help arbitrate the dispute. Ultimately, he chose John Balliol to become the king of Scotland.

Edward thus expected a level of loyalty from Balliol that was not received. Edward ordered Scotland to send troops to help fight in England’s war against France. Not only did Balliol refuse, but in direct response, he formed the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France in 1295.

King Edward retaliated by sacking the economic stronghold of Berwick, which lies on the border between Scotland and England. The greatest atrocities happened in the days after the sacking, as documented in the 15th-century chronicle The Scotichronicon.

It states, “When the town had been taken . . . Edward spared no one, whatever the age or sex, and for two days, streams of blood flowed from the bodies of the slain, for in his tyrannous rage, he ordered 7,500 souls of both sexes to be massacred.”^[9]

Edward’s troops continued marching north through Scotland, decisively winning the Battle of Dunbar and forcing John Balliol to abdicate soon after.

1 The Menai Massacre

The Menai Massacre took place during the Roman conquest of Anglesey in either AD 60 or 61. Anglesey is the largest island in Wales and was the home of many druids, the spiritual leaders of the native people.

It also was a place of refuge for many tribesmen who fled Roman rule. Thus, the Romans came to see Anglesey as a particularly troublesome place and the site of a possible uprising. As such, the decision was made to massacre the island’s inhabitants.

By the time that Roman General Suetonius Paulinus and his legions reached the Menai Straits, the inhabitants of Anglesey realized that there was no escape. Roman historian Tacitus detailed what happened next:

On the shore stood a dense array of armed warriors, while between the ranks dashed women . . . with hair disheveled, waving brands. All around, the druids, urged by their hands to Heaven and pouring forth dreadful imprecations, scared our soldiers by the unfamiliar sight. [ . . . ] Then urged by their general’s appeals and mutual encouragements not to quail before a troop of frenzied women, they bore the standards onward, smote down all resistance, and wrapped the fore in the flames of his own brands.^[10]

The actual number of casualties is unknown. All traces of the druids were obliterated. However, it is clear that not everyone on the island was killed as the Romans established a garrison in Anglesey in which the native tribes were indentured.

David is a freelance writer and Creative Writing MA student. You can read more of his articles at CultureRoast.com. Follow him on Twitter and Like him on Facebook.

10 Video Game Cut Scenes That Were Better Than the Game Itself

Johan Tobias — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 23:18:37 +0000

Modern video gaming has become a medium for telling epic stories. Games have a length and immersion that you can’t find anywhere else. To help their tales move forward and find their pace, games like to break up the button-mashing with cutscenes. They’ve been doing this for decades, and it’s led to some jaw-dropping cinematic moments. Of course, some of those moments are better than actually playing the game.

Video game cutscenes have stolen the show countless times. Sometimes, all it takes is an average cutscene to stand out from a crappy game, and sometimes even amazing games are out-shadowed by legendary cinematics. This list gathers a few of both. Here are ten video game cut scenes that were better than the game itself.

Related: 10 Bizarre Ways People Have Beaten Games

10 World of Warcraft

Young gamers in the late nineties and early aughts faced an unprecedented challenge: trying to figure out what video games actually looked like from their commercials. Most commercials were either totally separated from their games and leaned into live-action farce—think the “Happy Together” Smash Bros. spot—or, like World of Warcraft, crafted masterful, artful CGI short films that look nothing like the game itself.

The latter is the case for World of Warcraft, which dazzled this writer as a young teen in the early aughts with its (at the time) hyper-realistic CGI shorts. Of course, anyone who has played the game, especially at launch, knows that the graphics aren’t its main selling point. Even in 2021, the game looks like an early N64 project, making the cinematic cutscenes some of its best components.

9 Resident Evil 2 (The 2019 Remake)

Resident Evil 2 is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous remake. It’s also considered by many to be a textbook example of how to handle a remake: it’s faithful to the original, and any changes simply streamline and polish where necessary. But if it has one best feature, it’s those cutscenes.

The opening movie in particular—the much-lauded gas station scene—is one of the prettiest, most technically impressive scenes in gaming history. Never before has an in-game cinematic, or any video ever for that matter, made me say, “Holy cow, what a realistic burger!”

8 Basically Every Sonic Game

Most Sonic games have cutscenes that outshine their gameplay by default. If you’ve ever played a 3D Sonic game, like, for example, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Shuffle, or any Sonic Boom, you know what a mess the franchise can be. Frequent glitches and frustrating controls have vexed fans for decades, and they have turned the games’ video sections into much-needed breaks from the madness.

Even the good Sonic games, like 2017’s Sonic Mania, from which the attached video comes, sometimes find themselves playing second fiddle to their cutscenes. Truly, the opening animation to Sonic Mania is one of the coolest in recent memory.

7 Two Bioshocks for Completely Opposite Reasons

Depending on who you ask, the Bioshock series is either “flawless” or “flawless aside from the ending of Infinite.” That leaves one unanimously adored video sequence—the “Would You Kindly” scene—and one sequence that splits fans in half—the “Sea of Doors” in Infinite.

We can’t discuss the “Would You Kindly” scene at all without spoiling one of the better twists of all time, but suffice to say: it is a masterpiece of storytelling and helped make the first Bioshock one of the best titles in history. The “Sea of Doors” ending sequence in Bioshock: Infinite, however, is divisive. Regardless of your stance on the ending, and whether or not it essentially sucked all the stakes and meaning from the rest of the game, you have to admit that the cutscene was original and dazzling.

6 Nier: Automata

Nier: Automata is one of those games that deserves all the praise it gets—and all the criticism. It is undoubtedly a titanic achievement in the medium and, overall, an excellent gaming experience, but it has its issues. One of them, its disjointed sense of pacing, can dampen the otherwise awesome experience. Luckily, whenever the game drags (like the laborious slog that is its introductory mission), it always swoops in with an awe-inspiring, grandiose cutscene.

The developers likely wouldn’t argue that point, as the entire premise of Nier was assembled to justify hot robot sword-fighters/fighter pilots like heroine 2B. As you would expect from a game designed to look cool, the cutscenes look, well…cool. 2B slices through enemies and lands in an Iron Man pose; giant war machines rise from shallow seas to battle aircraft, and everyone duels each other with Akira Kurosawa cinematography. Geez, just writing this makes us want to play that game again.

5 Super Smash Bros.

The CGI cutscenes throughout the Super Smash Bros. series are a treat, and not just for their drama and artistry. In a franchise with little emphasis on story, they tease one of the greatest stories yet to be told: the inevitable, box-office shattering Nintendo Universe crossover movie.

The Avengers are great, and the Justice League is…something…but a movie that teamed up Mario, Sonic, Link, Kirby, Pac-Man, and Pikachu would break the world into pieces. Then add Donkey Kong, Sora, Snake, and Cloud, and at least one billion nerds worldwide would have a collective meltdown—us among them.

4 Halo 2

Halo 2 is a terrific game. Following up on the unexpected breakout success of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 improved on its predecessor in every way. The gameplay was tight and fun, the score was tremendous, the graphics were ahead of the curve, and the story was a thrill ride. Plus: Keith David. And yet, despite all of that, the moments we remember best from Halo 2 were its cutscenes.

Who can forget the unsettling introduction of the Grave Mind? Sergeant Johnson commandeering a scarab? Any scene with the Arbiter? And, of course, one of the greatest cutscenes in gaming history: known officially as Return to Sender. When you first heard Master Chief say, “To give the Covenant back their bomb,” you either got the chills, or you have a skin condition that makes chills impossible.

3 Jedi Knight: Dark Forces I & II

Like Halo, the Jedi Knight franchise almost exclusively delivered fresh, fun action games with few missteps. To this day, the adventures of Kyle Katarn stand up to scrutiny and remain some of the strongest entries in the massive collection of Star Wars games. And no matter how fun the gameplay was, those early, live-action cutscenes are Jedi Knight’s best moments.

Admittedly, part of what makes the cutscenes so great is their unbridled cheesiness and how they seem completely unaware of their awkwardness. Even so, the cutscenes were memorable for those of us who grew up as Star Wars fans and had waited for new movies for a decade. Pre-Phantom Menace (and in a way, even post), the live-action Star Wars cinematics in the first Jedi Knight games were all fans had to go on.

2 Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 is probably the game that did the most amount of damage to the most beloved franchise the fastest. Its final scenes are notorious for capping off an amazing trilogy of impactful character decisions with…an ending that completely disregarded them all. That’s why Mass Effect 3’s stellar cutscenes easily stand out as some of its best moments.

After two games that kept Commander Shepard’s adventures on alien planets and ships far out in space, the opening sequence of Mass Effect 3 brought action home in a big way. Right when the game starts, the evil, nigh-invincible Reapers begin an assault on Earth that decimates the planet and its populace. The ensuing cutscene in which desperate human refugees attempt to flee our solar system is powerful and moving. When that beginning is contrasted with the game’s ending, you get one of the biggest disparities in gaming history.

1 Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3

Yes, this entry is tongue-in-cheek, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Well, actually it does, but whatever- we’re moving on. Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 is one of the best real-time strategy games ever. Along with Age of Empires, Command and Conquer basically defined the RTS genre. That makes its absurd, over-the-top, hammy video segments bewildering and memorable.

Anatoly Cherdenko is possibly the greatest video game character of all time, if only because he is portrayed—in live-action—by Tim Curry. Curry’s performance as Cherdenko is almost beyond words. Even from the man who stole the show in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue, It, and Muppet Treasure Island, Curry’s Cherdenko is insane. Just batsh*t insane. Even if you’ve never played the C&C games—even if you’ve never played a single video game—do yourself a favor and watch Curry’s cutscenes in Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3. “Space!”

10 Real Historical Events That Inspired ‘Game of Thrones’

Johan Tobias — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 10:06:58 +0000

With The House of the Dragon on the horizon, many are looking fondly back at the immersive experience that was Game of Thrones (ignoring the last season, of course). Apart from amazing effects, epic battles, and incredible dialogue, the show captured the world’s fascination with an epic plotline and twists few saw coming.

As they say, though, truth is stranger than fiction. Many of these “wow” moments in the series were nods to actual events in history. Here are 10 of them! But if you’re one of the three people who hasn’t seen Game of Thrones, beware—there are spoilers ahead.

Related: Top 10 Real-Life Counterparts To Game Of Thrones Characters

10 The War of Five Kings / The War of the Roses

The underlying conflict in Game of Thrones is largely based on the historical War of the Roses, named the War of Five Kings in the series. In the historical war, raging between 1455 and 1485, several houses battled for control of the English throne, with houses Lancaster and York (Lannister and Stark) being the main contenders.

The hated Joffrey Lannister is very similar to the ruthless and bloodthirsty Edward of Lancaster, who, like Joffrey, was allegedly the illegitimate son of King Henry the VI. Like Robert Baratheon, King Henry’s death was the catalyst for the War of the Roses. Believing the heir to be illegitimate, Richard, Duke of York, believed he had a better claim.

Margaret of Anjou, King Henry’s wife and Edward’s mother, mirrors Cersei in her adulterous affairs, ruthless ambition, and central role to play. Like Cersei’s imprisonment of Ned Stark, Margaret of Anjou was largely responsible for spurring the two houses toward war with her undisguised preparations to attack the York house.

Richard York, just like Robb Stark, initially was winning the battles but, sadly, would eventually lose the war. The War of the Roses came to a close with Henry Tudor marrying Elizabeth of York, uniting the York and Lancasters. Having the Lannisters and Starks marry to end the war clearly wasn’t what happened in the series, but we’re going to avoid talking about the show’s ending…^[1]

9 Jon Snow’s / Julius Caesar’s Assasinations

You likely let out an audible gasp when Jon Snow, handsome and charismatic leader of the Night’s Watch, was murdered by his own men. I sure did. After all, the show had a record of killing off its most beloved characters, and I had already had my heart broken by the deaths of Robb Stark, Khal Drogo, and poor honorable Ned. We know now, of course, that Jon wouldn’t stay dead for long, but boy, was that a miserable wait.

Jon’s death at the hands of his commanders is very akin to the infamous Ides of March, in which Caesar was similarly stabbed to death by members of the Roman Senate. You see, Caesar had worked his way up to become the ruler of Rome and intended to remain in power. Much to the horror of the nominated—not elected—Senate, Caesar was planning on naming himself Emperor of Rome, something the civilization had not yet seen. Despite the many advances Caesar provided for Rome and the peace under his rule, the Senate hated his arrogance and resented the thought of an Empire.

Caesar was ambushed by the Senate and stabbed 23 times to his death, one of his murderers being his adopted son, Brutus (represented by Ollie in GoT). In Shakespeare’s rendition of the event, Caesar’s last words were “Et tu, Brute?” (“You too, Brutus?”), and are hauntingly similar to Jon gasping Ollie’s name before the boy landed the fatal blow.

Unfortunately for the Senate, the people of Rome were horrified by the act and turned on them. With no clear ruler, Caesar’s death created a power vacuum, plunging the empire into years of civil war and making a whole mess of things. In the end, Emperor Augustus came to power, and Rome became an Empire, making killing Caesar both entirely pointless and ultimately a very poor choice. Oops.^[2]

8 The Red Wedding / The Black Dinner

Few scenes were more horrifying than the Red Wedding, in which the beloved Starks were massacred in the halls of the deplorable Walder Frey, ending their war to avenge their liege lord. There’s plenty of death, despair, and twists in Game of Thrones, but the notion of being murdered while being wined and dined by a supposed ally is a different breed of despicable.

Plus—as Talisa was pregnant and had decided on a name—they essentially killed Eddard Stark twice. That’s just so wrong.

Anyway, inspiration for this infamous scene had its roots in history, as confirmed by the writer himself. George R.R. Martin confirmed that the “Red Wedding” was inspired by the Black Dinner, an event in medieval Scotland.

Sixteen-year-old William, Earl of Douglas, and younger brother David were invited to join ten-year-old King James II for dinner. James and William were friends, but unfortunately for the latter, the Black Douglas clan was seen as a threat to the new king’s rule. From the start, the dinner was a trap orchestrated by the Scottish Chancellor, Sir William Crichton.

Once seated, the two Douglas boys were presented with a plate bearing the head of a black bull—a symbol of the death of the Black Douglas. Even in history, it seems, people really had a good time with gestures of symbolism, and George R.R. Martin compared the severed bull’s head to Robb and his direwolf being beheaded.

Following being served this disgusting symbol, the two boys were arrested, given a mock trial, and beheaded.

Another event that partially inspired the Red Wedding was the Glencoe Massacre of 1692, in which the opposite event happened. Captain Robert Campbell sought the hospitality of the MacDonald clan, then murdered his hosts. In both instances, the sacred rules of hospitality were violated, lending to the horror that took place in Walder Frey’s hall.^[3]

7 The Wall / Hadrian’s Wall

One of the most impressive and recognizable visual wonders of the show—other than the dragons, of course—was the dreaded “wall” of ice that separated the 7 Kingdoms from the “Wildlings.” This is a direct nod to Hadrian’s wall, an impressive 117-kilometer (73-mile) wall stretching from coast to coast across the modern-day United Kingdom.

Built by Emperor Hadrian (duh), the wall was constructed to protect the Roman province of Britannia from the unconquered Caledonia. Just like the Wildings of the North, the providences of Caledonia were roamed by clans considered to be lawless and savage, and their raids of Roman villages were common. There was great contempt between the Romans and their tribal neighbors, and the wall was seen as a deterrent to keep them at bay. Thankfully, the Romans didn’t have the army of the dead knocking at their door too.^[4]

6 The Dothraki / Mongol Empire

When little Daenerys Targarian is married off to Khal Drogo, we get a glimpse into the rough, violent lifestyle of the nomadic warlord. In Dothraki culture, strength is valued over all, and across the land, they instilled fear as some of the deadliest warriors in the world.

This was much the same as the Mongol empire, which ruled much of Asia and Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries. Like the Dothraki, the Mongols were excellent warriors that defeated their enemies on horseback and were constantly on the move. Mongol children were trained in archery and horseback riding from a young age, a trait the Dothraki copied—learning to ride and fight starting at the age of four.

The Mongol Empire was founded by the fearsome Genghis Khan, a prolific warrior and fornicator who, to this day, is responsible for about 0.5 percent of the world’s male population. He is the direct inspiration for Khal Drogo, who was revered as the fiercest Khal among them all.^[5]

5 The Battle of Blackwater Bay / The Siege of Constantinople

One of the many epic events of the show was the Battle of Blackwater Bay, in which fans were likely torn between wanting Stannis to really stick it to the hated Lannisters and simultaneously rooting for crowd favorite and only redeemable Lannister, Tyrion. In the show, our favorite dwarf outsmarts the larger Baratheon forces with Wildfire, a devastating concoction that burns stone, steel, wood, and flesh alike.

The inspiration for this little trick likely came from the second seizure of Constantinople. During this battle, the advancing Arab army was soundly defeated by a substance known as “Greek Fire,” which, like Wildfire, was able to continue burning on water. Just as Stannis’s naval force was obliterated, so was the attacking Arab fleet during the siege, their vessels soundly destroyed by the blaze before reaching the city walls.^[6]

To this day, the exact composition of Greek fire is unknown.

4 Ramsay Bolton / King Ashurbanipal

One of the more satisfying moments of the series was watching the cruel and unpredictable Joffrey Baratheon meet his well-deserved, violent end. Had we only known what cruelty lay in our next villain, however, we may have gladly endured Joffrey instead.

Ramsay Bolton took his house’s sigil—the flayed man—quite literally, dolling out the method at a whim. His sadistic joy in the torture was stomach-churning, making it even worse to know that his character takes inspiration from a real person.

The Assyrians were feared not only for their prowess in battle but also for their lust for torture. King Ashurbanipal of the Assyrians was no different, harnessing torture as a means of psychological warfare. Apart from impalement and crucifixion, Ashurbanipal also enjoyed the public display of flaying to flex his power. Beginning at the buttocks, thighs, or lower legs, the unfortunate victim had their skin slowly peeled away. If that weren’t sick enough, King Ashurbanipal had a habit of hanging the peeled skin around the walls of his city in a grotesque reminder of what would happen to those who disobeyed. Gross.^[7]

3 Joffrey’s / Attila the Hun’s Deaths

While we’re on the subject of Joffrey’s death, his demise definitely mirrors that of the infamous Attila the Hun.

Like Joffrey, Attila would meet his demise on his very wedding night. In celebrating his union with his new wife, the beautiful Ildico, Atilla got, well, drunk. As anyone should on their wedding night, right?

Sadly, his joy was short-lived. He was found dead the next morning under suspicious circumstances, bleeding from the nose and mouth. Accounts differ on whether he suffered internal bleeding due to his level of alcohol consumption or whether the inebriated groom choked to death after suffering a nosebleed. Either way, it paints a picture hauntingly akin to Joffrey’s sufferable last moments.^[8]

2 Jamie Lannister’s / Götz von Berlichingen’s Prosthetic Hands

Jamie Lannister is a controversial character. On the one hand, we were rooting for the charming, suave Lannister to make a turnaround and become the honorable man Brienne of Tarth saw in him. Who doesn’t love a good character arc?

On the other hand, he did push a child out of a window.

Either way, Jamie losing his sword hand was a shocking turn of events in which you couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy. Losing a hand to the average Joe is bad enough, but the Kingslayer lost a lot of himself with it—”I was that hand,” as he put it. Upon returning to King’s Landing, Jamie receives a gold prosthetic which, other than being very Lannister, had to be heavy and pretty impractical, right?

It turns out his prosthetic hand has origins in history. German knight Gotz von Berlichingen lost his own right hand at the age of 23 due to enemy cannon fire. Accounts differ, with one saying the blast hit his sword, which then hacked off his arm, while another claims the cannon took the arm clean off. Either way, Berlichingen left the battle one hand lighter.

Like Jamie, this was Berlichingen’s fighting hand, and he was also presented with a prosthetic. Unlike Jamie’s hand, however, Berlichingen’s replacement was made of iron and sported joints that allowed him to continue to use that hand to fight. Using his left hand to tighten the joints of his iron one, he was able to close the iron joints around a sword. “Götz of the Iron Hand,” as he would become known, continued to fight until the age of 64, after which he retired.^[9]

1 The Lord of Light / Zoroastrianism

“For the night is dark and full of terrors.” Another great example of internal conflict when it comes to loving or despising characters is the Red Woman and her “Lord of Light.” By the end of the show—which, yes, was infuriatingly badly executed—it becomes clear that Melisandre had a role to play after all. That said, her eagerness to burn people alive, including the innocent princess Shereen, solidified her place as ultimately evil.

The Lord of Light (known as R’hllor) is a nod to what is arguably the oldest monotheistic faith, Zoroastrianism. Followers of this faith honored one god and held fire as a sacred symbol, as it represented light, warmth, and purifying powers. Melisandre and other followers of R’hllor speak of fire as “burning away the sins” and death by fire to be the “purest death.”^[10]

Ten Dumbest TV Game Shows Ever

Johan Tobias — Fri, 05 May 2023 06:06:15 +0000

Stupid concepts, stupid costumes, stupid contestants. TV game shows are often guilty of more than one of these inane infractions. Save for reality shows (and perhaps cable “news”), no genre of television has contributed to the dumbing down of culture more. And while there are certainly a few great ones—Jeopardy first and foremost—there are many, many more mind-numbing ones.

Here are the ten dumbest TV game shows ever. When you”re done reading, our parting gift is an all-expenses-paid trip to the comment thread.

Related: Top 10 TV Shows That Wasted Great Concepts

10 Press Your Luck

“No Whammies, no Whammies… STOP!”

Press Your Luck could also make a list of the ten best TV game shows—for the simple reason that Whammies are friggin’ awesome. The pleasure derived from watching those little animated devils wipe away a player’s cash and prizes is some truly satisfying schadenfreude.

Still, the show—which, despite its pop culture legacy, only ran from 1983-1986—was idiotic on two levels. One was that the reward for answering questions was more spins… which may or may not be advantageous. Sure, someone with earned spins could pass them to a competitor, but that, too, could backfire based solely on luck. The problem with Press Your Luck was that champions were determined purely by… well, luck.

That is until one guy figured it out. A computerized board in the mid-1980s? There’s probably a pattern there. Sure enough, Michael Larson avoided the Whammy for a seemingly miraculous 45 spins, winning over $110,000 ($323,500 today). Larson noticed only five board patterns that, once recognized, dropped the chances of a Whammy wipeout to near nil. This assessment did not take a rocket scientist; Larson was an ice cream truck driver.

Press Your Luck was rebooted in 2019, with actress Elizabeth Banks as host. The board’s programming has become more sophisticated. The contestants, not so much. And, of course, Whammies still kick a** and take cash.^[1]

9 Family Feud

Survey says: Stupid!

Every family has a dullard black sheep. Family Feud proves that, often, there are actually four or five of them.

Granted, this doesn’t shine through in the bonus round, where two members from the winning family are asked the same series of questions in a time crunch. Anyone can get a little nervous and give a dumb answer in that situation. Recently, a contestant almost blew it after her adult daughter racked up 193 points—just 7 shy of the 200 needed to win. She gave just one viable answer and squeaked out a victory.

No, the idiocy on Family Feud comes when the contestants have ample time to consider a question with several viable answers… and respond with guesses that leave viewers wondering how on Earth they function in society. Lowlights:

Host Steve Harvey: “We asked 100 women to name something of Leonardo DiCaprio’s that you’d like to hold.”
Contestant: “The Mona Lisa. His painting.” (His family then claps and yells, “Good answer!”)

Harvey: “Name a kind of suit this isn’t appropriate for the office.”
Contestant: “Chicken noodle.”

Harvey: “Name something a man might be willing to go to prison to get away from.”
Contestant: “The police.”

And of course, because ‘murica:
Harvey: “Name a country whose men women find sexier than American men.”
Contestant: “The United States of America.”^[2]

8 Pitfall

Going broke, eh?

Before he became the most beloved and esteemed game show host in television history, Jeopardy mainstay Alex Trebek was the emcee of a Canadian program he later called “one of the greatest tragedies of my life.” That’s saying a lot, considering his tough task of beating back eye-rolls and laughing fits during rounds of Celebrity Jeopardy (more on that later).

Trebek is Canadian, as is Pitfall, which aired from 1981-1982. But unlike Trebek, Pitfall was ridiculous and moronic. And as we’ll see, it’s also infamous.

In Pitfall, contestants guessed at studio audience responses to questions about lifestyle and personal preferences. So basically, they tried to guess the likes and dislikes of folks attending the taping of a stupid game show.

Anyway, the winner continued to the Pitfall round. Or rather, they ascended there—literally taking an elevator with Trebek to a bridge with a series of stages called “pitfall zones.” They answer questions to advance to the next zone… except that some are “pitfalls” that take them down a level. It’s basically both stupid and complicated.

The show was… well, just awful. It was also expensive. Unable to keep up with the costs of maintaining what passed for a high-tech set in the early 1980s, the show’s production company went bankrupt and most contestants never received their cash or prizes. Even Trebek was stiffed of his salary.^[3]

7 Hurl!

Airing for just 11 episodes in 2008 on America’s G4 Network, Hurl! answers the urgent question of what would happen if contestants in the July 4th Coney Island hot dog eating contest were then shaken violently for several minutes. It’s basically a half-hour long recreation of the pie-eating contest scene from Stand By Me.

Hurl!’s premise is simple: extreme eating + extreme activities = extreme nausea. Its first round is a five-minute feast in which five contestants must choke down as much grub as possible. The three biggest chowhounds advance to the next round, while the other two escape with some sliver of dignity intact.

The next round involves a physical activity that, importantly, entails a whole lot of spinning. This lasts another five minutes—or until one contestants pukes. Crucially, only vomit that leaves the mouth counts, meaning you can gag as long as you swallow it again. The fact that this is an actual rule to an actual game should be red flag enough.

Regardless, the two finalists than gorge themselves for several more minutes before the final sloppy showdown: a sudden-death hurl-off. The first one to lose his lunch loses. Often, contestants are blindfolded for that extra equilibrium-robbing touch.^[4]

6 Red or Black?

For the better part of two decades, a friend and I had a running $10 bet: coin flip of the Super Bowl, heads or tails. At one point, my friend beat me 15 times in a row. The chance of that happening is 0.0000305176%, or 1 in 32,768.

There was, of course, no skill involved. It was dumb luck—just like the UK game show Red or Black?

Named for the colors of a roulette wheel, the show—which lasted only 14 episodes—drew over 100,000 applicants seeking a chance to win the grand prize of a million pounds. Each show featured huge groups of people with the mindless task of guessing between the two colors, with a wrong answer meaning elimination.

Cue gimmicky, random stunts like guessing which of two skydivers—one with a red parachute, the other a black one—would hit the ground first, or which color-coated motorcyclist could jump through an ever-narrowing space. Or which golfer would hit a bullseye first from 100 yards out.

The most mindless of these guessing games might have been the car joust, which combined the childishness of Medieval Times with the revved-up idiocy of bro culture. Contestants chose between the red and black knights, while viewers at home likely rooted for a high-speed bloodbath, which (I think?) would have meant red wins.^[5]

5 Candy or Not Candy?

Perhaps even more vexing than the choice between two hues is the all-important assessment of whether something is—or is not—a confectionary.

There’s some crazy stuff (literally—see the next entry) on Japanese television, where many game shows revolve around personal injury or humiliation. In fact, the inspiration behind the American obstacle course-centric show Wipeout is a Japanese program called Takeshi’s Castle, where contestants are challenged to storm a fortress-like structure by overcoming a series of intimidating and potentially injurious pitfalls.

But hey, at least those folks are getting bruised for a purpose. Such is not the case with another program. Aptly named Candy or Not Candy?, the show invites contestants to chomp down on a random, potentially tooth-chipping item… which may or may not actually be a sculpted piece of candy. Doorknobs, picture frame, table corners, shoes… could be chocolate or could be a trip to the dentist.

For a final flourish, those contestants wrapping their mouths around a non-candy item also get blasted in the face with something white, a parting shot reminiscent of… well, never mind.^[6]

4 Be Cute or Get Pie

We’re not done with Japan just yet, because it’s a game show nightmare over there.

For one, Japanese game shows are often revoltingly misogynistic. In The Bum Game, men are asked to identify their significant female others from a set of three—you guessed it—naked rear-ends. To help narrow it down, they’re allowed not only to look but also touch, grope, lick, and kiss the bare bottoms. The game is seldom fun for those fondled; it is even less enjoyable for those doing the fondling when, as sometimes happens, the rump they’re smacking and smooching belongs to another guy.

But one show is even creepier—and more moronic. Be Cute or Get Pie starts with a bunch of attractive women sleeping on mats on the floor. Then, one by one, some weirdo in a wig startles each from her slumber—sometimes by doing something rape-y like ripping the buttons off her pajama blouse.

Immediately upon waking up, the girl has about a millisecond to look or do something cute. If not, she gets a pie in the face, which given the show’s creep factor, is actually preferable to whatever seemed likely to happen next.^[7]

3 The Price Is Right

Come on down! You’re the next contestant on a completely moronic show! For one, the long-running daytime program is second only to Wheel of Fortune in knowing its audience—let’s kindly call them “average Americans”—and tailoring its contestants accordingly.

Structurally, the stupidity starts right from the first round, where four contestants, freshly drafted from a drooling studio audience, guess the retail price of some mid-range appliance or gadget. However, contestants can’t go OVER the price, meaning that a previous guess can be blocked by adding $1 to it. It’s basically the original game show d*ck move.

Whoever emerges from this sh*tshow plays their own game, which may or may not involve any skill whatsoever. While some require a smidge of savvy, many rely almost exclusively on dumb luck. In Plinko, contestants drop a chip that meanders through pegs en route to columns marked with various cash prizes, which is akin to a blind person throwing darts. In One Away, contestants are given five numbers representing the price of a car. Each digit is either one above or below the right column… as if anyone can know whether a Ford F150 costs, for example, $25,176 or $25,354. Random=dumb.

Then, three geniuses spin a big, uncontrollable wheel twice a show to see who advances to the finals. It’s all just luck—a dumbed-down game for a dumbed-down audience.^[8]

2 Celebrity Jeopardy

Answer: “This show confirms what you long suspected about many famous people—that they’re total dummies.”

Question: “What is Celebrity Jeopardy?”

At first pass, Celebrity Jeopardy is straightforward, perhaps even inevitable. Three celebrities (albeit typically of the B-List variety) play the most beloved quiz game in television history, with winnings going to charity. It started innocently enough when, in 2009, Jeopardy hosted the Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational. While not quite as cerebral as the typical game, the questions were no joke. Michael McKean, later of Better Call Saul fame, took top honors.

The problem, of course, is that most celebrities aren’t anywhere near as bright as an average Jeopardy contestant. Nor are they as smart as the average Jeopardy College Tournament contestant… or even Teen Tournament participants.

For a decade running, then, the result has been a brand of Jeopardy so dumbed down that it was persistently satirized on Saturday Night Live. Will Ferrell, playing the uber-dignified host Alex Trebek, is unable to contain himself amid a multitude of morons like Burt Reynolds, Keanu Reeves, Catherine Zeta-Jones and, of course, the late great Sean Connery. “Suck it, Trebek.”

Good news for fans of foolishness: Later this year, Celebrity Jeopardy will be launched as a standalone program. The show will air on Sunday nights on ABC, sandwiched between the intelligence-challenged America’s Funniest Home Videos and—God help us—Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.^[9]

1 Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune is the stupidest game show in TV history, and it’s not really that close. For starters, it doesn’t help that, in most U.S. markets, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, and their daily trifecta of troglodytes air immediately following TV’s smartest game show, Jeopardy. The vibe goes from collegiate to kindergarten in the span of a commercial break.

But the main reason is… well, the players, who seem pre-screened to filter out anyone halfway decent at word games—or, for that matter, anyone with an IQ over 75. No wonder the show calls itself “America’s game.”

So stunning is the stupidity Sajak has felt the need to save face on social media. This past March, ol’ Pat took to Twitter to defend three contestants who needed ten tries to solve the head-scratcher “ANOTHER FEATHER _N YO_R _A_.” I’d like to buy a vowel and some vodka to numb the pain.

In January, a contestant tried to solve a song lyrics category puzzle missing just three letters: “TH_S _AND _AS MADE FOR YOU AND ME.” Her guess? “This band has made for you and me.” Some called it the stupidest answer in the show’s 47-year history.

Oddly, Sajak inadvertently showed his cards while host-splaining his show’s dearth of brainpower. “Truth is, all I want to do is help to get them through it,” he began, before some honesty snuck out, “and convince them that those things happen even to very bright people.”^[10]

Christopher Dale

Chris writes op-eds for major daily newspapers, fatherhood pieces for Parents.com and, because he”s not quite right in the head, essays for sobriety outlets and mental health publications.

10 Video Game Villains Only Tough Players Can Encounter

Johan Tobias — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 00:59:47 +0000

Villains are standard in video games; they constitute an obstacle for the player at one point or the other. You measure the difficulty of a game by the number of villains you have to encounter or how tough they are to defeat.

Video game developers can be naughty, though, as they make some villains so tricky to find, and when you find them, it is an uphill task to beat them. Sometimes, a player has to survive multiple tiers of warfare to get to see certain villains—then the final battle begins. We are not basing our list on video game villains that are difficult to defeat in battle but rather on villains that are difficult to meet. You will need to travel to hell and back to book a fight with these villains:

10 Death Bringer—Golden Axe

Golden Axe is an old-school game that was released by Sega in 1989. At the time, video game developers ensured that the enemies moved faster than you and sometimes tried to swarm you. The Death Bringer is the most difficult villain to handle in Golden Axe. He sits on the throne with an army of two skeletons fighting alongside him. The skeletons disappear as soon as you are able to knock Death Bringer’s axe out of his hands.

It’s easier to imagine killing Death Bringer than actually doing the deed. Firstly, a player needs to use all their magic to weaken him—we mean weaken only, not kill. Also, the player must use jump attacks to land a blow on Death Bringer because that is the only practical way to avoid his army of skeletons. You need to jump and time your hits so that you land a blow on Death Bringer while simultaneously avoiding his minions. Once a player kills Death Bringer, they have reached the end of the game.^[1]

9 Mundus—Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry is the first game in the Devil May Cry series. The protagonist is Dante, whose arch-enemy is Mundus. The storyline is that Mundus, a demon lord, murdered the mother of Dante, which put Dante on a revenge mission to eradicate all demons from existence. The plot of the game is straightforward: Dante gets to kill demon after demon until he reaches the Demon Lord, Mundus.

Mundus’s physical form is grotesque; he is a writhing mass of living tissue with three eyeballs and several hands. His personality is as bad as his appearance. He is depicted in the game as a sadist who has no compassion or empathy for his minions. Devil May Cry is no easy game. Only the most formidable players get to see Mundus as you must successfully battle from one demon to another.^[2]

8 M. Bison—Street Fighter II

M. Bison is a video game villain in Street Fighter II, a game that was made in the era when video game supervillains were particularly difficult to beat. His attire consists of a red military uniform adorned with large silver shoulder plates topped off with a cap. M. Bison is one of the most difficult video game evil bosses to encounter. A player must get rid of all other opponents before booking a fight with him. The opponents in this game are not easy to fight either, yet you must kill them all before you get a chance to fight M.Bison.

In the game, M. Bison is the leader of the criminal organization named “Shadaloo.” He is capable of performing several stunts to defeat the player of the game. Some of his moves include the Psycho Crusher, Double Knee Press, Head Press, and Somersault Skull Diver.^[3]

7 Ozma—Final Fantasy IX

Ozma is a villain in Final Fantasy IX. To be able to find this villain, a player needs to reach the Chocobo Air Garden. Unfortunately, getting to this level is a challenge because a player must get upgraded to the Gold Flying Status. This is your ticket to the Chocobo Air Garden, and it takes several hours of play before a player is qualified to meet Ozma.

Not only is it difficult to get to meet this supervillain, but it is also difficult to fight him. Ordinarily, he can resist all physical attacks without suffering harm. The only way to make him vulnerable to physical attacks is to complete the “Friendly Monsters” side quest. This is an ordeal on its own—and remember that the purpose of this side quest is to make Ozma vulnerable to physical attacks, not to kill it. Completing this side quest does not make the game easier in any way, though. We have no doubt in our minds that this supervillain deserves to be on this list.^[4]

6 The Cow King—Diablo II Resurrected

The Cow King is a supervillain in the video game Diablo II. It exists in the secret cow level. A player needs to kill Baal on each of the levels to be able to access their respective cow levels. The Cow King is a legend because only the most skillful players can access him. After killing Baal, the player will combine a Tome of Town Portal with Wirt’s leg in the Horadic Cube while in the Rogue Encampment. This is how to unlock the secret portal where the Cow King resides.

Take note that it is so much work to get to book a fight with the Cow King. The secret cow zone contains an army of Hell Bovines that will try to swarm the player and kill him. You must have honed your skills and amassed a lot of weapons to be able to survive the secret cow level.^[5]

5 Moon Presence—Bloodborne

Moon Presence is a video game supervillain that deserves to be on this list. Moon Presence is unique because he isn’t the most difficult villain in the Bloodborne game, but for a player to get to fight him, such a player must have been through hell. Aside from killing villains like Lady Maria, Ebrietas, and Gehrman, a player hoping to confront Moon Presence must have consumed three umbilical cord items found throughout Yharnam.

Do not be deceived; not all the umbilical cords come easy. You must fight your way to get to some of them. It is only after these umbilical cords have been consumed and Gehrman has been defeated that the Moon Presence descends into the arena for the final battle of the game.^[6]

4 Akuma—Super Street Fighter II Turbo

Akuma, otherwise known as Gouki in Japan, is a video game supervillain only tough players get to face. In order to meet Akuma, the player can play any character but must defeat all the preliminary opponents without losing a single credit. This is how tough it is to meet this video game supervillain. Booking a fight with Akuma is achievable but nearly impossible. To meet Akuma is comparable to surmounting Mount Everest, and the villain is a toughie to fight even if a player manages to meet him in the first place.

Akuma has the ability to easily escape from corner traps or bad situations with teleport. He is an overwhelmingly strong character with high-damage combos and specials. Akuma is capable of throwing two Hadokens in mid-air, and his higher attack strength and priorities mean that players who will survive the fight against him must be on their toes throughout the encounter.^[7]

3 Sigrun—God of War

Sigrun is a Valkyrie Queen and an optional video game villain in God of War. She is the leader of the nine Valkyries. Every Valkyrie in God of War is tough, but Sigrun makes the others look easy. Of course, we are not really surprised—that is why she is their queen, after all. To find Sigrun, a player must conquer the other eight Valkyries scattered in different locations within the game.

Once a player is done with the other eight, they proceed to the Council of Valkyries. This is a large open area filled with crumbling stone thrones. Once the player gets to the circle of seats, they need to take specific steps to summon Sigrun. The player places all the heads of the slain Valkyries on their respective seats. This conduct will make a black orb appear in the middle area, then the battle with Sigrun begins.

Sigrun is a quick and versatile villain who can quickly spell defeat for an inexperienced or ill-prepared player. Sigrun has the capacity to jump into the air with ease, which makes her quickly disappear from the view of the player. In order for a player to stand a chance to defeat her in battle, such a player must keep their eyes on Sigrun at all times.^[8]

2 Nemesis—Returnal

Returnal is a PS5-exclusive game. There are several villains in the game, but the most difficult of them all is Nemesis. This supervillain can be found in the third Biome. Before a player can think about challenging Nemesis, they need to have defeated other supervillains in the first three biomes. The list of threats in this game is endless—at one point, a player will have completely autonomous guns shooting at them, and a player will also get to meet the Kerberon, an alien lizard, and the Lamiadon, a flying creature, among other villains.

When you are done with all of these in the Overgrown Ruins, you then proceed to the Crimson Waste. If you are successful here, you head to the Derelict Citadel. This is where Nemesis is located. Nemesis does not fight alone; he has accomplices that will make your job of killing it much more difficult. Nemesis is a tough video game villain to beat, but that is not why he is on this list. He is on this list because a player needs to fight gallantly to get to him.^[9]

1 Yiazmat—Final Fantasy XII

Yiazmat is the final Elite Mark villain that a player will get to fight in the Final Fantasy XII game. There are 32 Marks and 12 other Elite Marks villains in the game. Each of these 32 Marks and 12 Elite Marks will be encountered in different locations and under different circumstances. A player must overcome them all before they will able to book a date with Yiazmat. Final Fantasy XII is one of the toughest video games ever made. Not only does it take you so much to come this far, Yiazmat itself is the most difficult of all the villains in the game.

We have no doubt that Yiazmat is the undisputed ruler of the video game villains that are the hardest to reach. In fact, only the best of the best players can book a date with it. Yiazmat has several devastating attack capabilities, and each of its moves has a five percent chance of causing instant death to the player it is confronting. It takes the average player two hours to be able to defeat this supervillain. At a point during the fight, the player confronting Yiazmat may need to hide to recoup their strength or even go to get more weapons to enable them to win the fight.^[10]

10 Bizarre Video Game Marketing Campaigns

Johan Tobias — Sun, 12 Mar 2023 00:19:09 +0000

Marketing is the lifeblood of sales. Unless a brand has already established itself as a dominant force in the market, it will be difficult for the public to react positively to its product launch without some form of marketing.

Sometimes, products perform well in the market solely because of an optimized marketing effort. This is the reason why every industry invests in marketing. In the world of video games, there have been successful and unsuccessful marketing campaigns. What we are, however, not prepared for are bizarre marketing campaigns. These marketing efforts are very strange and far from the usual. Some of these campaigns were so unusual that they attracted criticism and even law enforcement.

Here are ten of the most bizarre video game marketing campaigns.

10 Call of Duty: Black Ops III Issues Fake Terror Alert

The makers of Call of Duty went too far when they live-tweeted that a terror attack was taking place in Singapore. The false claim was only a publicity stunt to introduce their new game Call of Duty: Black Ops III. First, it is very unusual for a video game maker to make false terrorist attack claims, but what we find more bizarre is that this extraordinary publicity stunt was totally unnecessary. Call of Duty was already a successful video game franchise.

The marketing campaign backfired quickly, with many people responding on Twitter that the publicity stunt was in poor taste. Most people would agree that the video game maker could have done better, considering terrorist attacks do take place in the real world, and the fear of terrorism exists all over the world. There is no doubt that this marketing campaign was downright bizarre.^[1]

9 Electronic Arts Causes Gridlock in London with Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

The plot of the game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is straightforward. The protagonist’s aim is to kill the President of Venezuela. Since the plot of the game also involves Venezuelan oil facilities, the marketers of the game actually tied the game to a physical gas station, or maybe they were trying to set the world aflame for real—we may never know for sure. One thing we know is that there was a marketing stunt to promote the game that involved £20,000 worth of free fuel at a single gas station.

The line of cars going to this gas station was very long, and drivers started having altercations. Each driver received £40 of free fuel from the marketers of the game. It didn’t take long before police shut down Electronic Arts’ operations due to the ensuing chaos. In fact, a member of the British Parliament demanded an apology from Electronic Arts, claiming that the video game publishers were trying to cause Venezuelan-style fuel riots in London. Any marketing campaign that gets the attention of the police and triggers a request for an apology from an MP is an unusual one. This is the most considerate way we can tag the promotion.^[2]

The previous week, the same promo seemed to have gone off without a hitch in the U.S. A La Cienega Blvd. gas station in Los Angeles saw actors hired as mercenaries with signs offering the free gas and helping with directing cars.

8 Zynga Vandalizes City Sidewalks with Counterfeit Money

Photo credit: Mafia Wars / Zynga

Despite being an online game heavyweight, Zynga let us down with its ridiculous attempt to promote the game Mafia Wars. The company glued fake promotional bills to the sidewalks of Manhattan. This is nothing but vandalization of public property. At one point, the San Francisco City Attorney’s office had to open an investigation into the ignominious act. Besides the counterfeit money Zynga put into circulation, marketers also produced decals depicting gang violence to market the video game. They also glued the bills to the sidewalks in Manhattan, even after receiving a rebuke for the stunt in the City by the Bay.

The Deputy City Attorney called the marketing campaign “illegal and actionable.” Not mincing words about this incident—any marketing campaign that warrants rebuke from the City Attorney’s office is an odd campaign. ^[3]

7 Electronic Arts Stages Protest Against Its Own Game

Just when we think that we have seen the worst of it, we are confronted with another weird video game promotion strategy that we cannot wrap our heads around. This is the second time we find Electronic Arts on our list for a similar reason. In 2009, the game publisher hired a group of 20 fake protesters to demonstrate outside the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles to protest the upcoming game Dante’s Inferno.

The most ridiculous thing about this incident is that these fake protesters found the perfect excuse to stage their protest—religion! According to these jokers, the upcoming game glorified eternal damnation. The fake protesters held up picket signs asking people to “Trade in Your Playstation for a Praystation.” In a strange twist of events, Electronic Arts turned around to admit that the protest was fake and staged by their marketing agency.^[4]

6 Splinter Cell: Conviction Roleplay Leads to Police Intervention

Splinter Cell: Conviction is an action-adventure game that emphasizes stealth; however, the promotional stunt for the game went too far and nearly led to death. In Auckland, New Zealand, a man with bandages on his hand threatened the patrons of a bar with a fake gun, and police were immediately called to the scene. What we find very bizarre about this particular marketing campaign is that even the police officers that responded could not immediately determine that the gun being brandished by the promotions worker was fake until it was retrieved from him.

We find ourselves asking some questions: what if the police had been trigger-happy and fired at sight? What would have happened to the promotions worker? Is death a justifiable end for a video game marketing campaign? No matter how hard we tried, finding an answer wouldn’t be an easy task. But we are certain that this video game promotion effort is far from the usual.^[5]

5 Bethesda Wants to Give a Baby a Dragon-Themed Name

Bethesda is the video game company that produced the game The Elder Scrolls V.Skyrim. The company announced a contest for any child born on the day the game was launched. The catch was the parents had to name the child “Dovahkiin,” which translates to “Dragonborn” in dragon language. If the parents did this, the child would win Bethesda games for life. Coincidentally, parents Megan and Eric Kellermeyer welcomed their baby on November 11, 2011, at 6:08 pm—the same day the game was launched. And as they longed to give their baby a unique name, the contest just happened to have been announced at the most appropriate time.

You can’t deny this might be a marketing campaign taken too far. It is downright bizarre that a company would encourage parents to burden their child with such a name. While we can’t guess exactly what was going on in the minds of Megan and Eric Kellermeyer, whatever was in there was absolutely unusual. Can you hear the teasing on the playground already? However, it shouldn’t surprise you that this campaign has been done before. In 2018, KFC offered a college scholarship for the first child born on Colonel Sanders’s birthday to be named Harland (the Colonel’s first name). So now little Harland Rose will have money when she’s old enough for college. Well, at least it wasn’t Dovahkiin. Poor kid!^[6]

4 Resident Evil 6 Experiments with a Weird Meat

In order to promote Resident Evil 6, Capcom, the company that produced the game, decided to embark on a very unusual promotional tactic. This promo involved the creation of a butcher shop with meat that looked like human flesh. The butcher shop was called “Wesker & Son.” The meat on sale was actually edible animal meat carefully constructed by a food artist to look like human body parts. The butcher shop was open for two days before it closed.

There is another bizarre development relating to the launch of Resident Evil 6. The first marketing stunt involved the creation of fake murder scenes in front of popular media businesses in London.^[7]

3 Acclaim Painted Pigeons for Virtua Tennis 2

Acclaim used a weird and unusual marketing stunt to introduce its game, Virtua Tennis 2, to the world. The company painted homing pigeons with the game’s logo and released the pigeons over Wimbledon. This particular marketing campaign was directed at tennis enthusiasts, considering the chosen venue. Although Wimbledon is already famous for the occasional descent of pigeons, this would be the first time that people would get to see a painted pigeon, especially one that bears a message.

Some will never forget this unusual advertisement stunt. If only video game marketers used their power for good instead of painting the poor, innocent pigeons.^[8]

2 Acclaim Offers to Pay Parents to Name Their Child Turok

Acclaim is here again! The New York-based video game publisher started a contest, offering $10,000 to the first parent to name their newborn child after the dinosaur-slaying hero in its upcoming game Turok: Evolution. In order for the parent(s) to qualify for the prize, the child must be named Turok. There is an understandable reason why we consider this a bizarre form of marketing—the poor child is saddled with the name and has to answer to it. Makes you wonder what’s going on in the minds of these parents.

It’s also worth noting that Acclaim Entertainment as a company has gotten excellent results from such unconventional marketing efforts before this particular move. In the same month that the company announced the “Turok” challenge, it received thousands of responses when it offered £500 and an Xbox game console to anyone in Britain who was willing to change their legal name to Turok. We’ll never know if these people were in love with the name or just keen to take any prize, no matter how small.

Surprisingly, an Acclaim spokesman, Alan Lewis, said that the unusual promotional tactic was the only way to survive in the world of video games because of the stiffening competition. In 2020, a staff writer for VG247 decided to track down the five people who were reported to have received the prize money. After numerous dead ends, he stumbled upon the truth. All five people were actors who had been paid to claim they had changed their name. No one actually had done it. But still, it garnered a lot of buzz at the initial campaign rollout.^[9]

1 Mass Effect 3 Discs Shot into Space

This is the most unusual of them all and deserves the number one spot. Electronic Arts gave fans of the game Mass Effect 3 the opportunity to play the game early in a unique way. The first copies of the game were carried up into space by weather balloons which later released them. People on the ground could track the falling games thanks to attached GPS devices.

Fans could also monitor where the nearest game landed. The targeted cities were New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Berlin, London, and Paris. What a fan needed to do to get any of the copies was to create an EA (Electronic Arts) online account, then track down copies of the game as they fell to Earth using EA’s GPS system. Once the game landed, it became an open race. The first set of fans to get to the landing sites would get all the available copies on a first-come basis. While we commend Electronic Arts for this exceptional display of technological proficiency, we find it downright bizarre that a video game company would send video games to outer space.^[10]