Don’t get me wrong. Hatred is still a terrible game. It only got popular BECAUSE of its OMG SO EDGY advertising and the controversy was nothing but a blessing for the developers. From reviews, you’ll quickly find out that the game is a fairly average shooter.

Originally, I posted about how people within the industry were unhappy due to the game’s attempt at riding on controversy which did nothing but throw the industry’s reputation under the bus (even further than it already was), instead of simply being unhappy about the game’s content. I posted that this game was going to continue furthering the “GAMEZ WILL MAEK U A MORDERER” thing that’s been going on for so long. I once again stated that the developers shouldn’t have made the game in the first place. I now retract this idea.

A friend on Facebook pointed out to me that I was asking an artist not to release their art to the public due to its content. I also realized that I was, despite my better attempts not to, making a value judgment about the game’s creators and the people who enjoy the game. This is an easy trap to fall into, and it happens a lot within modern art criticism. This is something I really hate and I wish people would just stop with that.

My friend pointed out that removing the game because of the potential outcry about the game from outside the industry is only giving those critics exactly what they want. This is a good point and I want to add to it. Because, you see, were it not Hatred it would be Postal. Were it not for Postal it would be Call of Duty. Were it not Call of Duty it would be… I dunno, Mario stomping on Goombas? What I’m getting at is that even if Hatred wasn’t a thing, gaming’s critics would find something else to use to argue for the censorship of games, and with a well-deserved AO rating, children and others who might actually be affected by the game’s content likely won’t be able to get their hands on it. Unfortunately, Steam’s method of keeping children away from the game is about as effective as “Are you 18?” warnings, but this is more an issue with the concept of online distribution rather than with Hatred itself.

TL;DR: Haters gonna Hate, stop being jerks about things you don’t like, and Hatred still probably sucks anyway.