The Evil Within Controversy: Bethesda Harshly Criticized by Barbed Wire Representatives – Has the World Gone Mad?
by Marta Branco, posted April 15, 2014 / 1 Comment
There’s currently a huge controversy surrounding the upcoming survival-horror game, The Evil Within. Several barbed wire advocacy groups are harshly criticizing Bethesda for portraying this fencing material as a violent and vicious tool. The barbed wire industry is angered with Bethesda’s apparent lack of sensibility towards this benefic material:
Barbered wire is a positive force for good. It protects our junk yards from scrap metal thieves and helps keep our cattle ranchers safe from rustlers. But Bethesda thinks it’s okay to ignore all the benefits of barbed wire and make it look like some scary thing used by murderers.
Barbed wire users are also enraged and demand an apology from Bethesda. Several protests have been triggered all over the United States and the game maker has already answered:
We have immense respect for barbed wire and never meant to insult this practical fencing material in any way.
Mysterious of the World
I know everyone has the right to express their opinions and positions in democratic societies. But are there no limits for absurd arguments anymore? My first reaction to this news was exactly: Has the world gone mad? Perusing a game company for featuring an object with the clear aptitude to accomplish violent actions is at least, naïve and imprudent. Besides, I don’t think Bethesda’s goal was to “ignore all the benefits of barbed wire”. They simply wanted to contemplate a traditional horror element to spicy up things. Is that a crime in the current days?
The Walking Dead series is a good example of barbed wire being used offensively. In this image, sociopath Negan is about to beat Glenn with a barbed wire encased baseball bat.
A Little Bit Too Dramatic. No?
Now, I found it curious that barbed wire representatives are infuriated by the inclusion of this material in a horror video game. Where have they been all this past years? I mean, barbed wire has been used for decades in horror entertainment and it’s one among many other scary elements that generally appears in productions of this same genre. There’s absolutely nothing new or controversial about offensively using barbed wire in video games. In fact, this uprising is quite perverse and ambiguous because barbed wire has as many negative usages, as positive ones – it’s a tool, an instrument, ultimately a weapon, and only people can determinate its final purpose.
This is a perfect example of how barbed wire can be simultanous defensive and offensive. The woman here is trapped inside a barbed wire cage (offensive) but whoever trapped her there is restraining her from getting any further (defensive).
Barbed Wire: Among Good and Evil
Is it shocking to see guns and knives hurting or killing people? The truth is that weapons can also protect and save lives, they can be an everyday positive force but just as barbed wire, they have a double perseverance. Good or evil that’s always up to us, people, to decide how we use our tools, weapons and whatever other objects that might serve multiple purposes. Using barbed wire as a horror element is probably not the most wise choice out there but then, isn’t that the whole goal of this genre? To scare people, to make them frightened, to use mundane objects as defensive or offensive tools… Would it make any sense to criticize game companies for including guns, electric saws, swords and other sharp objects in their games? No, it doesn’t. Then what’s the huge concern around barbed wire now? I’m not sure, maybe because people normally miss the essential and tend to focus on unimportant details. Or perhaps, the barbed wire industry really believes their sacred product is only capable of good deeds and it’s shameful to perceive a different usage.