Saw (video Game) - Controversy

Controversy

Akin to the films, the Saw video game has been the subject of much controversy, often being classified as "torture porn" by its critics. Its violence and visual intensity sparked many allegations that the main goal of the game is to mutilate characters simply for the sake of doing so. It was compared to games such as Grand Theft Auto IV, MadWorld, and Manhunt, but contrasted for the claim that the aforementioned games' violence served a somewhat humorous purpose or had some type of moral reprieve. William Usher of Cinema Blend wrote that Saw pushed controversial boundaries and called it a "tutorial for sadists to get pleasure from". Usher said that the lack of a moral message makes it even more controversial.

The game contains one scene that allows players to cut open bodies and sift through their insides to retrieve a key. This area was a particular focus for critics, chief amongst them being Cinema Blend. It was stated that this scenario was "sick" and "tasteless." Konami had already received indefinite BBFC and ESRB ratings, so the game was released in all regions without any censorship. Robert Workman of Game Daily agreed with the sentiment that moral messages presented an issue to the game and included it in the "top ten controversial games of 2009." Mac World writer Chris Holt showed surprise that Konami would choose to release Saw but refuse to publish Six Days In Fallujah due to controversial factors. Konami later stated that this was because the events that took place in Fallujah were real events that could cause offense to some while Saw was entirely fictional.

Despite the controversy surrounding the game, it was approved for release in Germany and Australia, countries that are known to ban explicit video games. Producer John Williamson stated in an interview, "I thought, just based on everything I always read online, that it would never get through, but it went through on the first pass." Williamson attempted to justify the release of the game by noting the intellectual elements of both the game and the film franchise. He pointed out:

I think they reviewed the game based on everything that was in it, not just on a couple of minutes of it, just like the Saw movies themselves aren't really pure torture porn. If you pay attention, there's actually usually a big twist in them.

He went on to comment that the Saw films would not continue to appeal to fans if they were stereotypical torture porn.