This Bodycam Footage Revenge Thriller Could Be Gaming’s Next Big Controversy

Super-realistic revenge shooter Better Than Dead has just been announced, along with an intensely violent trailer. The brutal game, in which you play as a Chinese woman who has escaped from slavery and is now exacting revenge on the photo-realistic streets of Hong Kong, is all depicted as if from bodycam footage. And – wow – even the trailer is tough viewing. It looks amazing and terrifyingly real, and I suspect this could become gaming’s next big controversy.

With each new graphical generation over the last 30 years, the FPS genre transformed from the cartoonish arcade styles of Doom to the ultra-realistic visceral depictions of, well, Doom. Along the way, as fidelity improved, the FPS always courted controversy, with mainstream attention grabbed on the advent of games like 1999’s Kingpin: Life of Crime, 2000’s Soldier of Fortune, and any number of Calls of Duty. However, the genre has been so damned impressive-looking for so long now, it feels like the corners have rubbed down on the reactions.

Attempts at moral panics have more recently focused on subject matter over looks, as we’ve all become inured to hyper-realistically shooting the kneecaps off our enemies. But I wonder whether Better Than Dead might trigger a new wave of concern. As a games critic who’s been around for the entire evolution of the genre, I think I’m pretty acclimatized to the whole shebang, and have read enough well-researched studies over the years to know that there’s never been a proven significant link between video-game violence and real-world violence.

Which is my needlessly pompous way of saying: I love a good violent game! Gib me up any time. So it really took me back when I had such a visceral reaction to the trailer for Better Than Dead. It’s not because of the gun violence, or the blood splatters, or even that the protagonist’s targets are often running in fear (although it was that a bit); it’s that it’s all depicted as the most extraordinarily realistic bodycam footage.

Real-world violence is something I go out of my way to avoid seeing, and when bodycam footage is released of police brutality and unlawful killings, I’ll desperately try to avoid seeing it. Like most people, I’m very able to separate fantasy and reality, and can enjoy blowing the brains out of perfectly rendered aliens at the same time as being horrified by seeing a living human in pain.

But when video game brutality is depicted in such a specific format, complete with the curving of the fish-eye lens and those grainy textures typical of low-grade video recordings, that line for me is incredibly blurred. As a result, the footage of Better Than Dead incessantly swam down the uncanny valley, at times looking completely photo-realistic, and others clearly being video game graphics.

What disturbed me more than anything else was not the blood from gunshots – that was cartoonish if anything – but the walls. I know that sounds silly, but there’s something about how utterly lifelike they were, the way the surface textures speckled with artifacts just like when you see real bodycam footage.

What Makes Better Than Dead So Controversial?

The game's developer has promised to deliver a gritty and realistic experience that draws inspiration from Hong Kong action cinema of the 80s and 90s. But the trailer shows a completely different picture – one that makes it difficult to distinguish between what's real and what's not.

The use of bodycam footage, combined with the grainy textures and fisheye lens effect, creates an uncanny valley experience that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. It’s this very realism that raises questions about whether Better Than Dead will push the boundaries of what games can do in terms of representation.

The trailer also highlights the game's intense focus on revenge and violence – with the protagonist seeking to avenge her own captivity and exact justice on those who wronged her. This raises concerns about the potential impact of such graphic content on players.

A Shift in Gaming Culture?

Behind Better Than Dead is a solo developer who has previously only released games like Forza Polpo! and Mountain Boy. This shift towards more mature themes and graphic violence marks a departure from their usual style, and raises questions about the potential direction of their future projects.

Even more surprising is that MicroProse, the publisher behind Better Than Dead, is still an active entity – with one of its original founders back at the helm. This suggests that there's still a place for games like this in the market, and raises hopes for a renewed interest in mature gaming experiences.

Of course, it’s not whether a game’s good or not that riles the pearl-clutching press who love to pretend to be horrified that games are training your kids for their next high school shooting. But what remains so interesting to me, as an inoculated player of violent games for 40 years, is how it made me sit back in shock.

A Trailer That Triggers?

I can’t think of a trailer that’s done that in years, perhaps even not since Soldier of Fortune’s deeply unpleasant depictions of violence 25 years ago seemed to shock the whole games industry into backing off and focusing on excitement instead of brutality for a good few years after.

The trailer for Better Than Dead is one that will be remembered for a long time. It's a game that could spark debate, controversy, and conversation – and it’s exactly what makes it so compelling.