Cinematography and Editing: Jan Heir | Audio Mastering: Steve Beacham | Script and Scenario Design: Greg Kasavin | Still Photography: Tyler Winegarner
SAN FRANCISCO, AUGUST 25--There are many widely publicized and very serious issues affecting the electronic entertainment industry today. The effects of prolonged exposure to simulated acts of violence, the need for clear and specific content ratings based on different age groups, and compensation rights for hard-working game developers are just a few of the topics that frequently capture the attention of the game industry, game players, and even the mass media and politicians. Video games have also justifiably come under fire for their stereotypical, insensitive, or otherwise inaccurate depictions of protected classes such as people of underrepresented sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religious creed. In this special report, we explore how the video game medium depicts another group of individuals: You may know them as "zombies."
Video games depicting zombies are almost as old as the game industry itself. As gaming technology has improved, renditions of these enigmatic individuals have grown increasingly complex...but have they grown more authentic?
On August 8, 2006, the video game Dead Rising shipped to North American retailers and quickly met with substantial acclaim from both critics and consumers, many of whom hailed it as the "greatest zombie game of all time." Soon after the game's release, however, an organized rally among members of San Francisco's living-deceased community congregated in the city's downtown district to present their point of view. The meeting was expected to take place precisely at 2:30 p.m. PDT on August 19...
GameSpot's professional game journalists and experienced camera crew were on location to bring you this exclusive, never-before-seen special report contrasting the gratuitous and defamatory violence against the living deceased, as seen in games like Dead Rising, with the realities of the hardships faced by a "people" attempting to survive amid a highly prejudiced society.
The living-deceased individuals depicted in this video are not commissioned by or in any way affiliated with GameSpot, CNET Networks, Dead Rising, Capcom, or the owners or creators of George A. Romero's Dawn of the DeadTM.
Do you believe the living deceased are unfairly treated by the media, including video games? Are you deeply hurt and offended by the anti-living-deceased agenda of the popular Xbox 360 game Dead Rising? Sound off!
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