These days, people can take offense at pretty much anything if they look hard enough, but I never expected that Portal 2 would offend someone to the point that they felt it needed to be brought to the attention of the media.
North Carolina resident Neal Stapel was playing the game with his adopted daughter when a comment mocking Chell for being adopted came about. As the father of an adopted child, Stapel took offense and contacted the media about the story. However, the actual reporting of the situation, which contains spoilers for those that have not played Portal 2, was flawed, at best.
Putting aside the issue of whether the right thing to do was to bring such a story to the attention media or not, the actual news report regarding the issue was rife with inaccuracies and poor reporting. Airing on WBTV, a CBS affiliate local to Charlotte, North Carolina, it’s painfully obvious that the the news team handling the situation did not take the time to actually do the research necessary to accurately report on the story.
Aside from taking the offensive scene out of context, as it is a comment made by the game’s villain with the actual intent of being insulting, the reporters do not seem to know anything about the game. One of the biggest mistakes made in the news clip is the repeated labeling of Portal 2 as an educational game and that it bills itself as such, which it does not. Portal 2 was not an edutainment game made to teach children. It is a puzzle game filled with dark humor that requires the player to use their brain to solve puzzles. Puzzle solving does not make it an educational game.
In addition, the game is referred to as a “popular children’s game” at one point during the news clip. Again, there is no basis for this claim aside from the ignorance of the reporters themselves, who it seems mistake the game’s Everyone 10+ (E10+) rating as meaning the game is only intended for kids. This, unfortunately, is a common misconception, particularly due to, again, a lack of research.
A closer examination at the game’s rating label reveals that Portal 2 is rated E10+ due to fantasy violence and mild language. Also, as someone who has played the game, calling it a children’s game would be akin to calling The Simpsons a children’s cartoon. While they are both things that can be enjoyed by children, they are not necessarily the target audience. While the Entertainment Software Ratings Board found Portal 2 to be appropriate for the E10+ label, it does not necessarily mean that Valve’s intended audience, especially when you take the game’s script into account.
However, the most egregious example of irresponsible reporting comes at the end of the news clip. Upon stating that they’ve contacted Sony, incorrectly believed to distribute the game, they state that Sony told them to contact Valve, the actual game developer. In response, one of the news anchors made a comment about how they were just “passing the buck” onto someone else, with the reporter agreeing that it definitely “seemed that way”. However, the mistake they made just goes to prove just how much they could not be bothered to actually check their facts and then jump to conclusions based on those false bits of information.
WBTV reporter Brigida Mack did update her initial news article and stated that Sony indeed had nothing to do with the Portal 2 development and simply made the game available on their console. In addition, in a follow-up news clip responding to questions and comments about the news story, she also went on to clarify the confusion between the Everyone and Everyone 10+ ratings.
However, regardless of whether or not the incorrect facts were clarified later it, the level of professionalism displayed in the news article is appalling. Whether you agree or disagree with the actual news story, the fact remains that a complete lack of research and/or fact checking went into this news report. Is this what we should expect from the media from now on? News reporters that can’t be bothered to actually make sure what they’re reporting is true?
This doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what’s wrong with this news story in my opinion, as there are some things that don’t sit well with me in regard to the actual complaint. And while I can spend hours complaining about it, I will only share a few thoughts.
The actual part of the game that Neal Stapel took offense to takes place during the last third of the game. However, long before that, there are other segments where Chell is taunted for being adopted, yet these comments aren’t considered to be as offensive as the one in the news report. Furthermore, while Stapel is shown to be worried about his daughter’s reaction, he acts as though he is the victim, not his daughter. Lastly, if Stapel was so intent on protecting his daughter from this situation, why would he parade her around on the news and make it public?
Obviously, the irresponsibility of the news reporters was not the only thing that bothered me about the story. Alas, while I could write another article about how this is an example of a parent being overly sensitive to the situation and blowing the whole thing out of proportion, I am not adopted and, as a result, can’t really say whether or not someone who is adopted should or should not find the Portal 2 quotes offensive.