5 Awkward Gaming Moments That Made Us Cringe in 2015

EA Brings Out a Zombie for Basically No Reason

About 20 minutes into EA’s E3 press conference, a man in a Plants vs. Zombies zombie costume shows up, walks around to the tune of Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone, and is promptly ushered off stage.  What we’re describing sounds like a prank by some bored convention-goer, but apparently this was a scheduled bit that was intended to play for laughs.  Instead, it’s met with awkward applause and confused silence.

“You can’t take zombies anywhere,” EA guy says. I guess not, EA guy. I guess not.

Game Awards Announce Award to Right Person For Wrong Game

https://youtu.be/W6Gd1lwYIFk?t=2m2s

At this year’s “The Game Awards”, a handful of deserving nominees were named, shown with brief video clips of them recording their lines side by side with the character’s performances.  Neat.

Then, the presenter reads off the winner, Viva Seifert, and follows it up with The Witcher III, not Her Story, the game she actually, y’know, starred in. Everyone looks confused, especially this guy.

The actress accepted her award, and the award show moved on, but I don’t think that guy ever will.

Let’s Make a Meme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kDpmKkycf0

Nothing makes things go viral faster than manufactured, forced attempts to go viral.  So clearly that’s what Ubisoft panel host Aisha Tyler was going for, when, during their E3 panel, she approached an audience member, and did the following, in order:

• Asked him if he thought the show was “meme-friendly”
• Called him a “human life-sized meme”
• Asked if there was a “meme he wanted to pitch”

When the human meme could come up with nothing on the spot, she pitched “Guys with rickets are super hot” as her suggestion. MEMES.

Wait for It

It’s understandable if you are excited for Uncharted 4.  Many gamers are, so when Naughty Dog was about to play a demo of the game for fans at the PlayStation E3 conference, the fans expected to see something awesome.

What they got was the longest 30 seconds of Naughty Dog’s life.  After the initial cutscene, the player is meant to take control of Nathan Drake, and start the demo for the fans proper.  What actually happens is that Nathan doesn’t move at all, and after 30 seconds of this, which probably felt like 30 minutes for the developers, the staffers have to restart the game to get the demo to work.

Imagine working on a game for years, finally having enough of it ready to play for the public, and then this happens.

Note: This would have been 200% funnier if the game was called “Uncharted 4: Nathan’s Back”.

The Entire Kojima Debacle

2015 was a very awkward year for Hideo Kojima. He had his name removed from the cover of his own game. He wasn’t allowed to attend award shows to claim the numerous awards for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. He ultimately was forced to split with Konami and form his own studio.  But what deserves mention here is how uncomfortable this situation made us all feel as gamers. Two entities that had been together since we were kids were now splitting up, and neither party wanted to talk about it.  They did it quietly, behind our backs, only emerging once the divorce was final. Instead of holding on to hope that they’ll get back together, we have to believe that they’ll be happier with other people, and that they still both love you, very much.

What was your favorite gaming memory of 2015? Was it awkward? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Check Out More

• 5 Times the Gaming Industry Kicked Ass in 2015
• 8 Games to Ring in the New Year With
• PS4 vs. Xbox One: Who Will Shine in 2016?

This post was originally written by Anthony Galleran.