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Pornographic game taking heat

Broadcast Date: Nov. 26, 1982

In a high-tech twist on the old game of cowboys and indians, video game company Mystique has produced one of the most controversial video games to hit the market. Labelled as "an adult video game," Custer's Revenge features a naked George Custer braving arrows and cacti to apparently rape a native woman tied to a post. Consumer interest is high, but the game is also encountering plenty of protest. In this 1982 report, CBC-TV's Newswatch looks at the uproar over Custer's Revenge.

Pornographic game taking heat

• The notorious game Custer's Revenge is consistently ranked as one of the worst video games of all time. PC World magazine named it the third-worst game of all time in 2006, ranking after second-place Super Columbine Massacre and first-place E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. The article noted the "unnecessarily difficult" gameplay, as well as "the game's crude graphics (which) gave the impression that your Lego collection was getting freaky." Custer's Revenge also took the top spot on GameSpy.com's 2007 list of "Top Ten Shameful Games."

• The U.S. based company Mystique, which created Custer's Revenge, produced just three games (all similarly adult-themed) before going out of business in 1983. Custer's Revenge, Bachelor Party and Beat 'Em & Eat 'Em were all produced in 1982 for the popular Atari 2600 game console, leading Atari to sue the company. Mystique beat the lawsuit but didn't survive the crash of the video game market in 1983.

Pornographic game taking heat

Medium: Television

Program: Newswatch

Broadcast Date: Nov. 26, 1982

Reporter: Jim Sunstrum

Duration: 1:20

Last updated:
April 21, 2009