List of Controversies involving Venture

## Note: This article is entirely fictitious and does not endorse hate or discrimination in any way. All Venture-related events are fictitious and should not be confused with reality.

As a result of the game's popularity, Venture has led to multiple different reactions among the player base and media. Some controversies have emerged as a result of the game's content, primarily in relation to its portrayal of females and minority groups.

## "Retard" Controversy

Pathways: Jacob's Fortune features themes relating to autism and other mental disorders, including the hostility and prejudice that people with these ailments may face. The word "retard" is used over 60 times over the course of the game, alongside words like "window licker" and "sperg". Many groups have criticized the game of promoting bigotry towards the mentally disabled, as sympathetic characters like Oleksa Fry are prone to using these terms. Brendan, the lead director of Pathways: Jacob's Fortune, has stated that the use of the word is not meant to promote hatred towards people with mental disorders or illness and that the use of slurs against these groups is simply a reflection of the bias that the psychologically disabled may receive.

The word "window licker" is also used in the descriptions of certain enemies in Venture, and has not been removed or replaced.

## "Antifa" and "Neo-Nazi" Player Models

The PS4 and Xbox One versions of Venture feature Player Models named "Antifa Rioter" and "Neo-Nazi". The Antifa Player Model wears a beige camouflage shirt and leather pants and is depicted in promotional artwork with a semi-automatic pistol, an AK-47, an RPG, and many grenades. The model also sports a white head wrap that bears a great resemblance to those worn by Islamic terrorists.

The Rahamdan Foundation wrote an article, stating that the model is highly offensive and labeled it as “glorifying terrorism.” In the same vein, Antifa spoke out against the model being juxtaposed with a Neo-Nazi, along with being depicted similar to a "Muslim terrorist". Brendan has officially stated that the Antifa model is not meant to resemble a terrorist, but simply a run-of-the-mill Antifa rioter with no distinct skillset or character; however, he later renamed the Neo-Nazi "Proud Boy" due to the unfortunate connotations of the original juxtaposition.

The Neo-Nazi (later Proud Boy) player model, decorated in Swastikas tattoos and eagle pins, has also been described as glorifying Neo-Nazism, with complaints getting lodged at 1001 Spears after the name was changed due to the fact that the model indirectly accuses Proud Boys of being Nazis. While Brendan clearly condemned Proud Boys on his Twitter, he claims that the Nazi comparison was simply a tongue-in-cheek joke about how the alt-right are often compared to Neo-Nazis, the same applying to the Antifa model's anti-Christian and pro-Communism stickers.

## Catcall Emotes

One of the emotes in Venture, Catcall, involves the player's character waving and shouting "Yo, babe!". The emote was initially complained about on Tumblr by Gregory Letteri, a father of two and Campaign Director for Liberal Press. Gregory Letteri claimed that the emote was sexist and "glorified sexual abuse". The criticism gained enough recognition that 1001 Spears sent Letteri two replies. The first email, sent by Amelie Brouillard, Head of Corporate Communication, was considered offense by Letteri, as it stated that the company was sorry that he couldn’t take a joke. The second email, sent by Mia Sokolov, Head of Licensing Department, contained a friendly message that apologized about the emote's existence while assuring Letteri that future choices would be made carefully. Despite the controversy, the emote has not been removed and will not be "for the foreseeable future", according to Brendan.

## Mosque Temple

The "Desert Citadel" temple somewhat resembles real mosques in Istanbul and Lebanon. A Turkish community declared the in-game location is an insult to the principles of Islam, and that having a criminal be described as the castle’s former owner is offensive.

Brendan officially apologized to the Turkish and their sympathizers, stating that the location and its owner are not meant to resemble anything related to Islam.

## Depictions of Women

### Venture: Earth

The game Venture is commonly considered male-targeted, despite 1001 Spears stating that it is intended for all genders. In opposition to these claims, 1001 Spears released a "Venture: Earth" series on YouTube that is specifically intended for a female demographic. The thumbnails in the videos are primarily pink and purple, often depicting lipstick, purses, baking, or beauty work.

Upon the series' announcement, many Facebook commenters were offended by 1001 Spears' alleged hatred of women. Instead of depicting Robyn Jacob as a female scientist or doctor, the shorts were accused of reinforcing the stereotype that women are mostly concerned with their appearance. While the videos increased in popularity since their release, several still find them inappropriate for a "modern girl."

No move has been made to change the series' content, although a "Women of Science" Player Model Pack is slated to release, depicting women (real and fictional) who have contributed to scientific endeavors. Of them, a half-dozen of the models are characters introduced in Venture: Earth to promote the series expanding the efforts of its all women cast to STEM, specifically robotics and programming.

### Body Representation

Some liberal groups were offended, if not outright disturbed, by Venture's lack of variety in body representation, specifically in women.

## Death Camps

Pathways Island has a prominent concentration camp on it that largely resembles the infamous Auschwitz camp. The concept was initially considered an inappropriate form of black comedy, although Brendan claims that he is not trying to lighten the tragedies of the Holocaust or promote hatred. The death camp's in-game backstory explains that a ruthless dictator, Qow Bryagnol, built the camp to attempt genocide on certain minority groups. Throughout the game, Bryagnol is considered evil and worthy of the death he received.

## Police

Advertising for police-themed player models and the game Venture City Incognito was planned to continue into the summer of 2020 but was withdrawn in light of the 2020 George Floyd Riots. Many who learned of this feared that both the officer models and the entire game Venture City Incognito would be removed from purchase, only for Brendan to confirm that neither would be the case. However, 1% of purchases of 1001 Spears products were donated to anti-police brutality organizations during this period. Similarly, an update adding a trigger warning to the ammo factory raid in Venture City Incognito was put in place in early 2021 after a wave of violent police raids and explosions.