History Main / ShockFatigue

* When it was first released, ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'''s biggest claim to fame (or rather, infamy) was the Fatality system, where at the end of a match a player could input commands to finish off their stunned opponent in a gory fashion. Despite the outcry from MoralGuardians, the game was a hit, especially because it was very different from the more stylised ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series thanks to using digital recreations of actual people. However, this popularity led to many competitors trying to "out-gore" ''Mortal Kombat'' with things like in-battle dismemberment, and ''Mortal Kombat'' itself fell victim to a bit of an AudienceAlienatingEra thanks to adding additional "-alities" such as Brutalities (where the player character beats the victim until they explode), Animalities (where the player transforms into [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin an animal to finish off their foe]]) and Babalities (reducing an opponent into a baby form) in an attempt to recapture the old excitement.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty4ModernWarfare'' shocked players by having the United States side of the story [[DownerEnding end in disaster]]. The US Army's zeal to capture a terrorist leader leads to a nuclear bomb being detonated, [[EverybodysDeadDave killing everyone present]], and the player is treated to a drawn-out sequence of ControllableHelplessness as their character [[TheHeroDies succumbs to his wounds]] in the destroyed city. It quickly became a tradition that the ''Modern Warfare'' titles would have at least one heavily-publicized scene designed to shock the audience, but compared to "Aftermath" from ''[=CoD4=]'' they gradually began to suffer from diminishing returns. ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2 Modern Warfare 2]]'' had "No Russian", where the player as an undercover agent joins a terrorist attack on an airport that involves slaughtering crowds of innocent civilians using machine guns before being killed by the terrorist mastermind to implicate America in the massacre, which for the most part garnered the intended reaction. Then ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare3 Modern Warfare 3]]'' had "Davis Family Vacation", a scene that comes out of nowhere to focus on a family of three on vacation in the middle of London for a minute before a truck suddenly explodes and kills them, and attracted criticism for being [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity a blatant effort to drive sales through moral outcry]].

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty4ModernWarfare'' shocked players by having the United States side of the story [[DownerEnding end in disaster]]. The US Army's zeal to capture a terrorist leader leads to a nuclear bomb being detonated, [[EverybodysDeadDave killing everyone present]], and the player is treated to a drawn-out sequence of ControllableHelplessness as their character [[TheHeroDies succumbs to his wounds]] in the destroyed city. [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2 The sequel]] upped the ante with the infamous "No Russian" sequence, where the player (as an undercover agent) joins a terrorist attack on an airport that involves slaughtering crowds of innocent civilians using machine guns before being killed by the terrorist mastermind. This led to a tradition of ''Modern Warfare'' titles having at least one heavily publicized scene designed to shock the audience, but compared to No Russian they've all suffered from diminishing returns, and attracted criticism for being [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity a blatant effort to drive sales through moral outcry]].

* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': The show's over-reliance on the formula of [[SubvertedKidsShow cute, cuddly animals dying]] [[CruelAndUnusualDeath in increasingly horrifying ways]], [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny while revolutionary for its origin year of 1999]], has come across as [[DancingBear gimmicky and repetitive]] to the fanbase later on, which, alongside general lack of funding and an [[ShortRunners ill-fated attempt to branch out to TV]], contributed to it being QuietlyCancelled after 2016.

* A primary reason ''WesternAnimation/AllenGregory'' is so hated is this. In fact, the creators knew from the start the show would not last because of this. The show goes out of its way to make everyone as horrendous as possible (with the exception of Julie). Every time it seems like they'll have Allen Gregory learn a lesson? [[AesopAmnesia They swerve back and double down on what a little shit he is]]. That isn't even going into the endless jokes about him wanting to HAVE SEX with his elderly principal. It quickly becomes tedious and loses the ability to even disgust within its short seven-episode run.

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': The death of Optimus Prime in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'' was as a watershed moment as far as Hasbro is concerned, with the negative reaction surprising Hasbro enough to walk back [[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero Duke's death]] in the ''G.I. Joe'' animated movie. It's often cited as the moment Hasbro realised that rather than just "product" that could be replaced with [[MerchandiseDriven new items at any time]], people were developing emotional attachments to ''characters'' [[note]] This is also cited as a reason why ''Transformers'' outstripped their rivals like ''WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGobots'' since Transformers toys came with bios that made the toys feel like actual individuals while Gobots toys did not[[/note]]. However, since then an Optimus Prime (or [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Optimus-like character]]) dying has become a RunningGag, with [[Website/TFWikiDotNet the Transformers Wiki]] sometimes poking fun at things like [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated Animated Optimus Prime]]'s death being undone in seconds ("A new record!"). [[note]] Notably, [[Creator/PeterCullen Optimus Prime's voice actor]] was completely ignorant of how G1 Optimus Prime's death affected kids watching, and years later in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' expressed concern that ''Prime'' Optimus Prime possibly dying during a cliffhanger might cause similar distress. A nice thought, but by that point, the fandom was completely used to something like that happening and so had little emotional investment. [[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty4ModernWarfare'' shocked players by having the United States side of the story [[DownerEnding end in disaster]]. The US Army's zeal to capture a terrorist leader leads to a nuclear bomb being detonated, [[EverybodysDeadDave killing everyone present]], and the player is treated to a drawn-out sequence of ControllableHelplessness as their character [[TheHeroDies succumbs to his wounds]] in the destroyed city. [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2 The sequel]] upped the ante with the infamous "No Russian" sequence, where the player (as an undercover agent) joins a terrorist attack on an airport that involves slaughtering crowds of innocent civilians using machine guns. This led to a tradition of ''Modern Warfare'' titles having at least one heavily publicized scene designed to shock the audience, but compared to No Russian they've all suffered from diminishing returns, and attracted criticism for being [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity a blatant effort to drive sales through moral outcry]].

->''"After nukes in ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDuty4ModernWarfare MW1]]'' and fun with massacres in ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2 MW2]]'', we've come to expect a shocking moment in ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' games; although since we are expecting it, it would be ''more'' shocking if there ''wasn't'' one. But sadly, no six-year-olds were around to explain this to the developers, and so the shocking moments is hollow, token, and manipulative: a child dies. Whoop de fucking do. Children die all the time, especially if you tie them to the rear bumper of a car; it's not even difficult."''
-->-- '''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation''' during Yahtzee's review of ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare3''

* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': The show's over-reliance on the formula of [[SubvertedKidsShow cute, cuddly animals dying]] [[CruelAndUnusualDeath in increasingly horrifying ways]], [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny while revolutionary for its origin year of 1999]], has come across as [[DancingBear gimmicky and repetitive]] to the fanbase later on.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'': While ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' has traditionally had an [[WarIsHell anti-war]] stance, ''Iron-Blooded Orphans'' was noted to really lean into it by having graphic scenes of various war crimes and casualties (an early episode involved a FalseFlagOperation that resulted in multiple civilians being gunned down in the streets). While this did give the series a reputation as being DarkerAndEdgier (and so more [[TrueArtIsAngsty "mature"]]), to many sponsors, it was merely BloodierAndGorier. Furthermore, because ''Gundam'' at the time was shown on a primetime slot, many parents also complained about it being shown at a time when families are sitting down together for dinner, resulting in ''IBO'' being pulled to a late-night slot. The backlash also resulted in the accompanying manga being cut short with NoEnding, though at least the manga characters are in a better place than where they started the story.

* As the ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}'' comics progress, each new arc tries to top the last one in terms of shock value, and it becomes increasingly difficult to be that fazed by all the blood, guts and absurdly over-the-top violence. For instance, the scene in the first series where the Crossed simultaneously gang-rape and mutilate a family was considered unbelievably horrific when it was released. Such a scene wouldn't even raise an eyebrow anymore. On top of that, [[TooBleakStoppedCaring it's hard to care about the characters]] when you know the vast majority of them will either die or become Crossed. The ''Crossed'' series puts ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'' to shame with its willingness to kill off characters.

!!'''Given that shock can come from surprises, all spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''

!!'''Also, given that shock can come from surprises, all spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': The death of Optimus Prime in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'' was as a watershed moment as far as Hasbro is concerned, with the negative reaction surprising Hasbro enough to walk back [[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero Duke's death]] in the G.I.Joe animated movie. It's often cited as the moment Hasbro realised that rather than just "product" that could be replaced with [[MerchandiseDriven new items at any time]], people were developing emotional attachments to ''characters'' [[note]] This is also cited as a reason why ''Transformers'' outstripped their rivals like ''WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGobots'' since Transformers toys came with bios that made the toys feel like actual individuals while Gobots toys did not[[/note]]. However, since then an Optimus Prime (or [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Optimus-like character]]) dying has become a RunningGag, with [[Website/TFWikiDotNet the Transformers Wiki]] sometimes poking fun at things like [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated Animated Optimus Prime]]'s death being undone in seconds ("A new record!"). [[note]] Notably, [[Creator/PeterCullen Optimus Prime's voice actor]] was completely ignorant of how G1 Optimus Prime's death affected kids watching, and years later in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' expressed concern that ''Prime'' Optimus Prime possibly dying during a cliffhanger might cause similar distress. A nice thought, but by that point, the fandom was completely used to something like that happening and so had little emotional investment. [[/note]]

* When it was first released, ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'''s biggest claim to fame (or rather, infamy) was the Fatality system, where at the end of a match a player could input commands to finish off their stunned opponent in a gory fashion. Despite the outcry from MoralGuardians, the game was a hit, especially because it was very different from the more stylised ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series thanks to using digital recreations of actual people. However, this popularity led to many competitors trying to "out-gore" ''Mortal Kombat'' with things like in-battle dismemberment, and ''Mortal Kombat'' itself fell victim to a bit of a DorkAge thanks to adding additional "-alities" such as Brutalities (where the player character beats the victim until they explode), Animalities (where the player transforms into [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin an animal to finish off their foe]]) and Babalities (reducing an opponent into a baby form) in an attempt to recapture the old excitement.

* ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpyAdultPartyCartoon'' flatlined almost entirely because of this. The majority of the jokes try to be as outrageous, disgusting, and without restraint as possible, in addition to drawing themselves out longer than they need to. Tellingly the majority of episodes were recycled from the cutting room floor, episodes John K had planned for ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' that were rejected. Among the notable examples is "Fire Dogs 2" which John admits suffers from very bad timing and pacing, suggesting the episode should be watched at double the speed.

* The ''Film/AmericanPie'' franchise is a series of teen sex comedies which started with the 1999 film Film/AmericanPie. The first two films in the franchise were well-received by audiences and critics alike, but:

* The first ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' film was praised for its gruesome {{Death Trap}}s and the genuinely unexpected TwistEnding, helping to bring the TorturePorn genre to popularity. As the series wore on (and on, and on), audiences became turned off by the repetitive traps which almost always ended in the victims' gory deaths, despite that they're supposed to be escapable, bringing TooBleakStoppedCaring into play (which got even worse in later films thanks to the introduction of ''multiple'' Jigsaw successors who, unlike their mentor, don't believe in giving their victims a fighting chance). The video games tone this down considerably by having a number of people (obligatory and optional alike) for the player to save from traps.

* The first ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' film was praised for its gruesome {{Death Trap}}s and the genuinely unexpected TwistEnding, helping to bring the TorturePorn genre to popularity. As the series wore on (and on, and on), audiences became turned off by the repetitive traps which almost always ended in the victims' gory deaths, despite that they're supposed to be escapable, bringing TooBleakStoppedCaring into play (which got even worse in later films thanks to the introduction of ''multiple'' Jigsaw successors who unlike their mentor don't believe in giving their victims a fighting chance). The video games tone this down considerably by having a number of people (obligatory and optional alike) for the player to save from traps.

* The first ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' film was praised for its gruesome {{Death Trap}}s and the genuinely unexpected TwistEnding, helping to bring the TorturePorn genre to popularity. As the series wore on (and on, and on), audiences became turned off by the repetitive traps which almost always ended in the victims' gory deaths, despite that they're supposed to be escapable, bringing TooBleakStoppedCaring into play (which got even worse in later films thanks to [[spoiler:the introduction of ''multiple'' Jigsaw successors who unlike their mentor don't believe in giving their victims a fighting chance]]). The video games tone this down considerably by having a number of people (obligatory and optional alike) for the player to save from traps.

* When it was first released, ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'''s biggest claim to fame (or rather, infamy) was the Fatality system, where at the end of a match a player could input commands to finish off their stunned opponent in a gory fashion. Despite the outcry from MoralGuardians, the game was a hit, especially because it was very different from the more stylised ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series thanks to using digital recreations of actual people. However, this popularity led to many competitors trying to "out-gore" Mortal Kombat with things like in-battle dismemberment, and Mortal Kombat itself fell victim to a bit of a DorkAge thanks to adding additional "-alities" such as Brutalities (where the player character beats the victim until they explode), Animalities (where the player transforms into [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin an animal to finish off their foe]]) and Babalities (reducing an opponent into a baby form) in an attempt to recapture the old excitement.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'': While ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' has traditionally had an [[WarIsHell anti-war]] stance, ''Iron-Blooded Orphans'' was noted to really lean into it by having graphic scenes of various war crimes and casualties (an early episode involved a FalseFlagOperation that resulted in multiple civilians being gunned down in the streets). While this did give the series a reputation as being DarkerAndEdgier (and so more [[TrueArtIsAngsty "mature"]]), to many sponsors it was merely BloodierAndGorier. Furthermore, because ''Gundam'' at the time was shown on a primetime slot, many parents also complained about it being shown at a time when families are sitting down together for dinner, resulting in ''IBO'' being pulled to a late night slot. The backlash also resulted in the accompanying manga being cut short with NoEnding, though at least the manga characters are in a better place than where they started the story.

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': The death of Optimus Prime in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'' was as a watershed moment as far as Hasbro is concerned, with the negative reaction surprising Hasbro enough to walk back [[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero Duke's death]] in the G.I.Joe animated movie. It's often cited as the moment Hasbro realised that rather than just "product" that could be replaced with [[MerchandiseDriven new items at any time]], people were developing emotional attachments to ''characters'' [[note]] This is also cited as a reason why ''Transformers'' outstripped their rivals like ''WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGobots'', since Transformers toys came with bios that made the toys feel like actual individuals while Gobots toys did not[[/note]]. However, since then an Optimus Prime (or [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Optimus-like character]]) dying has become a RunningGag, with [[Website/TFWikiDotNet the Transformers Wiki]] sometimes poking fun at things like [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated Animated Optimus Prime]]'s death being undone in seconds ("A new record!"). [[note]] Notably, [[Creator/PeterCullen Optimus Prime's voice actor]] was completely ignorant of how G1 Optimus Prime's death affected kids watching, and years later in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' expressed concern that ''Prime'' Optimus Prime possibly dying during a cliffhanger might cause similar distress. A nice thought, but by that point the fandom was completely used to something like that happening and so had little emotional investment. [[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadTelltale'' has been criticized for how often it kills off characters for cheap shock value. Multiple named characters die in most episodes, and while you can often decide to [[SadisticChoice choose one character to save]], that character will usually end up dying shortly afterwards anyway. When you're so regularly reminded that AnyoneCanDie, the deaths can stop being sad or shocking, and instead just make it hard to get attached to anyone. The final season addresses this criticism by lowering the rate at which characters die, and making the "choose one to save" segments more meaningful by making it possible to keep the characters you save alive until the end.

* A primary reason ''WesternAnimation/AllenGregory'' is so hated is this. In fact the creators knew from the start the show would not last because of this. The show goes out of its way to make everyone as horrendous as possible (with the exception of Julie). Every time it seems like they'll have Allen Gregory learn a lesson? They swerve back and double down on what a little shit he is. That isn't even going into the endless jokes of him wanting to HAVE SEX with his elderly principal. It quickly becomes tedious and loses the ability to even disgust within its short seven episode run.

* ''WesternAnimation/KingStarKing'': A common criticism for the show is that it tries way too hard to be disgusting with its DerangedAnimation, general surreal content, and graphic depictions of bodily fluids.
* ''WesternAnimation/MrPickles'': The show has a lot of grossout and sexual humor such as Tommy (who is a child) having breast implants, as well as [[VillainProtagonist Mr. Pickles murdering people]] quite graphically. While several people consider the show an addictive horror comedy because of this, its detractors tend to hate it for the exact same reasons.
* ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpyAdultPartyCartoon'' flatlined almost entirely because of this. The majority of the jokes try to be as outrageous, disgusting and without restraint as possible, in addition to drawing themselves out longer than they need to. Tellingly the majority of episodes were recycled from the cutting room floor, episodes John K had planned for ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' that were rejected. Among the notable examples is "Fire Dogs 2" which John admits suffers from very bad timing and pacing, suggesting the episode should be watched at double the speed.

* The first ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' film was praised for its gruesome {{Death Trap}}s and the genuinely unexpected TwistEnding, helping to bring the TorturePorn genre to popularity. As the series wore on (and on, and on), audiences became turned off by the repetitive traps which almost always ended in the victims' gory deaths, despite that they're supposed to be escapable, bringing TooBleakStoppedCaring into play. The video games tone this down considerably by having a number of people (obligatory and optional alike) for the player to save from traps.

* The success of Music/MarilynManson suffered during the mid-2000s. This is because ShockRock wasn't as effective during that era as it used to be in the late 90s. The reason for this is that the public had become accustomed to the shock tactics that Manson used, and so they were no longer as effective. This meant that his work became less impactful and less influential.

This trope is also why {{ShockJock}}s have to constantly escalate.

Thia trope is also why {{ShockJock}}s have to constantly escalate.

* ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpyAdultPartyCartoon'' flatlined almost entirely because of this. The majority of the jokes try to be as outrageous, disgusting and without restraint as possible, in addition to drawing themselves out longer than they need to. Tellingly the majority of episodes were recycled from the cutting room floor, episodes John K had planned for ''WesternAnimation/TheReAndStimpyShow'' that were rejected.

* The first ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' film was praised for its gruesome traps and the genuinely unexpected TwistEnding, helping to bring the TorturePorn genre to popularity. As the series wore on (and on, and on), audiences became turned off by the repetitive traps which almost always ended in the victims' gory deaths, despite that they're supposed to be escapable, bringing TooBleakStoppedCaring into play.

* The first ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' film was praised for its gruesome traps and the genuinely unexpected TwistEnding, helping to bring the TorturePorn genre to popularity. As the series wore on (and on, and on), fans became turned off by the repetitive traps which almost always ended in the victims' gory deaths, despite that they're supposed to be escapable, bringing TooBleakStoppedCaring into play.

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* The first ''Film/{{Saw}}'' film was praised for its gruesome traps and the genuinely unexpected TwistEnding, helping to bring the TorturePorn genre to popularity. As the series wore on (and on, and on), fans became turned off by the repetitive traps which almost always ended in the victims' gory deaths, despite that they're supposed to be escapable, bringing TooBleakStoppedCaring into play.