#The Simpsons Hit and Run

The Simpsons: Hit & Run, the GTA for Kids That Broke Spirits

Released in 2003 on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and PC, The Simpsons: Hit & Run long carried the image of a harmless open-world, with parental approval virtually guaranteed. Twenty-three years later, Radical Entertainment's title reveals another side: a game that's technically accessible on the surface, but architected around a difficulty that traumatized an entire generation. This paradox says something important about how we make—and how we mythologize—games meant for everyone.