440°

EDGE: Call of Duty's disturbing message

Call of Duty might be just a game, but its underlying message is becoming more and more troubling - EDGE

Read Full Story >>
edge-online.com
allformats3788d ago (Edited 3788d ago )

It's not only Call of Duty, but Battlefield, Homefront, Medal of Honor and almost all other modern day military shooters...

But that shouldn't be a problem, as movies do it all the game, and parents and teachers should be responsible for teaching children truth and history.

We're now mixing good ole entertainment with real life events like Fox News....

Gazondaily3788d ago

"But that shouldn't be a problem, as movies do it all the game, and parents and teachers should be responsible for teaching children truth and history. "

Huh? Firstly, it doesn't excuse movies doing it. Secondly, who is responsible for teaching the parents of these children? This isn't just about propaganda affecting the mind of young kids, it also includes adults.

"We're now mixing good ole entertainment with real life events like Fox News...."

I would say Fox News itself is 'good ole entertainment' if you treat it as you should, a comedy.

This whole 'its entertainment' argument is ridiculous when considering the context. If the industry is to mature, it needs escape the confines of restrictive narrative and propaganda.

If its just entertainment, then I dare a developer to release a sequel to Freedom Fighters where you play a protagonist from the Middle East who has to kill American soldiers who have invaded his country.

Thehyph3788d ago

I'd play that game. It might scare some people and be controversial, but the story would probably be better than almost all modern shooters.

Battlefield 3 comes to mind. I tried playing through that campaign. What a joke. Terrorists, Iran, nuclear threat... the game was almost a lesson in fear mongering. It's like the game tried to give you some idea that the west is danger, that the situation is dire, and that through these means, the game not only tries to take away any meaningful thought on why you're slaughtering guys in turbans, but that you're actually justified in doing so.

That was my take anyway.
Also, that game was awful. Maybe the seventeenth time will be the charm for DICE making a good open world shooter with vehicles.

mydyingparadiselost3788d ago (Edited 3788d ago )

' I dare a developer to release a sequel to Freedom Fighters where you play a protagonist from the Middle East who has to kill American soldiers who have invaded his country.'
That game would have NSA personnel EVERYWHERE.

TradingWarStories3788d ago

I haven't played a story on any FPS game sine Call of Duty 4, this is why I love UNCHARTED AND NAUGHTY DOG! They can develop great stories and Multiplayer.(Last of us MP is one of the most refreshing experience's since I started online gaming.)

SilentNegotiator3788d ago (Edited 3788d ago )

@Septic
How does a sh***y news program compare to a video game? No one refers to the news as "just entertainment"

@mydyingparadiselost
At least it wouldn't be banned in the US, as the reverse frequently is in other countries.

Gazondaily3788d ago

@Silent

"How does a sh***y news program compare to a video game? No one refers to the news as "just entertainment" "

It doesn't; allformats brought up the comparison. I was joking about how comical the so-called news channel is.

SilentNegotiator3788d ago

Okay, I see. But then how are two COD games in a row with the US as the underdog "restrictive narrative and propaganda"?

Gazondaily3788d ago

@Silent

"But then how are two COD games in a row with the US as the underdog "restrictive narrative and propaganda"

I didn't single out COD here, I said " If the industry is to mature..."

Also, I'd just like to add, the US not being an underdog but still being portrayed as the saviour of the planet against the Middle East, Russia for years doesn't exactly help. This includes all COD games from the Modern Warfare series too (among possibly others).

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3788d ago
MightyNoX3788d ago (Edited 3788d ago )

Maybe you're right, it's still food for thought tho. Remember, unlike movies videogame are an interactive medium.

So, this article reminded me of this one YouTube video: http://youtu.be/UP4_bMhZ4gA

HammadTheBeast3788d ago

Games sell most in the US, so make the US the underdog.

Easy to piece together.

SilentNegotiator3788d ago

An entire TWO games in a row with the US as the underdogs?!

OMG TEH PROPAGANDA
/s

brettski3788d ago

keep getting your info from msnbc and showing the world how enlightened you are.....

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3788d ago
Budobear3788d ago

Its an interesting article and one that should spark a good internal debate at developers when writing their stories. Its easy to see why its done....no one likes the idea of being the bully. WWII games were safe ground as for the most part the Allies were the under-dogs, translating that to modern day is very difficult.

caseh3788d ago (Edited 3788d ago )

If you ain't British or American, you're clearly the enemy.

Killzone = British voiced space Nazis, credit where its due. it's a bit different. :)

MightyNoX3788d ago

Which is pretty sad because I love the Helghast. Their design is so reminiscent of Mamoru Oshii's works..

Thehyph3788d ago

Mercenary had possibly the best story because it wasn't as black and white. The ISA ended up being the greater of two evils in that game because of its leader.

At least that was my take on it.

IanVanCheese3788d ago

The British as the bad guys is hardly a new thing, the USA loves to make us the baddies

caseh3788d ago

In movies yah, not so much in games. The SAS segments in the COD:MW games are one of the games redeeming qualities, for me at least.

SilentNegotiator3788d ago (Edited 3788d ago )

It balances out with all of the American media where the Brits are all refined geniuses and the Americans are derping idiots. Hipster fools in the US transcend simply being Anglophiles and think that the entirety of Europe is an absolute perfect paradise.

cyphertech3788d ago

As a member of the American military, we have a more realistic view of our mission than COD or Battlefield does. Most of us don't think we should be in Afghanistan and long lost the image of heroism that the mission once had. Call of duty primarily focuses on an unrealistic view of the Special Operations community that even America shares, one of sheer invincibility and moral certainty. This is not the case. The American military's morale is at an all time low and has continued to stay that way because our entire reputation has been turned to shit by illegal wars, unethical drone warfare and hit lists, and decreasing support from the American population. It doesn't help that Call of Duty endorses this Good vs Evil concept of armed conflict as well as full blown torture.

Psychotica3788d ago

So what is the alternative? You want a game about the elite army of Portugal fighting off terrorists from Ireland? How about a game that has the fierce army of Iceland fighting off an invasion from the army of Fiji?

Thehyph3788d ago

There have been many alternatives throughout the years.

Within the shooter genre you can resort to modern fiction, alternate history, written history, science fiction, and anything else that a writer chooses to explore.

Resistance, Half-Life, Halo, Doom, Left 4 Dead, etc.
Maybe even a (slightly) cerebral experience like Spec Ops: The Line.

_FantasmA_3788d ago

Why not? They are fictional games anyways.

LightofDarkness3788d ago (Edited 3788d ago )

That all makes sense to Americans because they're somewhat national-centric. There seems to be an inability for them to engage in a story unless it affects them directly, which is narrow-minded and somewhat arrogant ("nothing of significance happens to anyone but the US"). The rest of us haven't had much issue playing the same, tired "America wins and everyone foreign is evil" scenarios.

Consider this: in the not-so-distant future, the UK fends off some sort of radical EU assault as a consequence of their complicity with the US in their wars. That's an interesting story and scenario, which has many intriguing themse and plot point, i.e. re-opening scars from old Europe and buried resentments post-WW2, as well as the UK's seeming alienation from the EU of late. You could have a United States, weary and so economically battered from continued wars and globalization that they've finally decided to pursue a non-interventionist foreign policy, leaving their once-allies to their fate. I'm not even British and that sounds like an interesting "modern war" scenario to me, at least more so than your average COD plot line.

MestreRothN4G3788d ago

Those are closer to reality than Murica 'saving the world' through endless wars and invasions economically reasoned.

You don't even need an alternate history to get some background. You could play as a resistant to the yankees' recurring slaughters for oil and influence. Oh, but that would hurt some strong and constantly fed lies, so it's easier to rehash CoD no mind stories...

Tetsujin3788d ago

Socom

Really thought I'm at a current burnout of Military shooters. They can film, "be there," and "talk" to soldiers all they want; unless they are actively there in the middle of a conflict they will never know.

tommygunzII3788d ago

In SOCOM you went after kingpin drug dealers and arms dealers.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3788d ago
Show all comments (53)
280°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv721d 4h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle15h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic188112h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio12h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning777h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga14h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

darthv721h ago

to you it may seem like the minority... but your bubble is shrinking because more and more are following suit. convenience is a hell of a drug and its also why physical sales only amount to 30% of overall game sales. times are changing, you either get with them or you get left behind.

shinoff218314h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga13h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan8h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

S2Killinit1h ago

MS is after diminishing consoles as a medium. They want to destroy this market because they couldnt win. MS’s vision is to dissolve console gaming.

romulus237h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv727h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

TheEroica1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

Perfectly reasonable post down voted by insecure corporation friendly folk.... But not gamers. Real gamer want accessibility and ease of acquisition for all.... Company shills are the only ones still telling us that hardware locking people from games is good for us.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1h ago
purple10117h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos17h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-6h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac16h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad16h ago(Edited 16h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10115h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos15h ago(Edited 15h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic14h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead7h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 7h ago
Show all comments (39)
140°

Why Monopolies In Gaming Must Not Be Allowed

As of right now, there are no monopolies in the games industry, and for the sake of the medium as a whole, they never should either.

thorstein1d 2h ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno23h ago

And yet the biggest tech companies in America are essentially that. They buy up all the small comps only to kill them off and steal what they have, and if they can't buy em they bleed them to death.

jwillj2k422h ago

Eventually they’ll realize the value is with the employee not the company. Buying an IP means nothing if the people who contributed are let go. They’ll get it one day.

MrCrimson21h ago

tech is different because they buy threats and then kill them. Twitter bought Vine and did nothing with it. Despite people seemingly liking it. Could've had tiktok a decade before bytedance. go figure.

Zenzuu22h ago

Monopolies shouldn't be allowed regardless. Not just for gaming.

MrCrimson21h ago

They buy IPs not talent. That's why these buyouts never work and the IPs die. Right now it's too expensive to develop games - but I expect that to shift maybe as AI tools can make it easier. The best games have been indie games for awhile as big developers fuck their ips to death with "games as a service" -

70°

5 Of The Best Narrative Twists In Video Games

GL compiles a list of some of the most mind-blowing video game narrative twists in recent memory, from The Last of Us to Outer Wilds

Read Full Story >>
gameluster.com
Rebel_Scum1d 2h ago

With articles like these cant you tag the games mentioned so that we can know ahead of time if there’s a spoiler to avoid?

Not clicking on your article otherwise.