Five Ways Military Shooters Are Starting To Cross The Line
Uproxx writes:
I don’t think games cause violence. But they are a part of culture: They can play things up or tone things down. And I think the war games are starting to cross a few lines that I’m not sure they can come back from.
(Battlefield 3, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
What I do not like about Modern Warfare type of FPS is the enemy aspect. They do not give the enemy any level of respect (also they always seem to have a lot of Russians in them which is a separate point which is an outdated view of Russia). The best way to describe it is to compare it to the Taliban. They may be the enemy in Afghanistan but the only reason they our our enemy is because we are in Afghanistan not because they hate our way of life and ideals. In these games there is always some diabolic plot just to kill without any reasonable reason behind it.
Well I agree on the Russia is evil is out of date and that enemies in games aren't given respect. The Taliban do hate America, our way of life and ideals. They also fly a couple planes into the world trade center 11 years ago. They are not wanted by any country and Afghanistan dosen't have the resources to drive them out.
The best way to have an enemy in any sort of story is to have one that you are able to sympathize with, with modern shooters do not have at all.
I do not want to go off topic but this "The Taliban do hate America, our way of life and ideals. They also fly a couple planes into the world trade center 11 years ago" is deeply incorrect. Al Qaeda are different from the Taliban. The Taliban may have trained them but look what the Taliban got in return (funding, weapons and more). It was a deal. The Taliban just want us out of Afghanistan so they can rule the country again and instil Islamic Law (what they were doing since Russia were booted out by them). Al Qaeda hate the western ideals. They are two completely different organisations.
@Soldierone. True I get your point. I just hope in the future games make a reason for some of the terrorist acts they do. A lot of the time it doesn't make any sense and it seems the writers think by saying "they are terrorists" is enough to justify the plot of the game.
I kind of wish these games would show what war is really like. For those gamers out there who have served Iraq or Afghanistan...or even in other countries in Africa and Asia, you know these Hollywood game do not at all reflect the reality that is war. Maybe it'll be boring to most. But a Patrol never consists of endless waves baddie running at you. I think it would be interesting to see a more open terrain, with casualties, and confusion and the harshness that is war. Plus there is never any tactics to military shooters. I'd love to see them give more love to the JTACs, Medics, and such. The games focus on the breacher, who then becomes the point man, who does the clearing all on his own. Not real. Also, it would be cool to hit targets in games and collecting data that opens up other missions. Like in war. Intel guys gather data and create files on other targets. I don't know. I just think that would be fun. Tired of aliens and russians, and nazis and zombies and the basic enemies we see all the time.
They are not trying to have an engaging story. Pick Russia because they aren't an enemy anymore and to make sure it doesn't offend anyone, have it b a rogue group.
But Oliver north isn't a criminal officially. All his convictions were overturned. And while many can fight over whether it was right to trade arms for hostages, sufficient evidence wasn't found to hold his convictions, which came at a time of hot debate when someone's head had to roll. In a similar fashion, our present administration allowed the continuance of a program to let arms b sol to drug cartels in Mexico, upping the ante and watching as said guns killed an American. Instead of giving up someone to face the music, potus invoked his right to make all documents pertaining to fast and furious classified so we have no idea what happened or who knew.
Also, no one thinks that these games are simulations . Yeah, they try to appear real in the sense that u r a soldier fighting in a war against an enemy. And, does anyone care if EA wanted to sell guns? I dunno. For someone who thinks that video games don't cause violence, these sure r a few ideas that seem to point to the contrary.
agreed, but that is how this gen played out for the genre. somehow next gen always has a way of changing things up and moving genre's forward. so hopefully military fps's will abandon the stereotypical middle eastern and russian extremists villains with convoluted plots and overused locals for something new and different in the future.
I always just think Russia is cool because military wise they are the ones that could attempt to kick our arse. China has numbers, but Russia is just a powerhouse and worth being scared of lol to me it just makes it believable(to an extent).
Taliban are worthless a-holes and are scary, which is why they are appearing in games a lot too. But if you replace it with say Britain, then maybe you have that sympathetic enemy. however that actually takes having a story longer than 4 hours and skill to create the sympathy. Otherwise it becomes an unbelivable enemy since they are friends with the US. China is just annoying at this point to many people, and no other country really has the military strength to even think about attacking America.
If I was Russian I'd get tired of always being the losing guy, but at the same time be humbled because its like saying "we actually somewhat fear you guys" lol
I disagree. Video games are subject to what the artist/narrator decides.
In today's world, you cant throw a rock without pissing someone off. It's ridiculous. There are things you don't joke about, the Holocaust, but at the end of the day. if you dont like something don't be a part of it. Stop being fu cking babies.
Other country they don't like war game except here in US where it is ok to kill other people online. War game base of real life need to be banned. How many times does one have to look at an FPS and see a landmark you know that they put in as a map for people to kill each other. Im looking at you COD MW and BF.
5 Do you know how many politicians would go to jail if they got caught with similar things? A lot of them drop out of presidential races because the opposing party threatens to go public with said things. Do I agree with what he did? No, but he is a politician, so of course he is a dirty bastard.
4 Alright so you want better stories. Black Ops had a good story to it, the first MW had a good story....I don't like the fact that they are saying "they are trying to be realistic" then they use COD as the example. COD ISNT trying to be realistic, its just telling a fantasy story. In this case the fantasy isn't fairies and superheroes, its a world war....ever play with GI Joe or army men as a kid? You didn't go "well I cant make up this story, because in real life there are laws and things blocking it...."....
3 Whats the problem? Its a gun. Not every gamer can afford one. And if they can, then they still have to do the background checks and go through a gun store to get it....its not like EA is going "get a free handgun with the purchase of Medal of Honor."
2 and 1 Some aspects of the games are authentic, but they cross the line to keep them fun. I play a game to have fun. If I really wanted to shoot a gun, I'd got to the shooting range and do so. These "simulators" people keep throwing out are also not 100 percent real either. I remember playing one that was super boring because of how "realistic" it was trying to be. You could only sprint 10 feet, you had to run further than a Battlefield map, and if you got shot at you lose control of that limb basically. Leg, you can't run, arm you can't aim, and once you were bleeding the screen would start getting blurry. Was boring as hell, cool concept, but boring.
you want a great game?..... make fps of the world vs aliens and have different counties weapons and equipment to fight them, zombies are always good too.
A game with the Brits against the Americans would be an amazing game, and has the possibility of possessing an incredible story. Perhaps the British public become outraged with the American militaristic ideals and Ironically instigate a war, or vice versa, with the Americans instigating due to conflicting ideals or just an attempt at grabbing power from one of the very few nations that could put up a fight against them.
It would also be interesting to see which alliances the writers would come up with, im guessing that us Brits would team up with the Russians as they dont exactly like Americans, and the French would join the Americans for similar reasons, it would be very interesting.
sometimes I think people are too stuck in the past. It seems like people want our games to be cartoony and fake to the point where the only enemy is an alien or mythical creature.
Sure playing games that are not focused on reality are cool, but I think a majority of people that grew up on the nintendo and playstation want more mature themes to play. I don't want my favorite hobby to be subjected to just aliens and monsters all the time, I want them to be recognizable for the discussions and conversations they bring to the table.
Just like when we used to watch Disney movies and such, there's a point where I think "I want something more relevant to watch, talk about, and experience".
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The best way to have an enemy in any sort of story is to have one that you are able to sympathize with, with modern shooters do not have at all.
@Soldierone. True I get your point. I just hope in the future games make a reason for some of the terrorist acts they do. A lot of the time it doesn't make any sense and it seems the writers think by saying "they are terrorists" is enough to justify the plot of the game.
But Oliver north isn't a criminal officially. All his convictions were overturned. And while many can fight over whether it was right to trade arms for hostages, sufficient evidence wasn't found to hold his convictions, which came at a time of hot debate when someone's head had to roll. In a similar fashion, our present administration allowed the continuance of a program to let arms b sol to drug cartels in Mexico, upping the ante and watching as said guns killed an American. Instead of giving up someone to face the music, potus invoked his right to make all documents pertaining to fast and furious classified so we have no idea what happened or who knew.
Also, no one thinks that these games are simulations . Yeah, they try to appear real in the sense that u r a soldier fighting in a war against an enemy. And, does anyone care if EA wanted to sell guns? I dunno. For someone who thinks that video games don't cause violence, these sure r a few ideas that seem to point to the contrary.
Taliban are worthless a-holes and are scary, which is why they are appearing in games a lot too. But if you replace it with say Britain, then maybe you have that sympathetic enemy. however that actually takes having a story longer than 4 hours and skill to create the sympathy. Otherwise it becomes an unbelivable enemy since they are friends with the US. China is just annoying at this point to many people, and no other country really has the military strength to even think about attacking America.
If I was Russian I'd get tired of always being the losing guy, but at the same time be humbled because its like saying "we actually somewhat fear you guys" lol
In today's world, you cant throw a rock without pissing someone off. It's ridiculous. There are things you don't joke about, the Holocaust, but at the end of the day. if you dont like something don't be a part of it. Stop being fu cking babies.
5 Do you know how many politicians would go to jail if they got caught with similar things? A lot of them drop out of presidential races because the opposing party threatens to go public with said things. Do I agree with what he did? No, but he is a politician, so of course he is a dirty bastard.
4 Alright so you want better stories. Black Ops had a good story to it, the first MW had a good story....I don't like the fact that they are saying "they are trying to be realistic" then they use COD as the example. COD ISNT trying to be realistic, its just telling a fantasy story. In this case the fantasy isn't fairies and superheroes, its a world war....ever play with GI Joe or army men as a kid? You didn't go "well I cant make up this story, because in real life there are laws and things blocking it...."....
3 Whats the problem? Its a gun. Not every gamer can afford one. And if they can, then they still have to do the background checks and go through a gun store to get it....its not like EA is going "get a free handgun with the purchase of Medal of Honor."
2 and 1
Some aspects of the games are authentic, but they cross the line to keep them fun. I play a game to have fun. If I really wanted to shoot a gun, I'd got to the shooting range and do so. These "simulators" people keep throwing out are also not 100 percent real either. I remember playing one that was super boring because of how "realistic" it was trying to be. You could only sprint 10 feet, you had to run further than a Battlefield map, and if you got shot at you lose control of that limb basically. Leg, you can't run, arm you can't aim, and once you were bleeding the screen would start getting blurry. Was boring as hell, cool concept, but boring.
It would also be interesting to see which alliances the writers would come up with, im guessing that us Brits would team up with the Russians as they dont exactly like Americans, and the French would join the Americans for similar reasons, it would be very interesting.
Sure playing games that are not focused on reality are cool, but I think a majority of people that grew up on the nintendo and playstation want more mature themes to play. I don't want my favorite hobby to be subjected to just aliens and monsters all the time, I want them to be recognizable for the discussions and conversations they bring to the table.
Just like when we used to watch Disney movies and such, there's a point where I think "I want something more relevant to watch, talk about, and experience".