6 Days, Fallujah, & War Games
April 13th, 2009This is a sensitive subject, but here we go anyways.
It appears that 6 Days in Fallujah is a particularly controversial war game, igniting numerous calls for it to be banned, although it should be noted that such criticism is hardly universal. I can understand why people would be concerned in general with the depiction of war, but I have a hard time understanding why this particular game is coming in for controversy - in principle, if not in practice.
Video games have a long history of depicting wars and conflicts throughout the world, from World War 2 to Vietnam to much older battles. Most of these have come in for little criticism, at least directed at their subject matter rather than their violent content per se. Yet 6 Days is notable for being a lightning rod. Why?
I assume that most of the problem comes from a confluence of factors: the fact that the conflict is still on-going, making it a more recurrent reminder of non-gaming concerns; the general controversy over the Iraqi war itself, which makes it particularly controversial as a setting for any game of any type; and the simple fact that the game takes a point of view in an attempt to portray the soldier’s view of the Fallujah battles.
I would note, however, that there’s no real logical reason for this game to be a specific problem. So here’s a question: is it disrespectful, as a rule, for games to allow the player to act as a foot soldier in a violent conflict? I would say no, but I’m curious to hear other perspectives.
Posted in Geoff |
April 13th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
I agree with you. It’s one of many things people are touchy about for little rational reason, and it’s almost certainly because it’s still ongoing.
April 14th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
I don’t think it’s inherently disrespectful, although I think the potential is there, depending on how the devs handle it. That being said, I don’t think video games are required to be respectful, such that even if they were obviously disrespectful, I don’t know that should be a serious problem. Since video games are a medium for both entertainment and expression, we should choose on a per-game basis whether or not we like the product based on a number of factors. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it? Other than that, people should generally settle down.