Ramoth Gilead said:
I think as humans we should be appalled at the thought of a child being blown up by terrorists. The terrorists of the world believe so, and the governments that are moved to action because of this believe it as well. The game is depicting extreme circumstances that are moving military to action. It is our job as players to stop those who are inciting such terrorism, or am i missing the point of these games. Yes these are just games, but there are certain things that, as human beings, we should be appalled at, does this mean that the medium should not include it? Well surely that would be a massive step backwards for the industry that is trying to be taken seriously. CONTEXT PEOPLE!
Caramel Frappe said:
As long as it deals with video games, the media will do everything in it's power to make it look bad spite that it does contain realistic themes sometimes like terrorists willing to kill citizens if not kids to get what they want. The movies can get away with it, but video games can't. Mm. Wish they would interview the older media to just see for themselves that games do not cause the harm they predict that they do to people's minds and all.
Both of you make great points.
If we lived in a Utopian society where acts of terrorism aimed at innocents were not occurring, then I could understand some mild perception of controversy. However, the real life situation is a grim one and the depiction in Call of Duty should be accepted as just another interpretation like in any other medium. Since this is a cutscene that the player has no control over (like a
movie), I cannot grasp how there really is anything controversial about the leak. Is it a controversial
subject? Most certainly. But it is quite pathetic when the media is too afraid to even touch the heart of the issue that matters, aiming instead at the soft, doughy video game violence news blurp that will get millions of more hits.
After the first Modern Warfare, I didn't care for the story and many people discount the storyline in games like Call of Duty. While there is the sensationalist play that has been shown in the past by Activision, there is the other side of the coin. To be fair, it
is a movement towards a mature take on terrorism and global conflict in relation to innocent lives being lost through the turmoil. After that, it is up to the game makers to treat the entire matter respectfully and intelligently.
Movies explore controversial themes, and when properly made they invoke a discussion. If, and I do emphasis if, games like Call of Duty can actually blend their claimed "life-like gameplay" and the "life-like consequences of war," they could help contribute to another medium that has potential to yield discussions as well, based on the game in question. Even just
some emotional response is a good sign. If playing up to that point in the game and watching the cutscene all leads to something beyond a stifled "eh" on the player's behalf regarding the issue at hand, that's a good thing. Yes they are thankfully pixels, but it is a real concern, so how do you feel about it after playing the game? That is what I think is more important than any controversy to be sought after by mature subject matter in a mature video game.
