Is It Wrong to Assassinate the President in a Videogame?

[letsnoobtehpwns]

I think that it's a cool concept.

 

[AbsoluteVirtue18]

As long as you don't do it in real life it shouldn't matter.

 

[Deadarm]

Well they made a game based on the JFK assassination so I'm going to say no its not. Personally if it were part of the story in a game I would have no problems with it, however the president in question (if it were based on a real president) would have to sign off on it before it could happen in my opinion. Otherwise its kindof not cool, especially to the hardcore patriot types like most of my relatives.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

I don't think it's inherently immoral in real life. Depends on the president in question.

 

[Brnin8]

What's the big deal? Everyone who's played Destroy All Humans! has already killed the President. And taken his place afterwards.

Ok, I realise that's not as topical and/or controversial as this has the potential to be, especially since DAH was meant to be a comedy game, but I still think frying the President alive with your trusty Zap-O-Matic is worse than shooting him with a sniper rifle. Besides, nobody seems to care about the games where you assassinate Middle Eastern political leaders, so why should killing the President be any different? I would have thought a lot of people would want to play a game where you get to kill Dubya, to be honest.

Maybe it's just me.

Thats what I thought when I saw the thread, but I think I used the disintagrator.

 

[Ph33nix]

it becomes wrong because you are putting a real face and real name on the receiving end of that bullet. The Presidency is also a symbol of American power and culture two things that messing with will offend many people. The assassination of a president has also always been a very sad and drawn out affair more so than than wars because in order to be elected you have to get a large percentage of voters to like you as apposed to starting a war you just need a congress to say okay.

 

[AceDiamond]

Here's my personal thought on it. The JFK Assassination game was not made with malicious intent, in fact it was made as a physics simulator attempting to prove/disprove the Single Bullet Theory. That is fine. The problem is that, contextually, people will get offended by that. And offended they were (especially the Kennedy family). Even I'm a bit offended, and it took a hilarious Let's Play of the game where the people playing played a modified version of Horse (doing things like trying to only hit the First Lady's hat and nothing else) to make me lighten up on it a bit.

Here we have a fictional assassination with a fictional character that's an Alternate-Universe author avatar of the game designer. Is he working out a possible fantasy? I doubt it, but others might not. And really, I hate President Bush Jr. as much as the next person with a working brain that doesn't believe in Fox News, but even I wouldn't go as far to make a game where a version of myself tries to kill him. Partially because I believe he should be tried for the crimes he committed (open to debate) and partially because I don't see the point in killing him. It's not like it undoes anything.

And, just as a counterpoint. In the first Soldier of Fortune game, John Mullins (player character) encounters Saddam Hussein and gets him in his sights but cannot shoot him because of various gameplay mechanic reasons (like the game taking place in 1990 before we realized it was a bad idea to sell weapons to that lunatic, thanks a lot, Reagan), so that sorta puts a spin on things given how ultraviolent SoF was.

I mean you don't see any games where assassinations of other world leaders are re-enacted, right? I mean yes Hitler gets his a lot in games like Wolfenstein but those aren't very realistic. What I mean is you don't see "Archduke Assassination 1914" or "Rabin: Rigal's Revenge" on the shelves/available for download now do you.

 

[Raregolddragon]

You know what if the Iraqi guys want to compete with our gaming industry that is fine and dandy. But making a mod for a good game that then makes it suck is not making a game its making a crappy mod.

So yes you can make a game where you convince 7 year old's to strap a bomb on and chromite suicide ( I have seen it done in Halo where you get the youngest player to be a suicide dummy on capture the flag. ) and yes you can have special moment where you kill a political leader. (lets not forget Assassins Creed lots of political killing.) Yes you can make a game where you kill the solders of your own nation ( I remember a game where you fought as a Nazi during WW2 being made a while back and lets not forget the Enclave in Fallout series.) Yes you can fill it with religious propaganda ( I remember a bible game on NES and on the gameboy at one time.) even if its against your target consumer. Thing is you need to make it good, original, and of your own making not a bloody mod.

But Wafaa Bilal you need to make your own game make it believable and don't have your main guy have balls on his face. But make your OWN GAME not a bad MOD!

 

[CymTyr]

I am not sure how I feel about this. I guess I don't think it should be a real President, whether they're still in office or not. I think this guy was looking for media coverage and that's why he made the pres. Bush. Only things got out of control and he got censored...

My 2 plat,
-Cym

 

[Frizzle]

it becomes wrong because you are putting a real face and real name on the receiving end of that bullet. The Presidency is also a symbol of American power and culture two things that messing with will offend many people. The assassination of a president has also always been a very sad and drawn out affair more so than than wars because in order to be elected you have to get a large percentage of voters to like you as apposed to starting a war you just need a congress to say okay.

Haha what? No no no. You misunderstand american politics. You don't have to be liked, you just have to be disliked less than your opponent. I have no memory of being alive at a time when a majority of people voted for a guy because he was better. They only vote because he's less bad.

It sucks, and I don't like it, but it's the way it is.

Edit OT: This really isn't that big a deal in and of itself. People just want something to complain about. Let them be stressed over nothing. If we don't respond, maybe they'll go away. You can't say it's wrong to kill a named person. We killed hitler, stalin, and a bunch of other people in video games. Sure, some of them were bad. Did the Nazi's all think that Hitler was bad? No. But we kill him in games.

Do Americans all think Bush was bad? not *all*. Let people kill him in games.

 

[Lord George]

I'd like to be able to kill Americans more

Actually, I think I'd be pretty psyched about a game that focuses on assassinations (Hitman?). I Don't see any problem with it.

Come to think of it, Hitman has already killed the president. Fact is fact, it was a phoney one, but still.

Agent 47 of the Hitman series always kills those who "have it coming".

You never see him kill charitable CEO's or the police chief who plans on cracking down on crime. Its always sinister targets...and for that, there is a disconnect from the cruel people hired killers really are...

Yeah I never really got that, he won't take jobs to assassinate good people but he will slaughter hundreds of innocents to get to his target, (well the player does anyway, I like to arrange the bodies to spell my name )



But too many games are fine with letting you kill Middle eastenres/Nazi's or Russians but shrink at the idea of shooting Americans.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Not that it was part of the mission but you could kill the president in Perfect Dark Zero. My brother and I emptied a whole Cyclone clip each into him with combat boost on. Made for a bloody spectacle. That will teach him for questioning whether I had evidence on whether people were trying to assassinate him. The evidence is right here baby! BLAM!

 

[Halo Fanboy]

Personally, I think that any simulation where you kill a real living person is at the very least distasteful.

 

[Kellerb]

sounds bloody good to me.

 

[Irishhoodlum]

Its a game, but if it was Obama or Al Sharpton or Oprah there would be blatant racism and it would all be instigated by far right wing terrorists who only eat red meat and read bibles and watch fox news with guns.

Anyone else it would be just fine.
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The differences Ive noticed is that Bush would call it democracy in action. Pelosi would call them names and act like a giant whiny toddler.
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Finally my opinion is that it may be a game but its still not something I would play or own. If it involved killing terrorists I'm OK with that because they make it their goal in life to try and kill me.

If it was Bush while he was still president, and you were an American citizen you'd be looking at Gitmo without a lawyer. Seriously have you seen some of the fucked up reasons (or lack there-of) they put people there for?

I didn't like Bush (hated him), but I'd still feel better if they made it some "faceless" i.e not real president. Just like the iraqi politicians killed in games aren't usually real, or are complete dicks by anyone's standards.

 

[Ph33nix]

it becomes wrong because you are putting a real face and real name on the receiving end of that bullet. The Presidency is also a symbol of American power and culture two things that messing with will offend many people. The assassination of a president has also always been a very sad and drawn out affair more so than than wars because in order to be elected you have to get a large percentage of voters to like you as apposed to starting a war you just need a congress to say okay.

Haha what? No no no. You misunderstand american politics. You don't have to be liked, you just have to be disliked less than your opponent. I have no memory of being alive at a time when a majority of people voted for a guy because he was better. They only vote because he's less bad.

It sucks, and I don't like it, but it's the way it is.

Edit OT: This really isn't that big a deal in and of itself. People just want something to complain about. Let them be stressed over nothing. If we don't respond, maybe they'll go away. You can't say it's wrong to kill a named person. We killed hitler, stalin, and a bunch of other people in video games. Sure, some of them were bad. Did the Nazi's all think that Hitler was bad? No. But we kill him in games.

Do Americans all think Bush was bad? not *all*. Let people kill him in games.

well i was taking the idealistic approach that was the intention of our founding fathers when they wrote the constitution and its early amendments but still some people will like you and to date most of the assassinated presidents have been very well liked ie Kennedy and Lincoln

 

[somekindarobot]

I'd like to be able to kill Americans more.
But too many games are fine with letting you kill Middle eastenres/Nazi's or Russians but shrink at the idea of shooting Americans.

You know, from a few of your posts, I kind of get a feeling you don't like Americans very much.

On topic: Well, I guess this does fall under free speech, and I can appreciate the intent of showing the hypocrisy of propaganda and warfare. But there is something that makes me uneasy about being an al-Queida killing US soldiers and the president, even if it's Bush, although I guess that's the statement of hypocrisy is about, I guess.

 

[Silva]

Of course it's just a game. Everyone on The Escapist knows that. At the same time, games have the potential to be used as propaganda, and I don't like that idea at all. That's why I'd never give a cent to the developers of America's Army (who are funded by the US Defense Force), or anyone from any other nation doing the same. That means I'd never, ever, support a real person being the target. That's a hate crime.

Wait.

There's a game where you can assassinate Bush?
Holy shit I'm going to kiss this dude.

Man, there's actually a whole lot of those games. Go search for Flash games on Newgrounds about Bush. You'll see what I mean. People hated him at that site. I suppose to them such games are just a type of therapy.

 

[Bigeyez]

Nothing wrong with it at all. In fact the mod in question is actually pretty tasteful in the reasons of why it was made. It's not simply a "rawr we hate America lets kill Americans" thing. They are trying to show people a different point of view for things.

When did it become wrong to assassinate the president in real life? I'm pretty sure the constitution gives us the right to grab a rifle and tear out the entire presidency, cabinet, and congress when we feel they're no longer listening to us. We're not too far from that happening again either.

And before you flame me, just don't. I know there's a passage in the constitution that supports this, I just don't want to find it. I think it was Jefferson.

Uh no that would be treason. You can't just take up arms against the government.

Section 3 - Treason Note

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

This is Section 3 of Article III of the U.S. Constitution. The Constitutional definition of treason is

Treason
treason n the offense of attempting to overthrow the government of one's country or of assisting its enemies in war

So no, you don't have the constitutional right to pick up arms and overthrow the government. In fact Treason was one of the first issues the Continental Congress discussed when forming the original consitution. They sure as hell didn't want people rising up and trying to overthrow them. Especially because at the time they really didn't have the full support of the entire population. And as far as

We're not too far from that happening again either

The +50% approval rate of the current administration begs to differ.