Poll: Would a game where you played a nazi/terrorist be acceptable?

[chocolate pickles]

I'm not talking about games where you played as them in multiplayer only, with the only difference between them being their appearance, but a fully-fledged game where you played as a Nazi/terrorist. You would hear the story from their point of view, understand their motivations, reasons for their actions and be forced to fight the morally correct opposition

Would you allow this game to be published? If so, would you place any limits on what could be expressed? Or do you have any other opinions i didn't cover (apologies)?

EDIT: some people have stated games that you play as terrorists in. While i dont know most of them, i just want to point out i didnt mean a game where the terrorists are just a skin to play as in multiplayer.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Nazi? Not sure about that... though sort of play one in Sniper Elite, though that doesn't really count, 'cos it's German resistance, technically.

As for terrorist? Of course you can play as a terrorist, though I'm sure they'd prefer to be called 'freedom fighters'. Setting to be completely fantasy, or like, well whatever that game was where North Korea attacked the States. You basically played as a terrorist in that, pretty much... *shrug*

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Don't you play as the Nazis in the Red Orchestra 2 campaign? I haven't play it, but think I heard you do, or play as some sort of OpFor.

As for acceptable, by the media? Hell no. Just look at all the attacks Medal of Honor got for calling the opposing multiplayer team the Taliban. Would I allow it to be published? Of course. I despise fascist/fascism more than anything on the face of the earth, but that is just my personal view, why should that prevent it from being published?

 

[Iwata]

You already played a terrorist in Spec Ops: The Line. It's all in the context.

 

[Sixcess]

Yes, but I say that with significant reservations.

As a terrorist? Well, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. If it was story based, likely morally grey and had something intelligent to say then sure, why not? But it would be all too easy for such a game to slip over the line into out and out propaganda.

As for Nazis... Well, I'd have no problem playing a WWII game where I took on the role of a regular german soldier - very few of whom were actual Nazis. A game based on Stalingrad for example could be very effective, perhaps as you try to keep your squad alive whilst surrounded by overwhelming soviet forces and little or no resupply. You're going to lose in the end, but there's plenty of opportunity to tell a good story in the process.

But a Nazi? Very doubtful. Some Waffen SS units did distinguish themselves in combat, but the sad truth is that all too often when Nazi (as opposed to wehrmacht) troops took the field it was to commit atrocities against unarmed civilians. I don't think there'd be any justification for a game that involved the mass murder of jews as you cleansed a polish ghetto, for example.

 

[nexus]

You already play a terrorist in most of the popular "western shooters". Majority of Call of Shitties have you shredding shanty-towns with lead or bombing entire villages with high-explosive munitions via thermal optics, etc.

Its kinda the definition of terrorism to go around scaring the shit out of people and blowing everything up.

OooooOoooH. You mean play as the "bad guys" as defined by the west. Yea, absolutely nothing wrong with it. If you had a problem with it, then you're nationalist, an imperialist and saturated with propaganda. I mean really, if you don't have a problem with slaughtering hundreds of thousands of people "of middle-east origin", but you start getting uppity over a change in the playing field... well son, you got problems.

 

[Lilani]

I think it would depend entirely upon the story being told. We don't exactly need stories about how killing innocents is bad, we already know that. But if it were narrowed down to a single character's journey and experience as a Nazi, there could be a compelling story to tell there. A lot of psychological warfare went down to bring those soldiers to the point where they could shuffle people around like cattle, way before the war even began. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohrtFuxUzZE]

 

[SonicWaffle]

Would you allow this game to be published? If so, would you place any limits on what could be expressed? Or do you have any other opinions i didn't cover (apologies)?

Would I let it be published? Sure, it sounds like a way to tell interesting stories and humanise those demonised by society.

Would the Moral Guardians let it be published? FUCK NO.

The outcry would be unprecedented. Given all the hard work our media does to dehumanise people we're supposed to regard as subhuman, people would shit a brick at the idea of undoing that conditioning.

 

[sextus the crazy]

You already played a terrorist in Spec Ops: The Line. It's all in the context.

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

OT: If it's pulled off well, I think the premise could be good.

 

[Doom972]

Unacceptable for me. Don't mind if other like that sort of thing as long as it's not in my face.

You already played a terrorist in Spec Ops: The Line. It's all in the context.

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

OT: If it's pulled off well, I think the premise could be good.

A person who bombs a building full of non-combatants isn't fighting for the cause freedom, but for the cause of creating terror - which is why he' called a terrorist, not a freedom fighter. Some organzations seem to think that instead of actually fighting their so called "opressors" for freedom, they can achieve their goals through terror. It has nothing to do with a point of view.

 

[sextus the crazy]

Unacceptable for me. Don't mind if other like that sort of thing as long as it's not in my face.

You already played a terrorist in Spec Ops: The Line. It's all in the context.

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

OT: If it's pulled off well, I think the premise could be good.

A person who bombs a building full of non-combatants isn't fighting for the cause freedom, but for the cause of creating terror - which is why he' called a terrorist, not a freedom fighter. Some organzations seem to think that instead of actually fighting their so called "opressors" for freedom, they can achieve their goals through terror. It has nothing to do with a point of view.

I was just pointing out that such labels are incredibly subjective. Besides, the Israelis are that last people I want to hear labeling others acts as unjustified terrorism.

 

[Reven]

Unacceptable for me. Don't mind if other like that sort of thing as long as it's not in my face.

You already played a terrorist in Spec Ops: The Line. It's all in the context.

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

OT: If it's pulled off well, I think the premise could be good.

A person who bombs a building full of non-combatants isn't fighting for the cause freedom, but for the cause of creating terror - which is why he' called a terrorist, not a freedom fighter. Some organzations seem to think that instead of actually fighting their so called "opressors" for freedom, they can achieve their goals through terror. It has nothing to do with a point of view.

I was just pointing out that such labels are incredibly subjective. Besides, the Israelis are that last people I want to hear labeling others acts as unjustified terrorism.

I do agree that the line of what a freedomfighter is, is very subjective, however i do find the if the goal is victory through spreading fear (particularly attacking civilian targets and and locations) then terrorist would certainly fit much better as a definition, imo at least,

 

[Windcaler]

Playing as a Nazi or terrorist (as we tend to view them) might be extremely insensitive but no I dont see a problem with it outright. Art has always made an attempt to explore controversial subjects so I dont see any reason why we cant make a game like that (although the question of "should you" still applies)

 

[Mr.Mattress]

I'm going to say yes, but with limitations. For Example, a Nazi Game where your in charge of a Death or Internment Camp would clearly be a no-no (Especially for the Death Camp). A Terrorist Game where your committing a real terrorist attack (9/11 or 7/7 or something like those) would also be a no-no, especially if it were a recent terrorist attack (Like the Benghazi attack). Other then those kinds of situations, then you could make a Nazi/Terrorist game.

 

[Reaper195]

I've love to play a game where you actively play as what most of the world considers the bad guys. Like a random Nazi soldier during WW2. If handled and written really well, the story could be fantastic. But then again...we've demonised the real world bad gus to the point where if we did have a game where we played as a Nazi or an Al Quada (SP?) soldier, the game would be slammed for being all hate and anti-freedom and shit from the US. And since most developers/publishers reside in the US....we'll never see a game with a story like that.

 

[00slash00]

remember Red Faction: Guerrilla? i never finished it but from what i played, you certainly seem to be playing as a terrorist