Why Russia?

[Chrinik]

Because these games are made to appeal to americans, and americans number one punchclock villains are in order:
Terrorists/Islamists/Arab people in general excluding Israel.
Communists (most likely russians)
Soviets (always russians, because the Soviet Union apperently didnt span over most of fucking asia...)
Russians (in Post Cold War settings where the Soviet Union doesn´t exist.)
Nazis
Other americans.

So you have russians occupying three slots of these, so the probability of russians to appear is pretty big.
Well, COD-4 didn´t paint russians as the antagonists...it was russian Ultranationalists, and other russians helped you because they didn´t like em either.

And after a 50 year long struggle and arms-race and near nuclear war, you think that now that the wall fell everything between the participants is hoity toity?

 

[Antari]

Because cold war propaganda is still very much alive and kicking?

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

It's because they were recent enemies, we're still tense with them, and they could plausibly serve as a threatening foe to the US if war ever broke out between us. However, you'll notice a trend in these games where the Russians are actually being used by some American Big Bad who is revealed at the very end. In fact, despite being crude stereotypes, the Russians are actually often shown sympathetically as tools of this main villain. It's still offensive, implying a lack of autonomy and intelligence on the Russians, but I suspect this is because we don't want to say outright that the Russians are evil, so we pass the blame away from them at the absolute last minute.

Why cant America be bad these days?

I know MW2 experimented with that but he's just a psycho in my eyes, i want it to where the whole damn country is evil

Off the top of my head, say America is a "Constitutionally Theocratic" nation and is at war in the name of god to purge the world of sinners or something

Meh, we do it more for money, politics, and international influence.

 

[The_Echo]

Simply because they aren't imaginative enough.

Military games (or your preferred term) are so boxed in to norms that they never venture out and try something fresh. I mean, wouldn't it be a lovely change of pace to play as the Mongols while they were mowing down their enemies? How awesome would that be?! Or games based in the future, where they can use other countries (say, North Korea) that aren't too threatening now, but they could make them so with a little creative writing. Alternative timelines too. Not something as trite as "what if we lost WWII?", mind you, but something like, "What if Mongolia had taken over the known world, and there was another great power in the American continents, and they went to war for ultimate control?" I think that could get really spiff. (Sorry to use Mongolia twice in one post, but I can't be arsed to think too much on history of war. It's not my forte.)

So yeah, basically because they aren't using their imagination.

EDIT: Just occurred to me. Civil War-era game, anyone?

 

[Dancingman]

Having Russians as the bad guys is what Hollywood and thereby writers are used to so that's one strike against them. Plus it sidesteps any nasty arguments of racism that crop up when you use Islamic terrorists or Chinese villains, everyone knows you're only allowed to use Asian bad guys in WWII game.

 

[stealthsniper29]

You want to know why Russia is the antagonists in a lot of games. Because Russians are biggest assholes the world will ever have.

 

[Benny Blanco]

Here's a really "edgy" opponent for you: Israel.

-American-made weapons
-Significant nuclear arsenal
-Really aggressive foreign policy.
-Regularly shoot foreign nationals for fun.

Just to point out, Israel makes it's own weapons, and they're AWESOME.

Israel makes most of their own small-arms and yeah, they do quite a good job of it (Galil, Uzi, Desert Eagle) but supplement these with a lot of weapons made in the US and other countries.

A lot of their planes, artillery and armour are also US-made.

You want to know why Russia is the antagonists in a lot of games. Because Russians are biggest assholes the world will ever have.

I dunno man, have you ever met a South African?

 

[Nomanslander]

Whats the deal with games like MW2,BFBC2, and Black ops having Russians as the antagonists? Have game writers really run out of ideas?

In todays world, Russia is still probably one of the few countries that could go toe to toe in a war with America.

Same can be said with China, but since millions of dollars have been invested there building cheap factories and businesses, politics wont allow it...lol

 

[Spartan1175]

Here's a really "edgy" opponent for you: Israel.

-American-made weapons
-Significant nuclear arsenal
-Really aggressive foreign policy.
-Regularly shoot foreign nationals for fun.

Just to point out, Israel makes it's own weapons, and they're AWESOME.

Israel makes most of their own small-arms and yeah, they do quite a good job of it (Galil, Uzi, Desert Eagle) but supplement these with a lot of weapons made in the US and other countries.

A lot of their planes, artillery and armour are also US-made.

Israel also has the the TAR-21.

 

[WorldCritic]

Because there are a bunch of people who fantasize about what would have happened if the Cold War had escalated into World War III (I am not one of these people.)

 

[Blind Sight]

I honestly have no problem with the Russians being antagonists, but only if they're done right. The problem with most of these games is a lot of the time the Russians are just bastards for no real reason. Case in point: In Modern Warfare, at least we got a little bit of the Communists' ideology: they think that their leaders whored their country out to the United States, and want both to pay as a result. Decent enough logic. Now look at Modern Warfare 2: Somehow, magically, a terrorist leader has become a national hero, and the entire country is now willing to commit a horrible, expensive and possibly suicidal war with the United States. The question is why. Sure, apparently a CIA agent was caught in a terrorist act, but you're seriously telling me that the airport cameras didn't pick up Makarov's face or anything? That's never really explained, and that's the problem. They ignore all the reasons why the Russians WOULDN'T go to war over something this stupid. I don't care who the antagonist is, I just want decent reasons behind why they're villains.

 

[Phoenix Arrow]

Because America and Russia are the only two big nations that are particularly warlike and have similar weapons. I mean, China and North Korea are too topical, a video game with a war between N. Korea and American could easily be taken as a provocation by Kim Jong-Il. The only other safe bet is the Middle East and well... y'know. Terrorists groups might not like that. Last thing Activision need is a bomb at their headquarters. The only sort of safe nations that they could easily dress up as evil are Russia and Germany, and Germany would have to be set in the past. Or Japan in the past I suppose.

Beyond that, if you want a full out war game, where else do you go? Could be some sort of Civil War, I suppose. That or aliens.

On MW2 though, am I right in saying that they start in the Middle East then they follow the money and it takes them to Russia? Irony.

 

[zfactor]

Having Russians as the bad guys is what Hollywood and thereby writers are used to so that's one strike against them. Plus it sidesteps any nasty arguments of racism that crop up when you use Islamic terrorists or Chinese villains, everyone knows you're only allowed to use Asian bad guys in WWII game.

LOVE YOUR PROFILE PICTURE

Back on topic, yes, it does eliminate any cries from the general public about using the "Taliban" *cough* MoH *cough* The Cold War is so far in the past (compared to nowadays, anyway...) people don't really care about it anymore because the Russians were perceived as actual bad guys.

 

[darkmalteaser]

Its just easier and less hassle to use Russia and Germany as story scape goats than say lets shoot the americans or auzzies

 

[crazybombard]

Hey,don't get me wrong, I love the Ruskies just as much as the next guy (Vodka anyone?) they are just the only competent country to actually make a dent into america if America were to ever be invaded.

My (other) theory is that it is the battle of the fittest. Look at it this way, neither countries have ever been conquered (Napoleon and Hitler for Russia, Britain for America), so it all boils down to who is the best at staying unconquerable. Which just makes for a good game.

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

why not choose an enemy that is actually evil? like North Korea?

oh and:

In Modern Russia, US are bad guys!!

 

[Dancingman]

Having Russians as the bad guys is what Hollywood and thereby writers are used to so that's one strike against them. Plus it sidesteps any nasty arguments of racism that crop up when you use Islamic terrorists or Chinese villains, everyone knows you're only allowed to use Asian bad guys in WWII game.

LOVE YOUR PROFILE PICTURE

Back on topic, yes, it does eliminate any cries from the general public about using the "Taliban" *cough* MoH *cough* The Cold War is so far in the past (compared to nowadays, anyway...) people don't really care about it anymore because the Russians were perceived as actual bad guys.

Thankies, I love my picture as well, Tarkin's a BAMF.

But yeah, all the Islamic terrorists stuff is a bit too muddled (though it's not like the Cold War was any LESS so) for anyone's palate. Sure, nobody remembers Operation Ajax or all those wonderful friends the US made in South America back in the Cold War, but Americans love a good ol' fashioned Ruskie bad guy.

 

[seryoga]

Потому что Россия является удивительным

Google translate, huh?

I would try to fix that, but I'm sort of lazy. But, really, that last word is incorrect.

It says because Russia is Awesome, and it is, so stop with your constant intolerance towards the Russian culture and we'll stop making fun of your stupid accents and disgusting food

 

[vivalahelvig]

Потому что Россия является удивительным

ß çíàþ, ïðàâî Ðîññèè ìîæåò ïîëíîñòüþ ïîðàæåíèÿ Àìåðèêå

Because blaming russia is easy, as they were our enemies during the cold war.

Did you know that on google translate, you cant read phonetically in polski?

 

[Liam Moriarty]

Потому что Россия является удивительным

согласились