Wednesday 5 November, 2008

Over all, I have to say that I was definitely surprised by my response to this game. The title alone led me to believe that I would be horribly offended, and I would probably turn the game offf and delete it from my hard drive the moment I finished the assignment. However, the more I played, the more “entertained” I was.

I actually thought the game was well made, and it was surprisingly fun to play. At first, I was somewhat disturbed by this reaction, especially since the subject of the game is so traumatic, but realistically, there is nothing wrong with this reaction. A well made game is a well made game. (It may not be the best game I’ve ever played, but it kept me interested)

So, now the question is, why doesn’t this reaction bother me? The answer is actually much easier than one would expect. How many videogames are there based on war? Call of Duty and Medal of Honor are pretty consistent in retelling the stories of WW II., and with Call of Duty 4, we’re now entering the realm of modern warfare.

These games are fun, people continue to play them, and they are continually entertained by them. I’ve read several logs complaining a bout the subject of Super Columbine Massacre. Many of them were offended at the thought of playing such a horrific game. How many of those people have played Call of Duty and thought it was a great game.

No one seems to complain about WW II era games, but why is that? WW II is just as real as Columbine, and I’d argue it is a much more terrifying event. I don’t ant to downplay the tragedy of Columbine, but the events that occurred durring WW II were much more frightening, and much more widespread, yet people are disgusted by Super Columbine Massacre and not by Call of Duty.

There is an inconsistency here. Both games depict real events, where real people died, but for some reason, the Columbine game is frownded upon. I think that the key factor behind this response is the character that you are forced to play.

In Medal of Honor, and in Call of Duty, you traditionall play the “good guys” You’re on the winning side. You play as the US, or as Britain. (Sure, you can play as Germany or Japan in multiplayer, but in the story, you are restricted to the winning side). Super Columbine Massacre has gamers playing the “bad guys” You play the socially accepted criminal. A psycopathic monster who has no soul. (How much of that is true is up to interpretation)

What would happen if Super Columbine Massacre allowed you to play as the other students? What would happen if your objective was to stop the shooters from completeing their mission? Would people respond the same way?

Would people play Call of Duty if the series forced you to play as the Nazis? How would people respond if the missions required you to exterminate and torture people in concentration camps?

Perhaps this is a better question: What about Grand Theft Auto? You are a criminal, a murderer, a thief. In Grand Theft Auto, even though you are the hero of the story, you are a villain. The actions you take inside the world of GTA are things that society would never accept in real life. I’m curious to know how many people in class hated Super Columbine Massacre, yet look forward to the next GTA release. How many of them can’t stomach the thought of playing as the shoorter, yet they love gunning down pedestrians in GTA?

Super Columbine Massacre is based on real events. GTA arguably isn’t, but at the end of the day, those offended by Super Columbine Massacre should, at least in theory, be offended by GTA. The actions in both games are equally cruel and disgusting in real life. Why do people treat these games so differently? What makes GTA, or Call of Duty better than Super Columbine Massacre?

They are all violent, they all contain events that are frightening in real life, and within the context of videogames, I’d argue that as videogames, they are all the same.

Good point, people are less offended by games like CoD because you play as the allies. However, on the other hand in war games you do not massacre defenseless people, so i would say yes people would most likely have problems with a game where the player play's as the Gestapo or an SS officer. Also, in warfare there aren't really innocent people because both sides are combatants, and soldiers live by a kill or be killed philosophy.