[Vigilous]

Yesterday, someon leaked game play footage of the soon to be released Modern Warfare 2. The scene in question is one of the first skirmishes in the game's campaign mode, and has our hero infiltrating the ranks of a Russian ultra-nationalist terror cell. The undercover operative is ordered by his "superiors" to attack a civilian airport. You - as the hero - assist in mowing down civilians with fully automatic weapons.

Seems like pretty standard fare for an international espionage story, right? Well, it might have been, if developer Infinity Ward didn't let slip the fact that this scene is based on the real life terror attack that occurred in Mumbai, India last year. The AP has already picked up on this and it will no doubt make the news rounds today or tomorrow. Since the footage leaked, IW and publisher Activision confirmed it is indeed game footage. They also stated that they knew some players may not be able to handle the scene, and included an in-game waring that it is about to start, and offers an alternative path for those with delicate sensibilities. What is surprising here, are the comments being made by gamers about this situation. It seems the player base is split down the middle: it's taking things too far and is offensive or Infinity Ward is trying to make a statement, either politically or artistically. Those that are finding the inclusion of the assault offensive are dismissing the obvious, "What about GTA?" comments as not even being the same thing. This is ludicrous, given that little of GTA's mass murders are story driven; the player has the option of attempting genocide against the inhabitants of Liberty City. As do players of Fable, Fallout, and Oblivion.

This whole thing is irksome, especially after what happened to Six Days in Fallujah. While two games are not a trend of new attitudes, I fear that it may eventually be the new hot button against games. Not depictions of life-like violence, but depictions of real life. Fallujah was axed because people found it to be offensive to soldiers who were there for that bloody battle, and that it was too soon to expose people to what actually happened there. As a combat vet, and as someone who met survivors of that battle, I can tell you that's bullshit. Especially considering the developers of that game hired a number of Marines and soldiers who fought in that skirmish as creative and technical consultants.

And now, people are freaking out about Modern Warfare. Because it's in poor taste. Because it's offensive. When the fuck did gamers start to puss out? We should not shelter ourselves from life in our entertainment and storytelling. If we do that, we become truly apathetic.

But what I want to know is, of the growing number of people who are finding this scene offensive, how many knew there was the attack in Mumbai before they learned about the scene being based on it. Because I'll be honest, I don't remember even hearing about it last year.

[Alahel]

My opinion is biased I'll state it up front I already have it pre ordered.
With that said I have avoided the video in question as I hate spoilers.
Shawn elliots blog and Twitter wich if you are a gamer no don't follow or know of him
makes it sound realy done in poor taste, if you have seen the video do you
as the player kill people who are already shot or helping the wounded?
I could get why some people will have faux outrage then remeber Mass effects
sexbox 360 scandal. I don't see this story getting a fair shake but who knows.

I would be curious what the alternative path is? Can we simply kill the terrorist and say fuck it?

[Cruzandercerberus]

You know, it's probably already illegal in some states to sell Adults Only games to anyone who is not 35 years or older and wearing gloves. I expect incoming outrage, there's not much going on in the news.

[Saeunn]

for people who want to see it.
fuck sake theres worse then this in other games. The game "Prey" has a child getting impaled on a spike, GTA you can walk into the airport and start mowning people down. So what if its based on an actual event, any game which features in a middle-eastern-esque setting is clearly based on Iraq but no one stamps there feet and cries about that. People keep making stupid uproars like this an eventually the whole game industry is gonna be enveloped in a shiny protective covering of bubblewrap and nerd tears. What next? Sanding the corners off the Friendship Cube in "Portal" because i might just poke my pixelated eye out with it.

[Demonsquall]

My question is, when did gamers start giving a fuck about this? We have a conscience now? I, for one, have been waiting for a good MODERN shooter for years, not your ultra-elite SOCOM games, just a regular modern shooter. I don't give a damn if its based on a real battle or not, hell I think it's better that way, as it adds some realism and depth to the game and educates people on what happened. I don't see people bitching about fights in the older COD games, or medal of honor games, that are based on the real battle. So what makes this so fucking special? It happened a few years ago? Big shit people should be able to handle it whether it happened 2 years ago or 20.

[Vigilous]

Demonsquall, on 29 October 2009 - 12:50 PM, said:

My question is, when did gamers start giving a fuck about this? We have a conscience now? I, for one, have been waiting for a good MODERN shooter for years, not your ultra-elite SOCOM games, just a regular modern shooter. I don't give a damn if its based on a real battle or not, hell I think it's better that way, as it adds some realism and depth to the game and educates people on what happened. I don't see people bitching about fights in the older COD games, or medal of honor games, that are based on the real battle. So what makes this so fucking special? It happened a few years ago? Big shit people should be able to handle it whether it happened 2 years ago or 20.

Christ, you're an idiot. The scene in CoD: MW2 is not based on a battle. It is based on a massacre in which a handful of heavily armed men raided a civilian airport, and slaughtered over 200 innocent people.

[Alahel]

Not only is it not based on a battle but lets pretend it was.

How well do you think the media would take it if there was a civil war game with players playing as the KKK vs D. P. Upham or play any of the World War 2 games as Nazi's and the whole mission is putting Jews in gas chambers.I broke down and watched the video as its just to hard to give an honest opinion on this without watching it.Its also to hard to talk about it since the video is in {french?}And the only thing I can understand are the people screaming in terror.It is disturbing if I am bieng honest and the parts that I had been warned about people wounded and crawling away only to have the player walk up and shoot them down.Or the people running out to help some random fallen bystander only to both be shot down.

I will be curious how Wal-mart takes this if it gets big press as we all know if Wal-mart doesnt carry your game it might as well not be released in the US.If they will pull a game for content thats not even realy avalible to the average consumer {Hot Coffee} then this seems like it could be trouble.

I always hate defending games to non-gamers and cant stand when someone calls FPS games murder simulators but in this case im not sure what argument I would put up other then "its just a game."Wich if I was bieng honest is a cop out because if its just a game it would not elicit any emotions at all.

In the real world things like this happen but I dont know if I need to play this level to as Infinity ward puts it "Understand how evil the villian is" I think I could have just have watched a cutscene of said events and got the point.

Sorry if my post is over dramatic on it but it is an odd choice IMO for infinity ward to do.While I agree this may top "THE NUKE" for those who actualy play the series I dont know if its the best choice to do so.

[Demonsquall]

Vigilous, on 30 October 2009 - 12:12 AM, said:

Christ, you're an idiot. The scene in CoD: MW2 is not based on a battle. It is based on a massacre in which a handful of heavily armed men raided a civilian airport, and slaughtered over 200 innocent people.

As of watching the video after finally finding it...it's a little over the top. I didn't read the article well enough when I wrote my response and thought it was about Fallujah, so I was overzealous in my response, but it still shouldn't be censored.

It still stands, and I think you said it better Vigilous.

Quote

And now, people are freaking out about Modern Warfare. Because it's in poor taste. Because it's offensive. When the fuck did gamers start to puss out? We should not shelter ourselves from life in our entertainment and storytelling. If we do that, we become truly apathetic.

[treelo]

I think the problem here is that the gaming market has opened itself up to a much wider audience. Many of the people complaining probably don't even play FPS games, if they did, they wouldn't have a serious problem with things like this. As more and more games come out for the less violently inclined amongst us (read: pussies), things like this are bound to happen because they feel that their purchase of professor layton's bullshit adventures in fantasy city gives them the right to comment on the industry as a whole.

With that being said though, I can see the point being made here. Kind of. I'm assuming the event in question is the assault that took place on several of the larger hotels in the city as well, since that's the last major terrorist attack I can recall in the city. Which I suppose just proves your point about how many people were aware that anything had happened, because to the best of my knowledge, there wasn't an airport involved at all. This wasn't a battle, it was a massacre, if you've seen and heard the footage and phone conversations between the people involved, it's hard to fathom exactly what the hell they were thinking at the time. Other than "kill as many civilians as possible, preferably the jewish ones." No doubt they're worried that this will glorify the event itself, and Osama will be sat chuckling with glee in his cave as he restarts the level for the 10th time on release day.

I don't agree. Not by a long shot, but if people involved in the actual attack who were fortunate enough to survive had a problem with it, I can totally understand. This happened less than a year ago. It would be akin to releasing Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Twin Towers edition in 2002. However, it's highly hypocritical of any gamer to harp on about the brutality and callousness displayed in a realistic setting. Nobody cried when World at War came out. Or Company of Heroes. Or Medal of Honor. Or any of the other countless WW2 related games that graphically depict the slaughter of countless millions.

Actually, I think the approach taken by IW is a sensible one. It might be watering down the game to cater for the fags who will never even buy it, but with the uproar this seems to have caused, it'll certainly stop it from being banned, which is what I'm sure most people are calling for. Just another knee jerk reaction from the uneducated masses.

[motoh]

Why are we debating this? The real problem is that there are to be no dedicated servers.

~M

[Aeonknight]

How lame.

People throwing up the red flag over a massacre that happened post-WW2...

imo, to censor it and sweep it under the rug does injustice to anyone that's ever been in a situation like that.

Shit happens on a daily basis. Guess people don't like being knocked out of their comfort zone when it happened in their lifetime.

[Knyte]

Aw damn, Fallujah was canceled? man i was looking forward to playing that game, looked good.

Aeonknight spoke my words exactly.