US independent Atomic Games to produce new title based on 2004 battle
Can video games tackle sensitive subjects surrounding the current conflict in Iraq? Konami seems to think so, having signed up US independent Atomic Games and its new game Six Days In Fallujah.
The 360, PS3 and PC game is inspired by US Marines who served during the November 2004 battle in the Iraqi city and is developed by a studio which usually makes combat simulation software for the military according to the LA Times.
The horrors of such conflicts have been portrayed in every other medium - now it is games' turn to tackle such themes, according to a US Konami rep, brand manager John Choon.
He told the LA Times that those in the war are now game savvy. He said: "The soldiers wanted to tell their stories through a game because that's what they grew up playing."
One of the soldiers who was 22 and fought in the battle has been drafted in as consultant on the title.
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"Video games can communicate the intensity and the gravity of war to an audience who wouldn’t necessarily be watching the History Channel or reading about this in the classroom,” said Mike Ergo, who is now 26 and studying at the University of California at Berkeley.
“In an age when everyone’s always online or playing games, people’s imaginations aren’t what they were, sadly. For this group, books may not convey the same level of intensity and chaos of war that a game can.”
what the hell is this? what "Story" exactly are you trying to tell??? why dont you do a game about the Vietnam war where you get your butt kicked? why do you have to show and kill Iraqi's like this??
or is it not a Sensitive issue? serious?
Yeah this is kinda insensitive. It's far too recent. :/
I completely appreciate what you are saying about this being too recent.
But to play Devil's Advocate: was it too recent when the war poets of World War One wrote about their experiences before WW1 even ended?
If the cases are different, how - is it because you believe this new game will just revel in the violence, or just focus on the physical/environmental effect of the war?
War games are a popular genre but... I'm not sure what I think about this... I suppose Pre-1945 isn't a sensitive issue because the games out there target people that aren't really emotionally affiliated with this period and take it solely as entertainment.
I can't really say I learnt anything from CoD, it all came from studying. I'm not offended by any content like this, but can see why people may see it in bad taste.
The point is war shouldn't really be a form of entertainment, but by human nature it is. Mike Ergo is right, video games can communicate messages to people (children) who tend not to watch the H channel or read books, but it's the way the content is portrayed... The reason it's in books and documentaries is because it's informative and alerts people to the britality of war.
IMO these messages are lost when really the objective of the game is to win, completely over shadowing the reality of war.
Why isn't there a game about the Vietnam war? Or is there? Can you win when you play?
When the Maily Dail gets hold of this, it will another nail in the industry's coffin.
I fully expect censorship, "official guidance" etc - after all this is the government who will soon be requiring travel agents to log our holiday plans onto the central database.
I think sometimes the industry is its own enemy.
Hey while we're looking for new concepts:
"Abu Ghraib":
When you play as the US guards, you get to beat up defenceless prisoners, maybe even shoot them in the head at close range, see the splatter in glorious HD.
Play as the prisoner, trying to escape, carrying just a sheet and a plastic spoon, yeah you'll sell a gazillion.
This is a throwback to Bush's era.
Its over, move on and say sorry.
Iraq has / had nothing to do with 9/11 ... - hey now theres a concept: a flight sim / constrained arena FPS - baddies VS goodies on a 747 - play as the bad guys and fly it into the twin towers. Neat. You read it here first.
</satire>
I'm sorry but the idea of this game is sick and twisted.
How are they going to depict the thousands of women and children that were killed civilians who live there and had their homes blown up and lost all their possessions. And in some cases lost their entire familys. We firebombed those people there was talk of war crimes against the United States I don't think any of this is going to be in the game.
Making any game out of an illegal war and occupation of a foreign country is just sick. It was no game to the 5000 plus human beings that lost their lives by American brutality fighting for power and resources in the Middle East.
Good to see a lot of knee jerk reactions. Seems to be a fair bit of anti-American sentiment from some of the posters.
How about waiting for the game to start shaping up before making your judgements?
This has the potential to be very good. Will the player get to decide whether to, say, shoot a civilian who's driving towards their vehicle checkpoint but won't stop? Is it a suicide bomber, or a civilian trying to get his pregnant wife to the hospital before she goes into labour? Just how difficult IS the job these guys do, especially in somewhere like Fallujah.
I'd be as disappointed as anyone if this turns into a regular "run and gun" type scenario. But, believe it or not, the guys (and girls) coming back form there do indeed have stories to tell - and their stories aren't black and white.
This could be an awesome title - something that really makes people think in a way that no other game has. On the other hand, it could be a total pile of ****e.
Let's wait and see before jumping down the throats of the developers, eh?
