January 8, 2008
Modern-day first-person shooter Call of Duty 4 made it onto just about everyone's Game of the Year list.But, GOTY attention notwithstanding, a Florida newspaper columnist and parent is troubled by the game's ultra-realistic modern war theme. Writing for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Ralph De La Cruz discusses his angst:
Our family is not into any sort of violence. But who could possibly begrudge a man and his boy from killing a few Nazis?... But No. 4 has turned out to be much more complicated. That's because it sends you... into the teeth of the Iraqi war... The one I don't believe we should be fighting. The one I vow my son will never take part in.
And there he is playing it out on his Xbox 360. Offing Iraqis for entertainment's sake, as other Americans sacrifice their lives on real-world battlefields...
Somehow I found it morally easier to kill Nazis...
GP: De La Cruz is not the first to raise such issues. Particularly in relation to the Iraq war, games like Battlefield 2, Desert Combat (a popular BF 1942 mod) Kuma/War and others have generated similar concerns.




Comments
Re: Call of Duty 4's Modern Combat Theme Makes Dad Think Twice
This guy is a moron who has no idea what the game is even about. The game has nothing to do with Iraq. It take splace in a fictional Middle East country as well as parts of Russia. You spend most of the game fighting Russian pro-communist terrorists. Maybe this guy should get the facts before striking the game down. Besides, what is wrong with killing terrorists? The more terrorists that die, the better. i'd much rather it be them than us.
Its ok for his son to kill Nazis, but the killing of the made up Middle Eastern soldiers has him feeling uncomfortable?
Yes it has real world ties, but that is the world we live in, and I for one feel the IW did a fantastic job with this game and its portrayal of this war.
So as long as we are dealing with semi-mythical and mythical enemies it is okay.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
Random Tower: Game News and Commentary
As anyone who has completed CoD4 will tell you, it's not set in Iraq, it's set in an unnamed (and likely fictional) Middle-Eastern country where the government has been overthrown by Middle-Eastern terrorists who are funded by Russian terrorists. In fact, only a few missions are actually set in the Middle-East where the targets are terrorists. Most of the missions are about killing Russian terrorists.
World War 2 ended more than 60 years ago, and now it's part of history. Plus, there is a large consensus on most historical facts, and although there are still ideological debates about this or that point, there is no debate about the fairness of this war. This is why most games about WW2, realistic or not, happen in a clear histortical context. Same thing for any wargame that happens in Napoleonic period, or Medieval Times, or Roman Era, or American Civil War, or even Vietnam war (though, in the 80's, there was still an ambiguity about this one).
Now, Iraq war is not over yet, we don't know all the details of it, and everything about this war is subject of a polarized debate, even the war itself. Call of Duty 4 may be a great game, but its context isn't as clear as previous COD games, which explains why some people view it as a recruiting tool, if not a propaganda tool. We're playing a war that's happening right now, and I understand why some people are uncomfortable about it.
i'm sorry, but that, to me, narrows down to "dont want to let kid play M rated game."
well done.
I agree with both you and the InsidiousMrMoo.
However, I think the biggest problem this guy has with this game is that he thinks it’s about a war he doesn’t agree with. Most Americans thought we were doing the “right” thing during Desert Storm. So, naturally, they would have an easier time swallowing that game. I doubt that he would have a problem with this game if he agreed with the war in Iraq.
And there he is playing it out on his Xbox 360."
I'm not actually sure what the father's issue is. I think it's that he believes that the Iraq war is being fought for the wrong reasons and that it is bad to have people play through it as if you are a hero on the "right" side, whereas fighting the Nazi's was the right thing to do.
Then he muddies his message a little more when after being informed that it isn't about the war and the people are insurgents he says: "Well, actually, they're not insurgents. They're computer code and graphic animation."
Either he's dismissing the fact that it isn't actually about the Iraq war, or he is just dismissing his own argument altogether with the fact that the action isn't real.
It's a strange little article, the man seems upset about something but he doesn't explain why very well. At least this isn't one of the rabid "THIS GAME WILL CAUSE CHILDREN TO MURDER. I DON'T APPROVE THEREFORE NO-ONE SHOULD PLAY IT" articles we have seen in the past.
InsidiousMrMoo is right. Thisiis a double standard.
I'm pretty sure most of the Germans that fought and died would have rather not been there had someone given them the choice. I imagine there were a lot less stereotypical 'Evil Nazis' around than people would like to think.
I don't like double standards, people are people.
I have to agree with odc04r most nazi soldiers were not there by choice, and those that were had been blinded by the truth, they fought to win and survive like we all would do, for this guy to say well it was ok to kill them they weren't really human is so ignorant.
His argument is stupid, really. Let me just change a few words, and it's the exact same thing...
"Our family is not into any sort of OS violence. But who could possibly begrudge a man and his boy from using a few Macs?… But Linux has turned out to be much more complicated. That’s because it sends you… into the teeth of the open source code… The OS I don’t believe we should be getting into. The OS I vow my son will never take part in.
And there he is using it out on his computer box. Writing on emacs for entertainment’s sake, as other Americans waste their lives on piddly user-friendly OSs…
Somehow I found it morally easier to use a Mac…"
I just peed my pants on that one visualizing the guy from the mac vs pc commercials saying that :P.
If he's old enough to play the game, he's old enough to understand moral dilemmas.
CoD4 is a very violent and disturbing game. (I challenge anyone here over the age of reason to prove me wrong in that statement.) It is rated M for a reason. CoD4 makes the battles at the start of the game seem epic and movie like. It is almost romantic. That is until...
*SPOILER ALERT TO ANYONE WHO DID NOT PLAY THE GAME OR SEE THE TRAILER TO IT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM*
(Skip the rest of this commentary and move on to someone more humorus if you don't know the story)
...
...
...
...
...
When the nukes come out to play. (yes, that is the spoiler and that is all I am going to say about it.)
After that moment, the game went from a fun new CoD game to something almost sick. At that moment I thought back to when Bush said he wanted to use nukes to combat terrorism [read: Iran]. That scared me then, and after playing that game, it made my fear of war even worse. Of course, nothing compares to the reaction my grandfather had watching the first few minutes of Saving Private Ryan. He was a soldier in WWII and when he saw what was on the screen he could not take it and had to walk out.
In short, the article by Cruz is a little ignorant. Let me break it down:
1) If you don't approve of the game... why the hell would you let your kid play it? We here at the GP comments section call that "irresponsible parenting".
2) If you find it easier to morally shoot a Nazi, then I hope you have some nice evel skipping cheats on hand because most WWII shooters pull out the Nazi forces (SS) only later on in the game. Usually you find yourself offing conscripted soldiers, who were mostly French, Polish or German non-party members (especially for most of your Normandy first line of defense. Thank you History Channel!).
3) Try a little harder to pretend to know what you are talking about. Research and facts are better than assumptions. Learn the story and stop labeling any Middle Eastern guy in a game that is purely fiction as an Iraqi. Most of the missions in the middle east take place in either what is real world Saudi Arabia or, in one instance, Kuwait. Geography class is your friend and so is a little research.
I am done. Going back to sleep now.
I'm here mate. Well, it was actually Afghanistan, but it's not much different.
Now, firstly, i'd just like to say that anyone who finds killing one group of people easier than others has gone wrong somewhere. That doesn't show morals. It shows some form of desenstisation.
And although I can understand where he's coming from, as the American Missions are Vaguely similar to Operation Iraqi Freedom, he's made the classic mistake. He's taken opinion and mixed it up with fact.
It's not about killing Iraqi's. It's about hunting a Dictator and hopefully bringing him to "justice".
But hey, I wasn't going to buy the game originally. I only went out to get it because of the excellent reviews I saw. If he finds his "morals" challenged, then by all means, exchange it.
Besides, CoD5 is going back to WWII. It won't be a long wait.
this game was not intended to harm anyone, emotionally of physically.
I am 18 and a senior in high school
i play games like these all the time, yet still have the brain and will power to keep all my grades above 95.
For al those people who think this kind of game deserves to be pushed around and slaughtered so diligently, please stop.
IT'S ONLY ENTERTAINMENT!!
My age group usually has plenty of time to spend after all those late nights with homework and chores and all, so we want to play something that looks good enough to want to play again and again.
Sure, my parents weren't the best of 'adults', and i've played worst games since i was 12 years old.
But still, it's not REAL!
It's for fun, and created for that purpose and that reason alone.
Yeah, if you want to get theoretical about it, you can.
BUT WHERE'S THE PROOF?
.. that this game is for those who just want to kill Iraq and Russian soldiers?
It's '''''''FICTIONAL'''''''
Fiction is in all of our live's, it's in the news everywhere.. in the stories we read to our children, to think about the fantasy we want our lives to become one day.
No, i dont want to become a U.S. soldier and save the world, i just want to be, well, entertained.
Now, for all of those so called 'dads' who dont want there sons to see any of these games for what they really are made for, shame on you.
Open your eyes, people!
We are living in a new world, away from tyranny and communism, years long gone from Hitler and Stalin and Japan. We live in a thechnological world, and so what if games today want to portray what we have in store for anyone who wants to fight against us?
It's our world, our life, our entertainment.
Dont talk about what you hate, but what you feel, for what we deserve or not.
Thank you
"Besides, CoD5 is going back to WWII. It won’t be a long wait."
The way I see it, the only way this'll be good is if you get to play as the Germans for a change.
A tank driver among Rommel's Panzer Brigade? hmmm...
Now, I have no issue with people feeling they should distinguish between who they want to fight in their games. He lays it out clearly: Nazis are okay to shoot, Iraqis not so much. What I'm wondering is where he draws the line. Is it in the 1950s, when the action was in Korea? Or the late 60s to early 70s, up against the Vietnamese? How close do we get to the current year before the choice of opponent becomes too distasteful for our sensibilities?
I would suggest that it doesn't matter, because ultimately it's still a video game. If father and son are both interested in it, they can use the subject matter as a jump-off point for further geopolitical discussion, or at least indulge their shared sense of world issues by watching old seasons of The West Wing. Again, foregoing the in-game distinctions, this is essentially a feel-good story about a parent getting interested in their child's activities.
Fangamer
If. Fucking. Only.
Of course, if the developers ARE brave enough to do it from the German's perspective, they'll be swamped with Soccer Mom Marches.
True..
They're known as Ragheads over here. I think we both agree that's worse.
And seriously, the american invasion didn't start until the terrorists had staged a coup and EXECUTED the duly-elected president of the country. That's a HELL of a lot better reason than any we've gone to war over in the last decade or two. Not to mention there was rather solid intel (I mean, you SEE it in the first mission!) that there was at least one nuclear weapon in play...
Technically, I don't think you ever fight any *actual* soldiers in CoD4...except ones that were very, very corrupt. I certainly don't remember seeing many enemies in the middle east missions that were wearing actual uniforms. In this case, CoD4 is LESS 'it's okay to kill one group'...you're killing people who actively want you dead, not just conscripts or people who've been deluded to a Cause. (Like oh, EVERY World War 2 game ever made, except *maybe* (big maybe) Wolfenstein.)
Really, I think that too many people think way too hard about games. What ever happened to the good old days where you were just a fat Italian plumber trying to save a princess from a giant turtle? Am I one of the few who remember that games are to be *enjoyed*, without assigning meaning to them that they don't have?
I must be, considering that 'essay' on Portal about how it was actually all about female empowerment and stuff...And not, y'know..just a super fun puzzle game, which made the Orange Box collection worth buying all on it's own.
A) Its not stated that its set in Iraq.. let alone based around the current skirmish so null and void right away - any article he wrote based on that assumption shows him up as the poor journo I suspect him to be. Sensationalism about Video game violence and managing to shoehorn the Iraq war in at the same time - good job! /end sarcasm
B) If you can stomach killing Nazi's, or any other 'human' lifeform in a video game but not supposed Iraqi soldiers thats known as a double standard and loses you any and all credibilty on the subject of video game violence
You dont mind offing Nazi's based on real soldiers (with real families) in a real war, with a headshot... but you have a problem shooting ficticious members of a ficticious, middle eastern terrorist organisation that sets Nuclear bombs off? *sigh*
Its a game! A GAME!
If the World War was now.. right now.. would you be ok playing Call of Duty, killing Nazi's while real world soldiers were piling over the trenches to certain death?
Russia?
I do remember those days where I was just a hedgehog running as fast as I oculd to get the gold rings. Unfortunatley today, I think a lot of games have a politcal agenda and a lot don't but we add to them later. Is there one behind CoD4, I don't now, what about Halo? Any kinda of anti-racism point behind that one, maybe or maybe not. Point is, this world would be a lot better place if politcs was not so political ;)
A quick food for thought.....Did the Roman government deal with any political pressures for the Gladiators acting out battles in the collessium byiasly? Granted I do not want to watch men and women kill each other for my entertainment, but to them the Gladiator fights were the same as we feel about our video games. Moral issues aside, since we are judging people who lived 2,000+ years ago, I wonder if the Republic dealt with these same thoughts or issues.
You don't kill Iraqis in COD4: Modern Combat, you will terrorist insurgents. Why can't people make the distinction between civilians and insurgents...
Thou shalt not kill..except for Nazis. I think this guy is morally reprehensible. Shindler was a memeber of the Nazi party, so go ahead and plug him full of holes, Billy!
This "Dad" is basically saying it's necessary to de-humanize your opponent before you kill them and the propaganda machine hasn't done a sufficient job on modern enemies yet. We still see them as human, wtf! I can't let Billy kill someone who may have a family! But we all know that Nazis were evil (I guess that means Shindler is a Target of Opportunity), the eat puppies and don't have wives and children.
This "Dad" is perhaps the most reprehensible person I've ever read about. His "logic" is the same one that was used by the KKK to butcher blacks and Jews.
Anyway
@BlackIce
From the rumours I've read, yes COD5 is supposed to be WW2, and worse yet, made by the same people who made COD3. Great. I pray rumors stay as they are and just be crummy rumors and lies.
Now CoD3 wasn't in any way a bad game. It was a watershed.
Now Treyarch had better let you play as the Germans in the single player, otherwise they're going to find themselves out of the deal with Infinity Ward and Activision.
Part of it is that even the likes of Micheal Moore agree that the Nazi's were evil and deserved death... but never actually stopped to realize that only a small portion of the German military were part of the Party. In fact the only ones were the SS, as most of the other branches frowned upon party membership among the ranks.. On top of that some of the soldiers were even German, but conscripted from the conquered European nations to fill in the ranks of the 'expendable' units.
So what it comes down to is that he is saying that its ok to kill conscripted Europeans, but not ok to kill violent middle eastern and Russain terrorists.
One of those pot meet kettle situations I think.
But for some reason, all the Germans you kill were members of the SS.
Certainly alot of places that end in 'stan.'
Odds are you communicated on networks me, or my team established.
Probably.