MW2: What Does “Skipping” Mean Anyway?
MW2: What Does “Skipping” Mean Anyway?
October 30, 2009
Is Activision taking a little liberty with their explanation of a leaked controversial scene from its upcoming title Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2?
In a response issued earlier this week, Activision stated that gamers had the option of “skipping” over the controversial scene in question, which had players taking part in a terrorist act. The publisher’s statement doesn’t exactly jibe with a description of the game as presented in the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s rating information page for the title.
Spoiler ahead! Avoid if you’re trying to maintain a media blackout on MW2.
The ESRB’s description of the terrorist scene:
The most intense depiction of violence occurs during a "No Russian" mission where players take on the role of an undercover Ranger: Several civilians are gunned down at an airport as players are given a choice to participate in the killings (e.g., players can shoot a wounded civilian that is crawling on the ground), or walk by and observe without opening fire.
In my mind, an option for “skipping” the scene would mean avoiding/not seeing all the action within that specific chapter, which, to be honest, if implemented, could interfere with or ruin the storyline of the game. Observing, as used by the ESRB, implies that the player is still fully immersed in the action, just not pressing the “fire” button on a controller or mouse.
Semantics? Perhaps, but it appears Activision’s explanation is a little misleading. We have a request for clarification on the matter in to Activision and will update this post if/when they respond.
Thanks Andrew!
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
SUBSCRIBE
LOGINGamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:42pm
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:17pm
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:10pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:01pm
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:59pm
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:49pm
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:46pm
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:44pm
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:42pm
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:33pm
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:25pm
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:07pm
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:56pm
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:49pm
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:47pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I know they are intimate friends of yours...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I know they are intimate friends of yours...
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:44pm
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Neil and Bob?
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Neil and Bob?
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
Interesting... so you don't have to shoot anyone yourself ?
That kinda puts this back in my whole "do you have a choice" thing, where moral issues in games rear they're heads.
I kinda think that if your given a choice, then the game isn't questionable, merely your own sense of right and wrong.
I guess the remaining question is, is walking along side terrorists and not taking them out complicit :D
It is a bit cheeky of Activision though. Obviously attempting to side-step controversy, using the word skip is unclear. In our universe, skip (as in 'skip cutscene') means you wouldn't experience it at all. Seems like PR marketing language kinda huh ?
Though part of the problem is, many social concervatives are against the idea of giving the player a moral choice to make. This is a group that believes tempation leads to sin so the only godly way to live is to eliminate tempation and free will whenver possible and insure that audiances are handed the correct and only answer to a situation.
You're confusing social conservatives with 'baptist jackasses'.
Not really social conservatives don't like free will but they try to ban/restrict things to try and effect socail outcomes. Where as jackass conservatives go for free will becuse the public is mroe than willing to feel protected when they are enslaved by rules.
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy! Stop supporting big media and furthering the criminalization of consumers!! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
Hmm, I would recommend not blanketing all conservatives in with this group. Unless you consider "jackass conservatives" a sub group which I am fine with. And don't blast the rules, they are nice to have .... sometimes.....
~Weatherlight~
He didn't say ALL conservatives.. He said "Social Conservatives." Social Conservatives tend to try to enforce thier strict morals on a society that generally view as immoral. It's not a bash against Political Conservatives, but more against folks who fall in the "Protect the Children" "Family Values" and "Video Games are Evil" groups.
You know not all Protect the Children and Family Value groups are bad. :P I do agree with you 100% about the video games are evil groups.
Val, you do realize that people like Tipper Gore, who, aside from being an idiot, can not truthfully have the word 'conservative' attached to her in any fashion, Was one of the big 'protect the children' and 'family values' and 'video games and music are EVIL' jackasses in the late 80's and 90's, do you not? I remember watching her argument get shot to hell by Dee Snider of Twisted Sister (Tipper, playing the role of the jackass, was claiming that one of their songs was offensive, I believe claiming it was either about gay sex, regular sex, or violent acts. Dee, being at least twice as smart as the host of the show and the entirety of the PMRC, said something to the tune of 'Maybe that's what YOU hear when you listen to the song, but that's not the intent. I would suggest that you have a dirty mind.'
I don't understand why you couldn't just shoot over their heads or 'miss' throughout the whole mission if you're so averse to the idea of shooting civilians. It's not like the ultranationalists are going to be watching you shoot.
“Players have the option of skipping over the scene. At the beginning of the game, there are two ‘checkpoints’ where the player is advised that some people may find an forthcoming segment disturbing. These checkpoints can’t be disabled."
The way it sounds to me is that there's a screen at the beginning of the mission that says something like "Hey, you might find the following mission disturbing, do you want to skip it?" and lets you skip it entirely. The reason the ESRB didn't mention the ability to skip the mission itself was just because they're just talking about the violence in the mission itself, not before or after.
"Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend. Do it in the name of Heaven, Jack Thompson'll justify it in the end." - nightwng2000
"Skipping" in this context would mean skipping the interactivity. The story is still maintained and the context of the story, and your background in the story itself, remains.
At the same time, it does change the value of the "expressive" nature of the scene.
It's sort of the same way by "lessening the blow" when editing movies for TV. Some significant value of context is lost. In Braveheart, removing entirely the throat cutting scene significantly changes the context of what the anger at the English was. Panning up in the scene and not showing the throat cutting, but implying it increases the value of the context, but still isn't as effective an "expressive" view as actually seeing it.
The First Night scene is also of value. We don't actually see the occurance of the First Night with the new bride, but we know what it is about. Cutting it entirely out would change the value of the context of the atrocities by the English on the Scots. But if we saw the actual scene and how it played out that night, it would have an even greater affect.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000
Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl
Hmm, actually I think this choice will actually quiet alot of anti-games jerks on this subject. Obviously you are not "forced" to kill any civilians (It isn't a mission objective or anything). Your character is given the choice between right or wrong, I mean its not gonna be like GTA
Interesting. I personally applaud Infinity Ward for having the cajones to include something like this is the game. Unfortunately, the "moral majority" crowd is going to scream bloody murder over this despite the fact that there are numerous movies that have depicted far, far worse.
I don't applaud them for their decision. I mean, I don't know about you guys but I hardly turn to CoD for its thought provoking and deep messages scattered in its story. I am not against them making this segment in a game, but I am not gonna try and put some kind of spin on it make it seem like they are doing something other than putting out controversal content to get more news about their game (it is already working so far). You are right though, movies have done far, far worse and most of the time they do it for the controversy that brings free publicity or leaves memoriable moments in the eyes of the movie goers. Some do it right and for all the right reasons, but given the track record of the story telling in the CoD series, I doubt we will be getting something epic storywise from them.
I don't think that they included the terrorist scene to BE controversial, I think they included it as a kind of "WTF?!" moment, akin to the Nuke scene in CoD 4. The nuke scene, while it could be "controversial," was more so just one of those huge moments in games that are interactive but also make you think a lot. Well, not necessarily "think," but leave you in awe. Controversial awe, but not to get more people to buy it.
Unless you can find proof that they "leaked" the video, then I don't think it's reasonable to say that they put the scene in to get more sales from the controversy.
-Optimum est pati quod emendare non possis-It is best to endure what you cannot change-
"Unless you can find proof that they "leaked" the video, then I don't think it's reasonable to say that they put the scene in to get more sales from the controversy."
Probably the only scene from the game that would get some kind of public outcry is the scene that gets leaked. Don't you find that a little bit coincidental? No multi-player beta stuff, no more stuff snowmobile stuff, nothing on new maps, but this scene that is intended to be one of a shocking (or at least stir some kind of strong emotion) is the one that got leaked. Too coincidental in my opinion.
Not like it needed to be leaked or needed the publicity, MW2 is gonna sell gobs anyways. I still find it funny how everyone seems to hate what Bobby Kotick stands for but will gladly shovel more cash his way. That is a completely different topic though.
Incorrect Fox News story in 3......2......
Never underestimate the power of idiots in large amounts.
Yeah, how'd that work out for ya? I didn't see it on ANY station this week.
Why the hell would a Ranger be undercover? That's not Ranger work.
God, come on guys. You're making a game that's going to sell; do some damn research.
You actually play as a CIA agent. It's the ESRB that needs to do their research.
"Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend. Do it in the name of Heaven, Jack Thompson'll justify it in the end." - nightwng2000
Has anyone heard anything in the US? I have not seen it on the news yet. Wtf?
US news authorities are probably preoccupied with that dead guys movie cash in.
The image for this article is fantastic.
Don't you mean 'excellent'?
Okay to ease everyone hearts some people have been playing MW2 at Justin.tv.
Not going into many details here, but at the start before you even start the campaign it gives you the option of actually skipping the mission entirely.
Now all my complaints are invalidated. Activision should have been more straightforward instead of just saying that you could skip it. They could have said something like, "you don't have to participate in the slaughter, it is your choice."
My complaint is that it looked like you were forced to participate. If you are allowed to watch then I am fine with the scene.
http://www.deathvanquished.com
At first I thought it was going to be an automated sequence, like the president's execution in the first game, but it sounds like it's free-roaming. With that in mind, I'm a bit uneasy with the way the player can apparently opt-in to kill defenceless civilians. If it had the player wandering around the airport, holding a gun but not using it (Because they're an undercover agent of course), then I think the same effect would be attained - the significance of the atrocity caused by the terrorists would still build up.
I haven't seen the footage or read up on all of the information - I don't want the game spoiled too much - but you can understand how there's an outrage, even if it is idiotic parents who don't realise the game is rated 18.
We have long had games where you can assume the role of or simply behave directly like a terrorist - Splinter Cell: Double Agent allowed you to be loyal or be a terrorist to get further into their group, Counter-strike has been around for ages and, hell, you could throw Deus Ex in there too if you want.
I was initially against it as I thought it was a function to let you skip the scene entirely which would have destroyed the engrossing experience as a whole. If its just a matter of whether or not you think its morally wrong to kill innocent pixels, and whether to act on it, then I have no complaints. I take back my previous words regarding being disappointed in the developers.
What I've gained from all this is a slight sense of dissapointment that this is right at the beginning of the game instead of a ways in, I think it would be a far more interesting experience if you'd spent some time playing as the part of the 'hero' before finding yourself in a situation that you may have to do something morally reprehensible for the character to survive.
OMG! Don't people go up on gaming sites to watch the reviews?!?!?!? Appearantly NOT! Skipping in what Infinity Ward said is popping up w/a little box on the screen asking if you (the audience) wants to see the movie scene or not. & it asks you if you want to play it or SKIP it. That's all.