![]() ![]() In the PlayStation title Driver, for example, the gamer is ostensibly controlling an undercover policeman posing as a criminal, but this backstory is immaterial to the game action, which involves stealing cars, smashing other vehicles out of the way – and having lots of fun in the process. The problem is, context can easily become an excuse to portray wanton violence. It's certainly far too early for tabloids to be bandying accusations about – but then, when did that ever stop them? What we're robbed of when viewing this illicit footage is what happens before and afterwards, the exact nature of the scene, and the authenticity of the player's involvement. In this case it appears both vital and valid. ![]() On top of it all, context itself is a problematic notion. Is there an agenda here to push the boundaries of acceptability in shoot-'em-ups? It's a brave move if there is. There is at least one moment in Call of Duty: World at War (admittedly created by a different development studio, but still part of the CoD lineage), in which the player has no choice but to shoot a group of unarmed enemy soldiers in order to complete a mission objective. This is also not the first time that the Call of Duty series has forced the player into a morally troublesome sequence. But as Tom Hoggins asks in his Telegraph feature, is it really necessary for the player to throw grenades? And wouldn't similar revulsion be elicited if the player were placed into the shoes of one of the victims? This would, after all, reflect the wonderful opening sequence to the original Modern Warfare, in which the player takes on the perspective of a prisoner who is bundled into a car and later executed. ![]() Activision's argument about seeking to portray the depths of the terrorist cell's immorality in order to stir the player's emotions is sound to a point – it's an established narrative device. The participation is the entertainment, and that's always going to be problematic. But in a videogame, you're engaged and complicit. If a movie were to depict a terrorist outrage, the viewer takes no active part. Partly, too, it is about the legacy of videogames as a pastime for children, for teenagers – not for adults.Īnd then interactivity itself brings in complex moral questions. This is partially about semantics the interpretation of the word 'game' as something fundamentally frivolous. To some commentators, videogames by their very nature, 'make light' of anything they portray. "At the beginning of the game, players encounter a mandatory 'checkpoint' in which they are warned that an upcoming segment may contain disturbing elements, and they can choose not to engage in the gameplay that involves this scene."Ĭlearly, once again, we will be confronted with difficult questions about the role and duty of videogames as an entertainment form. ![]() The scene is designed to evoke the atrocities of terrorism. In order to defeat him, the player infiltrates his inner circle. The game includes a plot involving a mission carried out by a Russian villain who wants to trigger a global war. Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 features a deep and gripping storyline in which players face off against a terrorist threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse. "The leaked footage was taken from a copy of game that was obtained illegally and is not representative of the overall gameplay experience in Modern Warfare 2. For a while, it wasn't clear whether the sequence was genuine, but yesterday, Activision released a statement confirming its authenticity: Released onto the internet earlier this week, the blurry footage has already provoked a media backlash, a Mirror headline proclaiming, "leaked level makes light of terrorist atrocities." Many see in it harrowing evocations of last year's Mumbai terror attacks in which over 170 people were killed. In one alarming moment someone is shown dragging an injured person across the concourse – the player shoots them both dead. It shows the player joining Russian terrorists on a bloody rampage through an airport building civilians are gunned down as armed men run through the departures lounge, and it's evident that the player is firing too. It's a bootleg of a single mission from Modern Warfare 2, the much-anticipated first-person shooter, certain to be the winter's biggest selling game. The video is a few minutes long, but it might just be the most important game footage to be seen this year. ![]()
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