A lot of fuss has been made recently about the already infamous terrorist scene in
Modern Warfare 2. Some are condemning it, and others saying it is the medium maturing. Initially when I heard about it I was skeptical. My first thought was, "why are they making a purposely controversial scene? This game is already going to sell like crazy." But Infinity Ward has showed they can slip some intelligence into their action thrillers with
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt on their intentions.
Unfortunately they also made a cowardly decision which has been mentioned many times, but I haven't seen it addressed in the way I see it.
"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 upcoming segment disturbing. These checkpoints can’t be disabled.” -
Instead of standing by their decision to feature a controversial scene and make a bold statement (for gaming at least), they try to appease everyone. Now when someone questions them, they can just say that you don't have to play it. It begins to make me question why they included the scene at all. When Konami pulled out of its deal with
Six days in Fallujah, they essentially admitted they believe gaming cannot be a mature artistic medium. Now we have Activision and Infinity Ward doing something similar. Instead of standing up for their vision, they give in, saying that they don't think gaming can take on an uneasy subject.
Of course, we all know games can make serious statements and observations. We all wait for gaming to finally be accepted as the art form it can be. Every year we see plenty of games which make mature narratives about difficult things, but what we need is for a large game, being pushed by a large publisher, to come out and not just make a bold statement, but to back it up. They need to be willing to defend it, to say that gaming can be bold, it can be serious, and it can talk about things that make us uneasy.
Modern Warfare 2 will no doubt get stellar reviews and it will sell millions, but I'll see it as a cowardly game. A game that squandered its chance to push mainstream gaming forward.
I hope this style of self-censorship doesn’t continue, for the sake of the entire medium.
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I feel the same way. I haven't actually experienced that scene yet, but from what I've heard it sounds like it can be a very special moment in gaming, and a step forward for the medium as a whole. Playing this bullshit cover-their-ass maneuver does nothing but undermine what (I think) they're attempting to say with this scenario (in part). That is:
"In our pursuit for security, look at all the tricky moral ambiguities that present themselves. Experience the ethos of your enemy. Feel their detachment from the Human community. Be disgusted by their lack of respect for human life. Now acknowledge the morally gray areas that must be operated within in order to stop this thing you detest. It's a lose-lose situation... Oh, and by the way... if the thought of video games being anything more than mindless entertainment makes you feel uneasy: here's a skip button. And don't really pay attention to anything I just said. It really isn't that important. I mean, why should I force you to experience something you think might blur the lines of your morality? That's just vindictive and unnecessar-... Oh wait..."
I can start talking about all the steps backwards they are taking with all the MP fiasco on the PC, but well, seems to be off the point.
I wish people would stop looking at games as an "art form" and see it as the entertainment platform it really is. If someone wants to skip the scene, but still enjoy the game, who are you to strip that option from them "for the sake of art" ?
Gaming does not need to make a "bold" statement to be accepted by as art form. And who is it that we're trying to get validation from? A bunch of old people that will never play video games *ever*? Who *cares* what they think.
What makes MW2 so bold? Resident Evil 4 was pretty bold too, since you killed about five hundred piss-poor civilians infected by a deadly parasite, but I guess since they were yelling in Spanish the whole time that wasn't a "bold" statement. Mainstream gaming has already arrived, it already has games which are art (hint: whatever ones you consider art), and it already has games that are bold. That's all there is.
I wish you couldn't skip it.
I should clarify that I don't want the option SIMPLY because I am not a fan of any form of censorship: self-censorship or otherwise.
The game is rated M for Christ-sakes.
@Ascythopicism
Exactly. By making it a choice whether you want to take part or not it removes the entire point of the scene.
@zgerhard
Gaming can be entertainment or art or both, but to say it can't be art is offensive, especially from someone who is a gamer. We aren't stripping anyones enjoyment, they can still play the game. But for people like me, who are no longer satisfied by half-baked and shallow narratives it comes as a slap in the face.
@Khazar222
Gaming is already capable of being art (there are many games I do consider art), but the industry has little to no respect outside of itself. This doesn't sound too bad at first, but when a high profile release comes out and creates controversy, standing up for it can change people's minds. If you want more games that deal intentionally and maturely with difficult subject matter (which the resident evil series certainly does not), we need mainstream acceptance.
@Magnalon
This is one of the biggest problems when the mainstream sees gaming. One way to counter that is to deal maturely with uneasy subject matter. If gaming can show that is can use it and stand by it, than it will no longer be a problem.
Gaming is accepted mainstream, its one of the biggest entertainment businesses in the first world. All this "controversy" around games generally amounts to hot air from vocal, misinformed or uninformed minorities. Games do not need to pander to a small group of ivory tower holdouts that do not, and will not, accept games as a viable medium for entertainment.
I like how you say it failed to do something when you haven't even had your hands anywhere near the game.
It may be the biggest industry, but it still faces stereotyping by the average person, media figureheads, politicians, and entire governments. That isn't just minorities.
The way to become truly accepted and finally rid the medium of these stereotypes is to show that it can deal maturely with uneasy subject matter. Unfortunately some of the powerful players in this industry wont take the steps needed.
@Cadtalfryn
By failing to stand by their vision they have sacrificed their artist integrity. It doesn't matter if I haven't played it, what they have done is plain to see and clearly shows their thoughts on the matter.
@Cad
I was ABOUT to say that, but read the article again.
The point is Infinity Ward CONFIRMED you can skip it: that's the point of this article.
You can skip the killing civilians part in GTAIV too.
@Khazar
Some missions, required to complete the game, require innocents to die. The Bank Job is one of many.
In the cinematic portion, yes, but I don't recall killing anyone besides officers and swat during the mission itself.
I agree with you...mostly. MW2 did have a prime position to make a statement and they did sort of squander it.But things like this usually have to be done somewhat slowly. Most people aren't going to want to see this in a game because they don't expect it. If you take it slow, then it will be more acceptable. People use to be offended by Elvis Presley shaking his hips, but people got over it. But what if someone like Marylin Manson came out at the same time? People would go absolutely ape shit. It's pathetic, but people find things less offensive over time.
And as much as I want gaming to be art, I don't want it to go too far and be another outlet for pretentious snobs like all the other accepted art forms. Anything that's actually good and liked by a lot of people would immediately be called shit for the sake of being a rebel and those same people who liked it would start discrediting it as stupid fun. The medium would disappear up its own asshole in award shows and self important celebrities.
@kahazar
There is a huge difference between killing civilians in GTA and killing them in this scene. IW is intending this to show the effects of terrorism, to put people in that mindset, to shake people. GTA is effectively a cartoon. Killing civilians isn't supposed to evoke what MW2 is trying to. It's about intent.
@oblivion
You are correct in that, but gaming is at a point where it can make the jump now, it has the exposure. I'd rather not wait 5-10 more years for the AAA titles to make intelligent observations.
Film has something for everyone, just like literature, painting, etc. Snobbery is unimportant. The inability to accept is the real problem, which can be addressed through intelligent, mature games.