Many online games are subjects of public controversy, and their popularity makes them constantly debatable among parents, psychologists, and other concerned groups.
Nonetheless, fighting games in particular are hugely profitable for their creators and clearly aren’t going anywhere in the near future. Therefore, it pays to take a closer look at some of the more controversial elements and make our own assessment of just how dangerous they really are.
One particularly unsettling feature was created as part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, when players were allowed to take part in a terrorist attack on a Russian airport.
Did Infinity Ward take the action too far with this move? Or was it acting within its rights to entertain and sell its product? A closer look at the game and this component would help to address the issue.
What is modern warfare 2?
Modern Warfare 2 is the sixth iteration of the Call of Duty series. It is a first-person shooter game, initially produced in 2009 and has adapted to several different platforms since then.
The game pits American forces against the Russians, and the goal of the US Army is to defend the American capital from an invasion by Vladimir Makarov and the Russian Ultranationalist Party. US forces are led by Captain Soap MacTavish, head of Task Force 141. There are a variety of army characters that can be played, and one of the new features of the game’s second version is that it can be played in multiplayer mode.
Modern Warfare 2’s initial reception was huge. In fact, within three days of its release, it had the top-selling opening in the history of gaming, generating a record $800 million. Users praised its sophisticated maps, advanced weaponry, and a system that provided sought-after rewards for passing through its levels.
Even now, the game remains popular, and interested players can even acquire a call of duty boost to help improve their performance.
So what exactly is this much-discussed scene, and what makes it so different from any other game fight?
“No Russian”
Fighting games are always pushing the envelope when it comes to potentially taking the love of violence too far. Even simplistic shooting games were constantly debated by concerned adults about the potentially damaging psychological effects on young (and even older) players.
Terror attacks are, of course, a particularly sensitive subject in the public eye. So what happens in Modern Warfare 2 that ignited such an especially high level of criticism?
The attack scene is called No Russian and in it a US Army character has the task of gaining Makarov’s trust by participating in a mass shooting inside a Moscow airport. Players join the Russian terrorist group by participating in this event together, and in doing so attempt to gain their allegiance.
As civilians run from the departure lounge in the airport, players can fire at them at will. When someone tries to save an injured person, players are able to wipe them both out. In many critics’ opinions, the game seems to promote random, wholesale killing of innocent people simply for pleasure.
How the scene came about
The game’s creators say that the original plan for this scene was to have it be a zombie killing fest, but that certain real-life events changed their course. Creators say they were inspired by the human fascination with the September 11 attacks, as well as the attacks in Columbine and Mumbai in 2008.
The company insists that the scene was initially fairly benign in terms of its graphic element, but the level of gore was beefed up when it was criticized for inauthenticity.
Infinity Ward defends its decision to do this by claiming that they are bringing people closer to a reality that many want to further understand.
Initial public response
The scene was accidentally leaked in 2009, just after being created, and was met by public criticism right away. Conversations ensued about just how realistic of a portrayal the attack actually was, and some questioned the morality of having an isolated scene like that without historical context.
Others justified the depiction, not only on the grounds of free speech but by claiming that acts of terrorism are not necessarily that different in character to acts of warfare. War games, of course, had already been popular for many years.
International response and specific interest groups
As the game grew in popularity, diverse groups started speaking out against it for various reasons. “No Russian” was removed completely from the game’s Russian version. Other countries eliminated the possibility of killing civilians in their versions of the game, and it became a subject of debate among political parties in the UK.
Another controversy broke out when a YouTube video related to Modern Warfare 2 emerged called “Fight Against Grenade Spam.” Gay rights activists, as well as other right groups claimed that the title’s acronym (“FAGS”) was a thinly-veiled homophobic jab. Following a series of incensed responses to the video, it was soon recalled.
Games will go on
These types of controversies will always accompany the emergence of violent games, and the more realistic and successful they are, the more controversial they are likely to be. But ultimately, nothing will stop progress, and these games will continue to grow in sophistication and popularity as long as there is a human appetite for it. So it is up to society to determine how best to manage the potential impact on players.
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