Last week Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 came out. My roommates being big gamers jumped right on it. The first day it was released they had it and started playing the game. Since they only usually play multiplayer they did not notice something very interesting.
It happened one afternoon when I was in my room. One of my roommates came into the room and told my other roommate that there was this level in the campaign mode that he needed to see. I was interested so I went to see it. What I saw was pretty disturbing.
In the level titled 'No Russian' (warning: link is really gorey) you are undercover as a Russian terrorist. You need to keep Russian terrorist Makarov's trust. The level starts off in an elevator with Makarov, you, and two other guys holding guns. Then, the door opens up. The next scene brings up images of Columbine. You are in an airport terminal in Russia watching people in line, then, it happens. Your 'partners' raise their guns and unload. The innocent people in line get mowed down: men, women, and children. If you shoot at your 'partners' they realize you are a spy and kill you. The least you can do is stand back and watch them kill all these people or you can join in and help the Russians kill with no consequences. Not only that, but, when you continue playing the SWAT team buses start coming and they have automatic weapons. If you want to win you need to kill dozens of SWAT team members.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking, "Oh, he is one of those violence in video games freaks." Trust me when I say I'm not. I have killed my share of people in the Grand Theft Auto series. But, somehow, this is different. In the GTA series you are a gangmember or a criminal. Does that make shooting people right? No, but you are expecting it. You shoot people, take their money, and their bodies dissappear. In the COD MW2 you are expecting to be a soldier, a hero. What also makes it shocking is how great the graphics are. In this level, when the Russians mow down the people, their bodies seem to pile up. The injured crawl away in pools of blood. People are screaming and bleeding in corners. I think this level crossed the line in video games.
You can imagine that this level has raised some controversy. In Russia, by the advice of local counsel, the 'No Russian' scene has been pulled. It has also been talked about on Fox News.
Besides this level it really is a great game from what I have played. The graphics are amazing and the gameplay is exciting. It has broke gaming records and entertainment records and will continue to sell out.
Although it is an exciting game it brings up the question, "What will be the next big controversy in video games?" Will games keep crossing the line? What are your thoughts?
Wow. I have heard the comments about violence in video games, but I didn't realize they were this disgusting. I never play them, so I have no idea.
ReplyDeleteCan you explain why this would be entertaining? I just don't get why it's fun. Besides the fact that it's disturbing, I really don't see what the point is.
I'd have to agree with you, Danger. The violence was really disturbing. Maybe it's because the graphics are so good, but the screaming innocent people getting their heads blown off as they tried to call to safety was a bit over the top.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of guys are really into violence (in video games, that is), but this was seriously disturbing to me. Like you said, it had remnants of Columbine in it. It also seemed gratuitously violent in the fact that these terrorists were killing civilians that weren't in their way, just hiding, or trying to get away from them. I don't know what the objective of the level is, but I'm pretty sure unarmed civilians (I say unarmed because I'm assuming airport security took their weapons) will not pose much of a threat, especially since the terrorists were packing. How did killing every last person in the airport help you win the level? Did you have to kill everyone before you could move on? Did you get extra points for killing people?
Remember the good old days when video games were just "go here and get aparkly checkpoint and defeat bad guy"? Now they're asking us to make morally ambiguous decisions. I don't know, I'll stick with Mario and Rock Band.
This is a game that my 16 year old son really wants, along with Assassin’s Creed 2, but after reading this and viewing the link, I am not sure I want him playing it. I have seen the ads for this game and would have never guessed that this was a part of the game. I have never understood the need for this type of violence being needed in a game. I have played many shooter games in the past with my boys but I don’t recall ever seeing anything like this. Although, this type of attention is what the company wants to sell more copies of the game.
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