As it has been a part of human history since the very beginning, where we raised sticks against each other, war as a theme feels as if it has been entirely explored. Yet, there is generally something lacking in each "realistic" rendition of war throughout video-games or elsewhere, which generally occurs because creators are either too biased or over glorify specific aspects of war to sell to audiences.
Making a war game is not always about the action, though I would be a hypocrite if I said that the extravagant explosions and borderline superpowers in some games are not extremely fun. It is why there is a huge market for this type of game, and also why we usually see them released almost back-to-back from certain big publishers (not gonna name any names). While they may be redundant, games that focus on war, violence and strategy are extremely popular for a reason, as they allow us to mimic certain experiences that we may never otherwise.
Yet, why are video-games surrounding war recently shooting up in popularity? Well, using the same logic concerning morality from last week's post, a main component of war surrounds fighting a known enemy from the position of "hero", which is recently becoming extremely popular again. However, when both sides have this ideal in mind, there is no real clear-cut hero or villain, simply massive scale violence either for or without a cause.
Also, the crazy increase in graphics that this generation has seen concerning games has more than likely helped. When things appear so real, it almost makes up for the fact that you just did a back flip off of a brick wall and kicked an enemy in the face.
The most popular war games, on a side note, can actually be examined outside of everyone's perception that they are hurting humanity with their "overtly violent nature" and "despicable morals". While overbearing mothers with an agenda may be all up in arms over the latest Call of Duty game and do all she can to keep it out of her teenage son's clutches, who is already playing it at his friend's house, there is another side to be seen. While these may be just simple video-games, new titles have come out which explore how war themed games can help those suffering from PTSD by exposing them to controlled military environments.
So while everyone is rallying behind how harmful video-game violence is instead of looking at the implications of real violence, I am going to be over here reading reports from both sides. While I love reading rant blogs about how terrible games with violence are for the world, there are breakthroughs in the technology behind games which use literary tactics and realistic portrayals to help those who have actually experienced war. I believe that the argument concerning technology destroying us is invalid, especially since we are adapting it to fix problems that went unnoticed in the past.
Now, what do you guys think about how war is portrayed in video-games? Are you on board with the idea that violence in media is desensitizing the masses? While I am generally the type of person who is against violence, I feel like its portrayal in games, movies, etc. does not cause individuals to go out and commit heinous acts. While it may be a simplistic view of the "issue" with video-game violence, the fact that people have committed atrocities since the beginning of recorded time should not be brushed under the rug. I do not like to think that we live in a world where "monkey see, monkey do" is an appropriate mantra for humanity, but that is enough of my rant for now.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day and thanks so much for reading.
SS
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