Realism takes an ugly turn
A recruiting computer game “America's Army” is proving
too realistic for some people.
The free online war game, which was created as a
recruiting tool by the the US Army, allows gamers to take on the roles of
real-life American war heroes and replay their exploits across Iraq and
Afghanistan. But Peter Mantello, a video game analyst and media
studies lecturer at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan, said the game
perpetuates cliches about perceived threats to the West and tend to “protect
and justify America's interests”.
He said the game flattens the adversary and reinforces
stereotypes about enemies and threats. One of the common stereotypes is that the Middle East is
a place of perpetual warfare. (Actually it's more like Disney World. sub.ed.) There is an absence of modern buildings and there
is no sign of ordinary life. Special ops soldier or forces pose as the necessary
solution, the civilising instrument of modernisation, the democratic equaliser
who through superior technological hardware and gutsy marine bravado will
vanquish pre-modern evil, he said.
He said it was possible to show games that depicted
collateral damage, but for some reason the Industry and the American Army do
not want this seen, Professor Mantello said.