Still think this game, for whatever it's worth, was bluntly successful in exposing the double standard massacring Arabs in games: make the player one of the "supposed to be" murdered, and make them kill the "supposed to be" "brave" murderers, and now it's a problem. www.404media.co/steam-remove... - ThreadSky

ramiismail.com • 119 days ago

Still think this game, for whatever it's worth, was bluntly successful in exposing the double standard massacring Arabs in games: make the player one of the "supposed to be" murdered, and make them kill the "supposed to be" "brave" murderers, and now it's a problem.

https://www.404media.co/steam-removes-oct-7-game-at-request-of-uk-counter-terrorism-unit/

Comments

bangbangclick.bsky.social•119 days ago

Well there are games massacring Germans, Japanese as well as Arabs. The general rule is you can murder the aggressor.

powered-by-decaf.bsky.social•118 days ago

The big difference is that USA is not currently bombing Japan/Germany. It's one thing to make a game about events many decades ago which portray the nationalities in that era in a negative light. It's another to do it about a country currently being the target of US aggression.

ramiismail.com•119 days ago

Literally since WW2, the US has always been the aggressor in any war it partook in. We always play the US. So that doesn't seem to be the rule at all.

bangbangclick.bsky.social•119 days ago

Sure but there are plenty of wars started by other countries. There are a bunch happening right now.

bangbangclick.bsky.social•119 days ago

And responses to terrorism make it weirder in some instances.

ramiismail.com•119 days ago

Terrorism is when they do it, right? When we do it, it's called "protecting US interests, domestic and abroad"?

ramiismail.com•119 days ago

Sure, but we don't routinely play out those as either aggressor or defender. The wars we play are Western wars, always as the US/UK or their allies - with the only non-US instigated wars we play being both World Wars.

bangbangclick.bsky.social•119 days ago

And to be fair those wars account for the vast majority of shooters.

bangbangclick.bsky.social•119 days ago

Definitely true that games made in the US focus on their perspective but that’s widely true of games made in any locale. We made a conscious effort on AC3 to have an outsider as a protagonist so we could kill everyone.

ramiismail.com•118 days ago

It is, which is why it's clearly a double standard that specific locales apparently do not get to make the same type of game.

jalf.dk•119 days ago

Ah yes, those perpetual aggressors, The Arabs. And of course you don’t get to massacre Americans because when they bomb another country it is self-defense at no point in the country’s history has it been an aggressor.

bangbangclick.bsky.social•119 days ago

I can't tell if you're joking or serious.

jalf.dk•119 days ago

Deadly serious. Who has ever heard of Americans being aggressors? The very thought is outrageous.

Surely this rule, which is entirely internally consistent and applied without bias, fully explains why so many games let you slaughter Arabs and so few let you slaughter Americans.

bangbangclick.bsky.social•119 days ago

Plenty of times Americans were aggressors. But the idea that Arabic countries have not been as well? Farcical. Let’s apply the judgment evenly.

queencryo.bsky.social•119 days ago

are you dense or just dumb? whens the last time a AAA game had you kill americans wholesale?

davemilbo.bsky.social•119 days ago

Basically all the Vietnam war games are narratively from the American/aggressor perspective, and you just mow down people defending their land. I think the rule is as you stated above, with the overruling exception that America = good guys

bangbangclick.bsky.social•119 days ago

Yah that tracks.

powered-by-decaf.bsky.social•118 days ago

There is a game where Russians invade America and a regular American plumber starts fighting the occupation. It's called "American Terrorists". Just kidding, it's called "Freedom Fighters". Great game actually.

opistos.bsky.social•118 days ago

Where can I purchase it?

opistos.bsky.social•118 days ago

Oh never mind, I've previously bought it

rcadolfi.bsky.social•119 days ago

Certainly agree with the double standard. While I don’t think the game was made with the best intentions in mind by the developer, I can see how blatant the hypocrisy is in the West.

powered-by-decaf.bsky.social•118 days ago

I know the developer, and according to him, his intention was to flip the script and make a game where the hero wasn't some a US soldier but a Palestinian freedom fighter.

octopusjones.bsky.social•119 days ago

Thanks for bringing attention to this game!

I’m hoping to program it for a critical live stream to discuss academically. If you’re aware of scholars who could speak from a particular field, or devs from Nidal Nijm who could offer perspective/context in English, please let me know (no worry if not)🙏

8to16apps.bsky.social•118 days ago

As always, the terrorists are always the others. We are always the heroes who save the world.
Bullshit militaristic propaganda.
Wars are always the conflict of the rich and the blood of the poor.

ricargvi.bsky.social•119 days ago

Every war game depicting actual conflicts is usually US or NATO propaganda, is funded by the military and strenghtens prejudice, especially against arabs. And now this. Like you said, completely exposes the industry. Shame.

bohagrius.bsky.social•119 days ago

Still available for sale in the US: this is a freedom of speech issue.

tarwin.art•119 days ago

It's why I find most "war" games kinda blurgh. Let's fight aliens in space !

yasuko.bsky.social•119 days ago

I’m warming to the alternative title of ‘UK Counter-Resistance Fighters Unit’ for this story.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply