200: War and Peace

[The Cheezy One]

portal is a great example of a non-fighting game
fighting had very little do with it, except jumping behind robots and picking them up and smashing them off each other

 

[Nick Halme]

Great article, I was completely unaware that this sort of thing was going on.

I'm just not sure I see the point of protesting in a deathmatch game -- in taking up player slots and in effect ruining the game, where is the message of protest? It seems to me that griefing a game like this does nothing more than annoy gamers. And to that effect, it's really only protesting and disrupting in-game activity, as does every form of griefing. I would hardly call my blocking a doorway and playing Banana Phone much too loudly a "piece", yet it would seem my virtual jackassery and this sort of protesting produce the same outcome: annoyance and nothing more.

Open worlds are another thing entirely. I can see why they started in games like Counter-Strike and Tribes: they're violent and very popular -- but if not for James' article I would have no idea this protesting existed. Annoying ten to twenty players in a server isn't exactly wide-reaching political action. Now, get together a hundred players and sit in the Wintergrasp battleground with flowers equipped for weapons, and you're starting to get somewhere.

Even then, though -- it's gone from annoying to silly. Really the only corporeal course of action towards virtual protest would be to make your own moderation of a game taking the opposite stance, and gain your own audience. Eventually that moderation will get press attention, people will talk about it and download it, and some discourse might be sown.

It's been done before in different arenas: Progress Quest laments the grindy-ness of the MMORPG genre by making itself a satire. And consider this Onion piece http://www.theonion.com/content/video/hot_new_video_game_consists

 

[Blackdoom]

protesting in counter strike is like asking them for help you will get nothing but insults and hate

 

[Evil Tim]

Criticizing a game for making war look pretty when war, is indeed, Hell? Perfect.

Arguing that a morally black and white war game is inherently political is asinine; the idea implicitly assumes that all opposing thought is uncomplicated thought, and therefore all uncomplicated thought must be opposing thought. Sometimes it's nice to be the good guys without a bunch of self-righteous idiots steaming in and reminding you that the reality you're trying to escape from is full of shades of grey. We know, you halfwits, that's why we're escaping from it.

 

[Susurrus]

On a point unrelated to the political points that the protestors are bringing up, but on one related to the issue as a whole.

What if you're trying to watch an action film in the cinema, and suddenly you get an service interruption, and are suddenly watching a protestor spouting anti-violence slogans? Or worse, someone appears at the front, shouting their views on violence?

What if you're reading a book about war, and suddenly you get someone coming into your room, decrying you for reading it, and pointing out that its not real?

What if we did it to *them* in their relaxation time, uninvited, spouting views about how computer games are a form of escapism related to almost every other form of media, and that problems of seriously impressionable people being corrupted or otherwise by them are a direct result of that person's mentality, rather than the games. If it wasn't that, it would be a film, a book, an overheard story. What if we unavoidably invaded their time, impossible to get rid of without outside influence (server influence)?

Perhaps they ought to consider this too?

Furthermore, I resent the idea that I play computer-games, therefore they are superior, because they obviously assume that I NEED an outside influence to consider these issues.



Added to which, Evil Tim is right. The whole point of most games, heck, most films and most books, is that your own presence upon the side of righteousness is taken for granted. Games that complicate this, such as CoD4, might do so intelligently, but the nuclear terrorist in the game makes it clear that, however questionable the actions, the motive is the right one.

 

[MercurySteam]

I once saw a website hosted by very religious Christians 'trying' to review games. They were taking best guesses at the games because they weren't allowed to play most games. They tried reviewing GH3 but couldn't because it had the devil in it as well as prohibied music. People need to do something about these kinds of things.

 

[Arella18]

I'm sorry but I agree with the first amendment but to interfere with other people and constantly accost them from doing something that isn't really hurting anybody is also infringing on their rights. Its just a game and protesters can do what they want but shouldn't be surprised to get a sniper round to the head when impeding progress in game. Though I prefer a good old fashioned pistol whip.

 

[Dragonblade146]

Yeah no.
Gamers have the right to play what they want.
Most of us can tell the difference between the real world and the virtual world.
(I should prepare for someone to quote this saying they can't...)
But when we go to play we want to escape the real world. Only to have hippies come in and say what we can and shouldn't do?
No.
I say no.

 

[TheFacelessOne]

Protesting Anti-War in games that encourages people to get shot in the face virtually.
Yeah, thats set up for success.

"STOP THE WAR! STOP THE WA-" HEADSHOT!

 

[insanelich]

Part of it is that games are one of the few domains of guys that are sacrosanct. Think of the barber shop of yore, it used to be a place where men could openly converse without women. Think of the Andy Griffith barbershop and the one seen in Gran Torino. As long as you're amongst friends who can take a jib it's alright. When it is extended to strangers on a server it is often insulting. (Probably chauvinistic, but guys tend to be a bit more brash and forthright in their conversations) Games/servers should incorporate morals in their rules and codes of conduct so that insulting Jews about the Holocaust is a bannable offense but it also calls into question how much of a carebear environment the game should be. This can only be decided by the Developers and Administrators of the game/server. Should you continuously log onto a Neo-Nazi server you'll only have yourself to blame for.

You're pretty much entirely wrong.

The reason for the appearance of racism / homophobia / misogyny is to keep the goddamn bleeding hearts / drama whores out.

It's much the same reason /b/ was so fond of gore, coprophilia, racism, homophobia and misogyny before it got flooded to oblivion.

To make it exceedingly clear that if you take things too seriously you're not welcome, because the server population would rather have fun than listen to endless tiresome tirades.

 

[level250geek]

Criticizing a game for making war look pretty when war, is indeed, Hell? Perfect.

Arguing that a morally black and white war game is inherently political is asinine; the idea implicitly assumes that all opposing thought is uncomplicated thought, and therefore all uncomplicated thought must be opposing thought. Sometimes it's nice to be the good guys without a bunch of self-righteous idiots steaming in and reminding you that the reality you're trying to escape from is full of shades of grey. We know, you halfwits, that's why we're escaping from it.

I'm not disagreeing with you. All I'm saying is, like shooters or not (and I rather like them myself), they do indeed sanitize and romanticize warfare. So if somebody says "Hey, this game makes war look fun!" and voices their opinion saying so, they have a point. So long as they don't ruin the actual game play for everybody else, then I will respect both their opinion and their expression of it.

 

[level250geek]

Let me just do that and take your protest somewhere important. Video Games are the wrong medium for that.

Very well said. Much like no one really cares about the "End the War Think Tank" that meets your local Starbucks, nobody really cares about the protests done in a game of Counter-Strike.

 

[TheECP]

Silly hippies, games are for fun.

 

[Bayushi_Kouya]

I hear shit like this and I get angry. Not because there are some people messing up my online FPS experience (because I don't play online, or FPSes, really), but because of the cause of the people doing the messing.

These people are the victims of their own guilt. They feel bad about something, and they want to do something, but they aren't motivated to do anything effective. So, rather than do something that will actually stop a war, like try to extract the policy makers who make the decision that war will happen out of office, they try and change human nature. Why? Because it's a hell of a lot cheaper and they don't have to leave their house to do it.

Imagine, if you will, a world where people would protest a hot-button issue like abortion/prochoice/prolife by picketing the company that makes the bricks that make up the building where the abortion clinics are. That's what this crap is, people taking the path of least resistence. "I want to change the world, but I want to be home in time to catch American Idol."

There is a pleasing symmetry between what these bean-bag protesters do, and the caricature they paint of the American citizen as some jingoistic fighter-by-proxy. They do the exact same thing with their protests, rather than put themselves in harm's way, they wag their finger at the world from afar.

I accord them even less sympathy than I would a badly mispelled forum post. People who type like 'tards are usually just lazy. These 'protesters' actually got up and expended some effort to be as lame as they are.

What's worse, they demonstrate willful ignorance not only of politics but also of economics and the video game industry. I'm sure these idiots infest free games as well, but if they actually paid to protest in games like the ones mentioned in the article, then they're skewing the numbers for market research, and we'll wind up with a boatload of FPS sequels and knock-offs that will take years to properly sweep away (points at the mid-to-late '90's log jam of fighting games).

Jesus. I need to stop writing or I'm going to explode. I cannot stand lazy people.

 

[Spudgun Man]

Well I belive it's time for me to hasten to the nearest game store and buy a copy of Counter strike and do some good ol' fashioned hippe bashing.

 

[HerbertTheHamster]

Velvet Strike's website says that they stop the violence by camping, spamming and shooting teammates. That's really peaceful.

 

[PurpleRain]

"-Look! Those persons are having fun.
-Oh My! This is totally wrong.
-Yeah! They are having fun with virtual murder, which has no consequence on the real world and helps with the stress.
-We should do something.
- I know, lets throw a big bunch of grenades to where they are, while shouting loudly. Because grenades are totally safe, aren't they?
- Of Course!"

That's how those jerks think.

Yeah, I don't think the 'jerks' are doing it to cease the fun, more so protesting about issues in the real world. Playing a game to spread word of current events seems to be no different then getting any new time, writing in a magazine, posters, etc. It's all forms of media. Games want to be recognised as a serious form of media, then people are allowed to do this.
I doubt they are prosteting that video games are wrong, more that things in life are, and making people aware. Personally, I think it's great. Though sometimes misguided. I couldn't imagine what angry pre-teens playing Counter Strike would react to this? Though, as long as they're making a clear message, someone will listen.

 

[Neurowaste]

Honestly, video games are a place to unwind and get away from the real world, how would you like it if your "planet terror" or another pointless movie was suddenly interrupted to protest the genocide of zombies? some mediums of entertainment should really be left free of moral and political propaganda. Each person believes what he wants to, but you don't need to disrupt people's game to spread your views, that is a private environment where people are just trying to have fun, I don't need people trying to shove their ideals in my face when i'm trying to kill people. Do they really think trying to protest violence in a game where violence is the main objective as a smart idea? I mean, people know what games they buy, they made the conscious decision to play violent games, so, why would they change their mind if a bunch of protesters are spamming their servers, wouldn't that deter you fro, wanting to listen to the views of that particular group?

 

[L33tMarvin]

Is it me or people who have nothing to do always get on the internet and fuck shit up.Its kinda like 4chan when the anonymous came.Why cant these people just stay at home or just go on a remote island or something.Cause I would hate to see a human peace wall on warpath on Team Fortress 2 or Team Fortress Classic