Columnist Calls Black Ops Ad "Twisted"

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Sam Machkovech

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Dec 8, 2008
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...you know I write for The Escapist, too, right? Hiya!

Also, while I'm here, here's the addendum I posted at The Atlantic, which I hope clarifies a few points. Thanks for readin'.

"I'm not typically in the business of writing corrections or follow-ups -- I already get my say in the article itself, and I don't do line-by-line responses -- but I forget that many readers here aren't familiar with my prior work and have, resultingly, read this piece as an anti-games screed.

To wit, I love me a good first-person shooter. I could go on about the pros and cons of the first Modern Warfare game, but its tilt towards realism, combined with arcadey inspirations and shining art direction, was a boon for the entire gaming industry. 2007's MW was--and, in my opinion, still is--the pinnacle of escapist action.

I wrote this piece because I think there's a clear difference between the game of Call of Duty and the real-life violence of this ad, and I feared that mainstream media would focus on the latter as a means of saying "video games are bad." That's their job -- to drum up interest via fear and trolling.

That's what I hoped to combat with my phrase "these aren't the games I play." I do play Call of Duty games alone or with friends; I don't senselessly mimic real war."
 

Trombone_Hero

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Apr 16, 2009
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I liked that ad. It was pretty good. But I didn't see one dead body.

I can see why people would get worked up about it... but still...
 

shogunblade

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Apr 13, 2009
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The commercial is hilarious to me, just because the combo of the Rolling Stones and that last shot of the Ice Cream Man (I don't care, he's an Ice Cream Man to me, don't persuade me to think otherwise) is fantastic.

Now, if they put the commercial in the middle of a war-torn area with soldiers, It wouldn't be funny. I think Machkovech needs to seriously consider satire for a minute. The whole commercial is satirical of war, in the same way Dr. Strangelove was.
 

TheRightToArmBears

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Dec 13, 2008
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He obviously hasn't seen any videos of a real war then. It's about as twisted as going paintballing. I don't see how this equates to any worse than ads for films.
 

Nouw

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Mar 18, 2009
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It's light hearted fun, but I think Black Ops should release a serious ad like Gears of War. DON'T POST THE WORM VIDEO!

War is serious guys, as long as people understand that.
 

dnose

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Nov 5, 2009
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I'm so glad to see that most of the people in this comment thread have no problem with the ad. I thought it was an awesome ad. The bits with Jimmy Kimmel and Kobe Bryant are great.