How Does the Israeli-Gaza Conflict Affect Video Games?

[Nieroshai]

"Israel is killing innocent people." Hamas isn't?
"Hamas is launching rockets into Israel." The Israelis aren't launching them back?

Both sides are wrong. Both are fighting for stupid reasons. One is fighting for land their God promised them and the other is fighting because their God tells them to kill everyone who doesn't believe in the same things they do. I'll pick my side here. Which is the lesser of two evils?

Both are fighting for land their God promised them. The difference is that Hamas (back in the 2009 invasion, at least) was perfectly fine with a ceasefire if Israel would just give back the land stolen since 1967. Which is a lot of land. Sure, they hate Israel and wish it didn't exist, but to say that they think that its a good idea to kill everyone that disagrees is quite dishonest for the a significant portion of them.

Between the Israeli invasion in 2009 and this one, Israel's escalation looks like a giant excuse to kill Palestinians, Hamas or civilian, frankly. And it will only full anti-Israel (and, unfortunately, antisemitic) rage. Not that Israel cares. Remember how much many Americans hated Muslims because of 9/11? That's how the Gaza situation looks to those being slaughtered.

Yeah, both Hamas and the Israeli government/military are evil, but Israel's government/military is far more evil for purposely escalating a very minor conflict.

Is there an escalation? Really? Or is every single Palestinian (but not Israeli) casualty being reported more frequently and widely than ever before? Then again, since you're throwing around concepts like "evil," your mind is likely made up.

 

[RedDeadFred]

I don't see how the israel/gaza conflict (which from my limtied understanding has effectively been going on for decades) will affect online shooters, just how the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi freedom really didn't prevent games from being set in the middle east and "insurgents" effectively became the next Russians when it came to generic evil bad guys in the years that followed. So apart from the next Call of Duty having a "Double XP for ever Palestinian school child you gun down" or drone strike missions over Gaza I doubt it will change anything.

That being said I also don't see how people are shocked by the use of racist, anti-semetic, sexist, homophobic or transphobic language being used in online gaming. Give anyone a microphone and a sense of free speech without repercussions and they'll spew the most hateful shit they can fathom. Online gaming, aside from games like MMOs and other games that focus on long term teamwork and community really never seemed like a place that was suppose to be civil.

Agreed. It's been going on for a very long time and honestly, barring some serious intervention from outside, I don't see it ever ending. If it hasn't been effecting games yet all that much, why would it start now?

 

[chadachada123]

snip

Is there an escalation? Really? Or is every single Palestinian (but not Israeli) casualty being reported more frequently and widely than ever before? Then again, since you're throwing around concepts like "evil," your mind is likely made up.

Thousands compared to a few is still obvious escalation.

As I said, both sides have plenty of war crimes and misguided reasons, among other problems which I would call "evil."

But punching a toddler (and a few of the toddlers' friends) in the face because he kicked your and your wife's shins is obviously the more immoral act of the two.

 

[Nieroshai]

Honestly gaming is the last thing I care about in regards to the Israel-Hamas war.

It's not war it's a military superpower mass murdering innocent women and children because they just can and who can't run away because they have their backs to the sea and are walled in every other direction regardless of what Hamas are doing it pure unforgivable evil.

Deaths before Israel attacked in the previous 12 months = 4

Deaths after Israel attacked = 1900+

Sources please. Hamas has been sending suicide bombers for years, and Israel is provably firing upon military targets that strangely end up always end up having women and children on them.

http://www.vox.com/2014/7/17/5912189/yes-gaza-militants-hide-rockets-in-schools-but-israel-doesnt-have-to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_suicide_attacks

I've started, and can continue. Speaking of evil, what monsters do this when they know shots will only be fired when fired upon?

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

I don't play online shootings games. I don't play FPSs at all period. I don't chat with people about such issues either. Online I mainly play 2d fighters and those haaven't had any such issues. I don't like being bunched with those folks. I'm a Jrpg fighter and action game fan. Not some CoD drone who has fun being anti-semmetic or whatever.

 

[Strazdas]

[qouote]The video game industry is largely propped up my first-person shooters, and some of the most games in this genre are set in the Middle East.[/quote]
Is it me or this sentence does not make sense?

I think it should go as follows:
The video game industry is largely propped up by first-person shooters, and some of the games in this genre are set in the Middle East.

I also find it funny how This conflict, which is only one of many going on right now, is somehow the source of all racism.

It's not war it's a military superpower mass murdering innocent women and children because they just can and who can't run away because they have their backs to the sea and are walled in every other direction regardless of what Hamas are doing it pure unforgivable evil.

wait, when did Gaza rebels became a military superpower?

 

[Kieve]

In high school, I wrote three separate papers on why that whole region should be turned to radioactive glass.
Nothing in the last fifteen years has changed my mind.

That being said...
Mike, I get that sometimes real-world relevance ties into games, and it's a worthy topic of discussion (or at least the topic of how at-odds it is with the "escapism" of said games). But if you're gonna write an article?
Write a damned article. Say something of your own at least - give substance to your words.
This is ... nothing. Air. Vapor. It's a framework of words that says "Hey, y'know this thing going on? Other people have opinions on it. [link], [link]." If I wanted that, I wouldn't be religiously ignoring the "Critical Distance" crap that's been cropping up in the newsfeed for the past month or so.

Not to be overly critical here, I just want to see some content with actual content.

 

[Kameburger]

I don't think this is isolated to just shooters, but I also don't think that this conflict is having any particularly profound impact. It is not antisemitic to disagree with Israel, and likewise while one might expect antisemitism to rise as a result of the Jewish state taking the actions it has taken, I don't think it will effect the gaming community so profoundly other than that some people might become more sensitive to it.

It's just not the kind of situation I think can be measured as having any more profound impact in one medium over another. It's a complicated issue, where like Colbert pointed out, every single term is drenched in subtext. But more importantly there is very little room for a rational solution to the conflict because the conflict in itself is a product of beliefs, distrust, and to opposing views of what justice would mean for the region. With all this on the table, of course the language used between players during this time will be impacted, however I suspect no more profoundly then it will on 4Chan or Reddit for that matter.

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

I really don't see what the conflict has to do with gaming, although I've noticed that people tend to use the word "jew" as a slur more often.

snip

Is there an escalation? Really? Or is every single Palestinian (but not Israeli) casualty being reported more frequently and widely than ever before? Then again, since you're throwing around concepts like "evil," your mind is likely made up.

Thousands compared to a few is still obvious escalation.

As I said, both sides have plenty of war crimes and misguided reasons, among other problems which I would call "evil."

But punching a toddler (and a few of the toddlers' friends) in the face because he kicked your and your wife's shins is obviously the more immoral act of the two.

That is a very, VERY poor comparison. Firstly, neither Gaza nor Hamas are "children" that can be forgiven for being... well, stupid children. Secondly, we are talking about being people being KILLED, not minor injuries that can be brushed off.

The conflict is more like if a man held a baby in one arm and a gun in the other and started shooting at your children. Either you fire back and everyone accuses you of being a murderer (or, indeed, not having "good enough aim" to not shoot the baby shield), or you let your kids die. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, and either way the madman gets what he wants.

Why should Israel sacrifice her own children for those who are so willing to do so to their own, for the mere sake of PROPAGANDA?

"Israel is killing innocent people." Hamas isn't?
"Hamas is launching rockets into Israel." The Israelis aren't launching them back?

Both sides are wrong. Both are fighting for stupid reasons. One is fighting for land their God promised them and the other is fighting because their God tells them to kill everyone who doesn't believe in the same things they do. I'll pick my side here. Which is the lesser of two evils?

I refuse to pick a side. Israel and Hamas are doing it to each other and both are equally guilty. There are no heroes in the conflict between them, never was and never will be as long as Israel keeps encroaching on them and planting "settlements" and locking borders from trade which makes the Palestinian people allow Hamas to stay in power. This will keep happening year after year until Gaza and West Bank are no more.

Pick a side? No Hamas is a terrorist organization pretending to be a government and Israel is trying to wipe Palestinians off the map. Piss on both sides.

If Israel wanted to wipe Palestinians and/or Palestines off the map, they could do it tomorrow without any hassle at all. That alone should prove their intentions are slightly more complicated than "kill people for the lols".

 

[maxben]

Judging by that he may understand that Zionism is not synonymous with Judaism, though many scholarly people have fought to make the reverse true.

Zionism, the return to Israel, is certainly an aspect of Judaism. The whole Jewish faith is based around the land of Israel being promised by God and returning to the land of Israel ("Next year in Jerusalem"). The thing is, there are many views on what Zionism is as a political ideology rather than a religious concept. What should this return look like? What should the Zionist state be like? That is why you have Revisionist Zionism (essentially fascists) and Socialist Zionism (essentially communists) as well as Messianic Zionism (theocratic) and Liberal Zionism (secular). The origins of Modern Zionism is in the Liberal camp, who believed that a Jewish state is necessary to protect Jews as a people and had nothing to do with the faith but based on modern principles of capitalism, human rights, and democracy. This is the majority ideology of Zionists worldwide.

 

[KaZuYa]

Thing is there isn't a global hatred against the Jewish people but there is one against the right wing zionist's who control Israel and large parts of the US political parties who want to misuse the term anti-semitic and demonise the term so much it's the worst possible thing you can be even worse than a child murderer.

450 children have been killed in Gaza so far, while I don't support Hamas in any way how can you justify that I mean if the world's most prolific serial killer gets cornered by police and holds a child as a human shield and the cop just shoots through the child and says "at least we got the killer and thats what matters" he would be charged with murder but if Israel does the same but with tanks, air strike's and artillery it's ok.

 

[Zulnam]

How Does the Israeli-Gaza Conflict Affect Video Games? Well that's a bit egotistical of you. Not everything revolves around video gaming. People are dying over there, Escapist, and respawn's been set to "off".

There is a reason why some people hate Israel and, consequentially, the jews. It may not be civilized or efficient, but to ignore these reasons altogether is to just blindly turn your head towards one side of the problem. For example, in many western countries it is illegal and/or punishable by prison to promote, discuss or support antisemitic thoughts.

Please note that it is not illegal to promote, discuss or support anti-christian, anti-muslim, anti-gay, anti-black, anti-hispanic or anti-buddhist opinions.

Peculiar, eh?

 

[silversnake4133]

The only thing I think that this will do to video games is give Activision a new set piece for their next Call of Duty game.

 

[shintakie10]

I really don't see what the conflict has to do with gaming, although I've noticed that people tend to use the word "jew" as a slur more often.

snip

Is there an escalation? Really? Or is every single Palestinian (but not Israeli) casualty being reported more frequently and widely than ever before? Then again, since you're throwing around concepts like "evil," your mind is likely made up.

Thousands compared to a few is still obvious escalation.

As I said, both sides have plenty of war crimes and misguided reasons, among other problems which I would call "evil."

But punching a toddler (and a few of the toddlers' friends) in the face because he kicked your and your wife's shins is obviously the more immoral act of the two.

That is a very, VERY poor comparison. Firstly, neither Gaza nor Hamas are "children" that can be forgiven for being... well, stupid children. Secondly, we are talking about being people being KILLED, not minor injuries that can be brushed off.

The conflict is more like if a man held a baby in one arm and a gun in the other and started shooting at your children. Either you fire back and everyone accuses you of being a murderer (or, indeed, not having "good enough aim" to not shoot the baby shield), or you let your kids die. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, and either way the madman gets what he wants.

Why should Israel sacrifice her own children for those who are so willing to do so to their own, for the mere sake of PROPAGANDA?

At the end of the day, where are the Palestinians supposed to go? Israel accuses Hamas of telling people not to leave their homes, when Israel is going to bomb them, but again where do they go?

Its a horribly impoverished country that will continue to be impoverished until Israel and Egypt lift their blockade. All the land borders out of Gaza are closed except for a few select people by both Israel and Egypt. They could go to U.N. locations, except Israel has bombed those too so there's literally nowhere to hide.

Its like one Palestinian man said after the U.N. aid building was shelled. If I'm going to die I'd rather do it in my own home than anywhere else.

 

[ShadyNinja]

what the hell Escapist.
seriously WHAT THE HELL happened to this site?
I would expect articles like this from Polygon or Kotaku but never from you.

This is just so wrong

 

[Kungfusam]

The bloody ego of game journo's is mesmerising, even though they fail at basic game journalism, they still try to comment on serious issues AND somehow try to force it on a humble geek friendly website

Kids and their social justice fad, turned The Escapist into a wank BBC

 

[Baresark]

Judging by that he may understand that Zionism is not synonymous with Judaism, though many scholarly people have fought to make the reverse true.

Zionism, the return to Israel, is certainly an aspect of Judaism. The whole Jewish faith is based around the land of Israel being promised by God and returning to the land of Israel ("Next year in Jerusalem"). The thing is, there are many views on what Zionism is as a political ideology rather than a religious concept. What should this return look like? What should the Zionist state be like? That is why you have Revisionist Zionism (essentially fascists) and Socialist Zionism (essentially communists) as well as Messianic Zionism (theocratic) and Liberal Zionism (secular). The origins of Modern Zionism is in the Liberal camp, who believed that a Jewish state is necessary to protect Jews as a people and had nothing to do with the faith but based on modern principles of capitalism, human rights, and democracy. This is the majority ideology of Zionists worldwide.

In scripture, Zion is said to be Jerusalem and the surrounding hills. It is also stated to be a spiritual place in other parts, not necessarily a physical place. Modern Zionism is concerned with the political state of Israel, which is some 200 times the size of Jerusalem and the surrounding hills. Modern Zionism is a political movement sharing the name of a place in scriptures only. The fact that Zionism is part of the religion of Israelites is what leads some modern scholars to the conclusion that anti-Zionism = Antisemitism. I am all for people finding their true home, but I am not for anyone who proceeds to subjugate another people to get what they desire. In America, that is called greed, but in Israel that is called right. I am not against all of Israel of course. A majority of people in Israel and in Gaza favor a two state system. That is what makes sense, it will bring peace and end fighting if zealots from either side would let go of their pointless desire for what others have. There is plenty of blame on both sides to be had, of course. But a lot more Palestinians die from the conflict than do Israelites, right now anyway. If the reverse situation were what was happening, I would be rooting for Israel and not Palestinians.

In the end though, I do not have a vested interest in the conflict, no one really does, at least no in the long run. It doesn't benefit either side. I do have a vested interest in my country not contributing further to pointless blood shed.