Poll: Would you be comfortable killing your country's military in a game?

[Professor James]

I realized today that the only game that I think you can kill American soldiers in(outside of multiplayer) is Prototype, Grand Theft Auto V, and Saints Row the Third. I personally didn't feel bad and only fully realized what I did until later. At this point, the only people you can't kill is children(except in some old games like Fallout 2) so it isn't really surprising, but I wonder how a veteran would feel.

 

[Tiger King]

It's just a game so it doesn't or wouldn't really bother me. Besides there are plenty of games out there where the British (and when we say British what is really depicted is the English) are the bad guys.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Many of us already have done so. Or have gamers forgotten that a (fictional) section of the United States Marine Corps were a major enemy in the first Half-Life, as well as one of its expansions?

 

[Maximum Bert]

Dont care im able to easily tell the difference between fiction and reality and keep it that way. I do wonder though that if you are not comfortable with killing your nations military in game but you are comfortable killing others what does that say about you?

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Strangely enough, no. CoH I can play against the Americans or the Germans but never against the British. But then again, I don't play against the IG in DoW or DoWII. They are completely fictional, but they're "my team".

 

[tippy2k2]

I'd have no issues with it. I mean, one of my favorite games has you killing almost exclusively American soldiers.

I'd name the game but that would be a big spoiler that I would rather keep to myself than risk ruining this sweet game. If you're curious, the hint you get is WP (which will mean nothing to you unless you've played the game).

Spoiler: the name of the game if you must know

Spec Ops The Line

 

[DementedSheep]

Sure, it's not real and I'm not hugely nationalistic although since I live in the relativity small country of NZ I don't know that there would be many plots where you get that unless we were mixed in with another military.
Edit: although we could manipulate from the shadows. Now that's a twist noone would see coming.

 

[Zhukov]

Sure.

It'd be quite a stretch to make Australia's military into a world-threatening menace, but hey, if they can pull it off then bring it on.

The closest example I can think of is the second Army of Two game. You kill mercenaries, some of whom are clearly Australian, judging by their accents.

 

[Elfgore]

It's fictional. Fictional murder of unnamed people with a flag on their arm. I have no issue with it. I don't start freaking out if I get put on the Russian side or Chinese side in Battlefield.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I've often wondered about this (for context, I'm from the U.S.).

Now, I don't mean games where U.S. soldiers are enemies straight up. Modern Warfare 2, I went out of my way to kill as many of those traitors at the end of the game as I could. I even walked up and stabbed the two crewmen after the helicopter crash. The betrayal stung, but the fact that these were U.S. soldiers stung even more (yes, I am bias toward my country's troops and hold them to a higher standard).
And then there's Spec Ops: The Line. I felt bad about killing them for a few moments, but when it became clear that it was them or me, they just became enemies, regardless of country. Again, I didn't really see them as U.S. once I saw how far they had fallen either.

But a game where I'm straight up attacking U.S. troops? Like, say, playing as a German soldier gunning down U.S., or even Allied troops, during Normandy? Or playing as, shall we just go with Russia, soldier invading the U.S. and killing U.S. troops defending the country? I don't know. I think that would make me very uncomfortable.

 

[Mutant1988]

No.

The game would end too soon.

Spoiler

Because we barely have an army

 

[Colour Scientist]

The Irish army?

It probably wouldn't be a very long game.

No.

The game would end too fast.

Damn, you got there first.

 

[Mutant1988]

The Irish army?

It probably wouldn't be a very long game.

No.

The game would end too fast.

Damn, you got there first.

Twisted minds think alike.

Sweden here.

I'd also question why anyone would bother fighting us. Or how. Anyone that could, wouldn't, because it would be a war that would escalate. Anyone that hates us (Which is pretty much limited to the people that hate absolutely everyone anyway), really can't fight us in any meaningful way, army or no army.

Besides, I know that if anyone would attack Sweden, Finland would kick their asses. And then probably annex Sweden.

...

Finland is scary.

Seriously though? I'd be fine with it. It wouldn't make any sense whatsoever, but I would be fine with it. Would I buy such a game? No. It's too far past my willing suspension of disbelief to be taken seriously in any way, shape or form.

It would essentially be a farce. Comedic in it's absurdity.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

Now, I don't mean games where U.S. soldiers are enemies straight up. Modern Warfare 2, I went out of my way to kill as many of those traitors at the end of the game as I could. I even walked up and stabbed the two crewmen after the helicopter crash. The betrayal stung, but the fact that these were U.S. soldiers stung even more (yes, I am bias toward my country's troops and hold them to a higher standard).

Were those soldiers even aware of what they were a part of, though? I doubt the majority of them knew the bigger picture. I mean, obviously General Shepherd knew, presumably at least some of his officers knew, and probably his immediate security detail (the guys with him on the ground when Roach and Ghost encounter him)... but every last soldier? The more people that are in on a conspiracy, the more likely that it's going to be exposed. I don't recall if the game ever explicitly mentioned whether or not all of the US forces under Shepherd's command were traitors.

OT:

Generally it doesn't bother me much, and I'm usually very supportive of my country's men and women in uniform (I come from a huge family, many of them having served in the past and many of them currently serving). The places where I most frequently fight US forces are probably Company of Heroes and the multiplayer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 whenever I get placed on the Spetsnaz team. It's not like I'm actually harming anyone, so it's no big deal. Just pixels on a screen.

 

[Ryotknife]

Just to name a few others:

Spec Ops the line
Modern Warfare 2
Splinter cell conviction (possibly blacklist, they never specified where those terrorists came from)
Alpha Protocol
Crysis 2
Halflife 1
Payday

Games where you kill local military units in the US but are technically not American soldiers because the US no longer exists:

Crysis 3
Halflife 2
fallout series

 

[CommanderZx2]

Wouldn't bother me, one target is no different from another. They're all just computer generated imagery and not real people.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

I already have several times. Obviously it was quite a bit more personal in Spec Ops than in Company of Heroes but both times I did it an didn't feel especially bad, well, not until later with SpecOps. Oh, also GTA.

 

[Timeless Lavender]

As long the game give me a good motive or reason rather than to be a propaganda or shock value galore then I honestly don't care. Besides it isn't like my own country's military can stand a chance against me *evils laugh*.

 

[Evonisia]

I'm all for killing British people. Just don't do what Killzone did and portray us like Nazis for some fucking reason (no, I don't care that it's set on a different world).

 

[Islandbuffilo]

Depends on who I'm killing them as.