Hypocrisy In Gaming: Kuma Games Releases Somali Showdown
Friday 8 May 2009 @ 11:32 am | By Sol 11 Comments
Last month we had a good discussion revolving around the politics of Six Days in Fallujah. I had mentioned I believe there is a reasonably amount of hypocrisy when it comes to war placed in the context of games. If there were a game where you battle Somali pirates on the high seas would there be public outcry? Today Kuma Games released Somali Showdown as a free download with apparently no public backlash.
“During a simulated hijacking, crew members will attempt to fend off the pirates and regain control of the ship’s operations room. Players joining the game as pirates will try to take over the operations room and sail the ship into Somali waters. –Gamasutra
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Abraham 'Velcor' Duarte
David 'KidKobun' Bruno
Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano
Random J
I didn’t know Kuma was still going. Surpised me.
What substantive difference is there between a movie and a video game based on a fight? I don’t necessarily think movies should be setting the standard for what constitutes permissible game concepts, because games are typically more “edgy” whatever that is supposed to mean, but shouldn’t that at least indicate a base line? If I can watch a movie about Iraq, and I can, why is a game any more controversial?
I think the difference between movie vs a game is that: a movie can be entertaining and thought provoking. A game needs to be designed as fun.
Entertainment is entertainment. Even somber, serious movies are “fun” for me; if they weren’t I wouldn’t watch them.
this is the case where “Fun” stops being a cold, 1-way, iron-cast, concept… fun can be enjoyable, yet enjoyable doesn’t necessarily have to be “fun”… it becomes a subjective concept. (the quotes are there for a reason)
and also the concept “game” and “playing”… watching a movie or making it doesn’t reduce a “serious” matter down to a game, a thing of play, turning into a game does in a social point of view.
while yours (or our ’cause i count myself in the same view of “meh”) individual point of view is a very valid one it has a small standing when it comes as a society as a whole…
hypocrisy maybe
but I can see why a game based on somali pirates doesn’t cause as much out cry as a game based on the Iraq war.
mainly it’s because more people (or should I say more Americans) died in that war.
If you want to get out cry of this pirate game you need to make sure someone who lost a loved on by a somali pirate and they may start a media out cry the same why those who lost someone in the Iraq war did for 6 days.
It’s a valid point so again it becomes the human cost of war as a point of contention…
socially it usually is ,isn’t it?
I think it all comes back to the old argument about games being more immersive, there’s action involved. With movies there’s no expected feedback to the message being recieved, with games you are forced to engage.
And I think its all hogwash.
I do not know anything about this. So i am very thankful.
[...] What Are You Playing? An open thread giving us all an idea of how everyone enjoys their weekend. Hypocrisy In Gaming: Kuma Games Releases Somali Showdown Last month we talked about Six Days in Fallujah being cancelled and if a Somali pirates game would [...]