A hundred years ago the most senseless and bloody conflict the world had ever seen began between the most powerful nations on the planet. Today, we hold the First World War as an example of the horrors of modern warfare. Over the years, the suffering and pain endured by the troops on the Western Front have been etched into history with the countless photographs and personal accounts which exist, yet we still find it difficult to imagine the lives of these men and the misery they went through.
Arguably the First-Person Shooter genre has dominated the gaming community over the past several years, with Call of Duty and Battlefield titles being frequent mainstays of the the charts. In of itself, there is nothing wrong with this. The FPS genre has been around since the early 90's, and it must be said that they can provide some of the best online experiences in the industry. However, as of late I must confess that something about them has begun to leave a bad feeling within me. In an age when graphics are advancing at a great pace, and providing far more realistic environments and character models, developers are constantly aiming to give players a true sense of being in a combat situation. For many gamers, this can only be a good thing, with the immersive experience ever improving to make them feel like they are firing live ammo and saving democracy from the bad guys. Indeed, I believe it is safe to say that when a gamer has a virtual enemy in their sites and about to pull the trigger, they will most likely feel a rising sense of impending victory.
On the face of it, this seems perfectly fine. We are after all dealing with nothing more than pixels and three-dimensional animations, but simultaneously these are graphical representations of human beings. However, I have begun to look at it another way.
Would this make a game more fun to play? Well hopefully not, but at the very least, it may help us to better keep in mind the horrors of war; as well as remember the brave soldiers, not just in our own nation, but around the world, who fall in defence of their homes and loved ones.
We Shall Remember Them
You can also check out our previous piece on war-themed gaming here, published on the anniversary of D-Day back in June!
Thanks for reading!