Games have always awed us with pure entertainment. Sometimes, they are educational too. However, it has also had its moments of shock and awe, criticised by the media, religious communities, civil society, or sometimes, by gamers themselves.
With gaming evolving into a medium of creative expression, it has acquired a lot of self-freedom. There have been accusations by social commentators who have rubbished a certain genre of games for being loaded or nuanced with racial or sexual overtones – basically to
sensationalise and garner more eyeballs in a competitive market. More often than not, the creators are small time developers who clearly do not think or care too much about repercussions.
At the same time, some of the big game developers have also faced the ire of the media and society. Here we take the case of three games: the first has been a commercial success (Mass Effect); the second may never see the light of day (Six days in Fallujah); and the third is
the just released (Modern Warfare 2).
Mass Effect, dubbed as an operatic space saga, was a runaway hit due to its role-playing elements and strong storyline. In the game you are an elite intergalactic soldier out to save the universe from acataclysm – yawn! However, the shocker arrives when a relationship with a squad member takes a rather serious turn. Let’s say the game has some tender, otherworldly scenes involving a love interest.
While most of the gaming media and reviewers lauded the mature take on relationships in a video game (marketed for an 18-plus audience), the mainstream media in the US cried foul and staged a protracted debate within a certifiably conservative panel. The story may have been blown out of proportion, but the game went on to do exceeding well. It is now ready to launch a sequel.
Six days in Fallujah is a third person shooter game set in Iraq. The game follows a squad of American marines over the span of six days in what has been the bloodiest battle in the Iraqi war theatre. Marketed as a realistic game involving real data maps and war strategy followed
in actual field battles, the uproar grew loudest over its controversial use of information from ‘real insurgents’ who fought against the marines. Charges of glorifying war where thousands of
lives have been lost on both sides have also been leveled at the game, which might be shelved, for the time being.
The game, which takes the controversy cake though is termed as a blockbuster for 2009, Modern Warfare 2, a sequel to another successful game. The title is so wildly anticipated that other games have simply been pushed back to 2010 to avoid being crushed by the MW2 behemoth. Controversy has also found its way into its impending release. The issue is over a leaked video of its game-play, in which, as a US Special Forces operative, you are tasked to infiltrate a terrorist outfit.
Get this twist – in order to remain undercover you are sent on a mass murder mission in an airport with hundreds of innocent civilians. Online forums and blogs are already drawing parallels to the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai, among other bloody attacks, globally.
Responding to the controversy, the developer said that gamers had the option to skip this level. However, it is to be seen how gamers will approach this twist. If the game’s pre-order sales data of 2.4 million copies (and counting) is anything to go by, this will be one game that
will surely ‘shock and awe’ the industry.
