Army-type games and the current war.
 

I don't know, I am a serious FPS gamer, currently deeply into Battlefield: Vietnam and a big fan of the Desert Combat mod.

I was thinking the other day, here I am, sitting in my A/C, sipping a coke, playing games that are strikingly similar simulations of current goings-on in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Is it wrong for me to feel slightly guilty playing these games as 'fun' when my countrymen (and women) are fighting and dying IRL?

Take Americas Army. This is put out there by them for us to enjoy. (not to mention to lure people into signing up as well)

Good point, it was released in May 2002, just after we went in.

You should www.goarmy.com

It's the next best thing to being there.

*still kicking myself for not signing up 7 yrs ago*

Video games are to combat as porno is to an actual person. Similar subject matter but totally different.

would have to agree with that, no game can compare to working in a 120+ degree mainspace engineering mainspace in the Persian Gulf while trying to open a rusty valve below the deckplates. Makes it more interesting when you have to use a three foot pipewrench and try to avoid stepping in god-knows-what filth in the bilge.

A combat porno would be awesome.

I don't see why that should concern you any more than, say, replaying the second world war as the germans, or if you play GTA killing civilians when serious crime is creating victims any day...

I read an interesting and well-written article in Wired Magazine about this exact issue, and I think you may enjoy reading it.

It can be found at the online portion of their magazine HERE.

Take care.

If you play America's Army you're not only being recruited but trained as well, without pay! One of many reasons I don't play this game. The effect of video training exercises on soldier behavior is pretty extreme if you ask certain retired generals.

As far as realism goes I have yet to see a game where you are taken hostage for several weeks being beaten on a regular basis. Or where your burnt corpse attracts a crowd that further dismembers you and hangs you from a bridge. Or a game with realistic ambushes: no warning, bang! game over. Think how much wanker-fanboy complaining there'd be over those kind of "glitches."

Well at least in real life there's no hackers.

Amen