[Heartbeat] On the playing of Modern Warfare 2
Wow... It's been a long time. Allow me to warm back up by noting a quick thought as I watch my boy play Modern Warfare 2 (spoilers).
I've just watched him play the "controversial" level. While I might be tempted to give some consideration to a friend's comment that it was "tasteless", I still think it was a powerful storytelling device--one that I think says a lot about the person responding to it.
One of the biggest gripes I've read about it is that it "forces the player to be evil". And that's one of those comments with which I just cannot agree, and which I think is very telling of the player's attitude. If there's anything that I can say that MW2 attempts to do--and does reasonably well--is put the player into the game as if it were their own reality. You are Pfc. Allen. You are "Roach" Sanderson. You are "Soap" McTavish.
With that in mind, I wonder about the people who think that Pfc. Allen--despite being in the role of a plant with a Russian terrorist--must gleefully participate in the wholesale slaughter of innocent civilians. At the very least, we might think that--in order not to blow his cover--we must do a dirty deed. After all, Shepard did say that we'd lose something in this dangerous game.
And yet, that I can find, there is no programming that punishes the player for not shooting civilians. And, were the situation real, I frankly would be surprised if, in the hail of bullets flying around, any of the terrorists would truly notice. Shoot out some glass. Put holes in the walls. Do what you need to do to look like you're doing what you're supposed to be doing. Funny that... just like real life.
Personally, I know that I don't get my jollies killing innocents and spent the level doing what I suggested. I only fired my shots to save my life--what Russian security officer is going to accept my excuse that "I'm not with these guys; I'm just a CIA agent" and stop trying to kill me? That is technically the only time the player must open fire or the game ends. Violent? Yes. Forced evil? I don't think so.
And by the way, when are games companies going to add different mechanisms for telling who is friend and who is foe? Name tag color doesn't cut it.
I've just watched him play the "controversial" level. While I might be tempted to give some consideration to a friend's comment that it was "tasteless", I still think it was a powerful storytelling device--one that I think says a lot about the person responding to it.
One of the biggest gripes I've read about it is that it "forces the player to be evil". And that's one of those comments with which I just cannot agree, and which I think is very telling of the player's attitude. If there's anything that I can say that MW2 attempts to do--and does reasonably well--is put the player into the game as if it were their own reality. You are Pfc. Allen. You are "Roach" Sanderson. You are "Soap" McTavish.
With that in mind, I wonder about the people who think that Pfc. Allen--despite being in the role of a plant with a Russian terrorist--must gleefully participate in the wholesale slaughter of innocent civilians. At the very least, we might think that--in order not to blow his cover--we must do a dirty deed. After all, Shepard did say that we'd lose something in this dangerous game.
And yet, that I can find, there is no programming that punishes the player for not shooting civilians. And, were the situation real, I frankly would be surprised if, in the hail of bullets flying around, any of the terrorists would truly notice. Shoot out some glass. Put holes in the walls. Do what you need to do to look like you're doing what you're supposed to be doing. Funny that... just like real life.
Personally, I know that I don't get my jollies killing innocents and spent the level doing what I suggested. I only fired my shots to save my life--what Russian security officer is going to accept my excuse that "I'm not with these guys; I'm just a CIA agent" and stop trying to kill me? That is technically the only time the player must open fire or the game ends. Violent? Yes. Forced evil? I don't think so.
And by the way, when are games companies going to add different mechanisms for telling who is friend and who is foe? Name tag color doesn't cut it.