Last night after celebrating New Year's I remembered that I had downloaded a new demo for my 360. It was called "Frontline: Fuel of war". It looked like yet another military FPS so I wasn't expecting a whole lot of it. Imagine my surprise when the opening FMV started...
The whole thing is basically a political commentary on how the scarcity of oil will drive the whole world into a war over the last oil resource. The game even goes as far as to predict how the lack of oil will drive half of the world into poverty, violence and the alliance of enemy countries (During the narration they say the whole thing started in 2008, and the game is scheduled to be released in February 2008. Coincidence or cleverly placed shock factor? You decide...).
It was pretty heavy and grim as it was lifted right out of the headlines and CNN special reports and into a FPS. After I was done playing I got to thinking; "Should videogames be made around current social issues?"
Videogames have already toyed with various human philosophies, such as existentialism, the balance between right and wrong, the value of the human mind, death and the consequences of your decisions. But "Frontline" might be the first game I've ever played that takes a common social concern and makes a whole game around it (I've never played some of the Tom Clancy games nor any other military based game so I might be mistaken).
So my question to you is, should videogames be based around well known conflicts in hopes of delivering a message?
I say yes...and no. Yes because for years people have labeled videogames as being a dumb and childish entertainment medium which corrupts the minds of those that play them, so its great to see a developer tackle something as deep and current as the rising problems of the oil industry and making a game about it. God knows, the WWII shooters were getting old (and unethical for some).
On the other hand, I say no. We are all adults here. We are well aware that the world is a messed up one. People are dying, wars are raged over the stupidest things, children are starving, people are killing each other over meager stuff and politicians are lying to us and stealing what we have worked hard to earn. Worst of all, there's nothing we can do about it. True, we can create awareness and try to get people to stand up and do something, but in the end all that effort will be overshadowed somehow. Yeah, the world's a crappy place alright. So what do we do? We escape into videogames.
They are able to make us forget about the world's problems, even if only for a couple of hours. They can transport us into magical, unique and fun worlds where we can meet and interact with amazing characters. So, why should Al Gore invade Mario Galaxy and with every star I get remind me that pollution is causing global warning? Or why should Michael Moore appear during an MMORPG and start about how the Bush administration is lying to us about 9/11? Can you imagine "Sicko: The videogame?" Next thing you know, they will make games about fast food restaurants murder and mutilate animals for the sake of profit...Oh, right.
So I believe that there should be a balance. Developers have the right to develop whatever they desire. The industry is in dire need of creative and daring developers that can make videogames into more than just a time waster. Lord knows, we need to destroy that stereotype.
On the other hand, videogames are meant to be fun. They exist for the same reason movies are made and music is created everyday; they bring us hours of joy and even gives us a little bit of light into our existence. So not every has to featured the deepest political commentary ever or tackle issues that many of us consider taboo. Sometimes being fun is all you need to make a highly respected game. Just ask Miyamoto.
So once again, balance. "Frontline" is fine for now. But I'll be very upset if every game needs to remind me how OUR world and society is extremely messed up.
Your thoughts?
Topic: Should videogames have political/social messages in their gameplay? (Read 10655 times)
