Monday, November 12, 2007

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later

Military players of videogames create an interesting tension for government policy-makers. Anti-videogame congressional legislation is often designed to make expedient points with voters by making legislators on both sides of the aisle seem socially conservative and even somehow anti-crime. Yet videogames are a tool for recruitment, training, and morale maintenance within military culture itself, and thus game play is also state-sanctioned behavior. Recently, as Game Politics reports, there was even a photo opportunity in which President Bush played videogames with the wounded soldiers that he was visiting.

Now gamers have an opportunity to support the troops by arranging to send them popular videogames through a non-profit charity, Fun for Our Troops. Those critical of the "Military-Entertainment Complex" that believe first-person shooter games instrumentalize violence through the interface of the controller and screen may choose to do their holiday gift-giving elsewhere.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, Elizabeth.

I wouldn't be too quick to view first-person shooter games as a key element of the games-for-troops effort.

I'm gathering dozens of games myself of all varieties. Hardly any are FPS. Mario, Donkey Kong, Madden, role-playing, platform, puzzle, strategy, etc...

Personally, I detest the Bush/Cheyney administration and believe the Iraq war was an absolutely horrendous, borderline criminal policy decision which will haunt us for decades, once it ends... if it ends.

That being said, I'm very supportive of efforts to reduce the stress and burden on individuals serving in the military. These are the "little people" who must, along with their loved ones, shoulder the burden for the policies set forth by the political elites.

Best,

-Dennis McCauley
GamePolitics.com

2:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This reminds me: we never heard how you got on with Bioshock!

5:43 AM  

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