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> For example, much is made of the fact that real-life Special Forces soldiers aid in the development of these games for the sake of authenticity. That's great,

> For example, much is made of the fact that real-life Special Forces soldiers aid in the development of these games for the sake of authenticity. That's great, but that authenticity is then baked into products that paint a wholly misleading picture about the realities of war. The Medal of Honor franchise is also guilty of this. Obviously, any claim at "authenticity" of a game in which you play a bullet-sponge with health regen is laughable at best. People actually caring about authenticity would play ARMA, in which the reward for "heroism" is being shot by a bunch of pixels hiding in a bush 500 m away. But even ARMA (or least it was the case in the original Operation Flashpoint) is heavily sanitized. It's empty of civilians. No sniper shoots at children. Wounded are not trying to put their guts back in place. It's the Star Wars version of war, where the Stormtroopers either stand or fall, and innocents never get hurt.

rl3 13y ago
I was referring more to atmospheric and thematic authenticity. Obviously, no one is going to believe health regeneration is real. In retrospect, I should have made it clear that I was speaking mostly in context of single-player campaigns. My point was that, what may be dismissed as unremarkable by most people, might be compelling narrative to some teenage kid coming up on military age. Keep in mind that the games aren't fiction in a vacuum, but fiction with real life military unit names, equipment, and in some cases setting. Then, marketing touts the fact that actual members of said real life military units helped make the game. That lends credibility to any perceived authenticity, no matter how misguided. There is of course the argument that nobody that young should be playing the games in the first place, but it is what it is. On the other hand, if we're talking about Medal of Honor, that might even be compelling to some young adults. Either way, entertainment which utilizes ongoing conflicts has the potential to leave a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. It comes off as trashy if poorly executed. --- Regarding ArmA, although it has vastly more realistic mechanics, it's not really a valid comparison due to a lack of virtually any story or narrative at all. It's more of a simulation sandbox at heart, albeit a sterile one.
- TsiCClawOfLight 13y ago
  That really depends on what Clan/Group you play with, how good their map creators and modders are. Many a game has been much more realistic in that way than you seem to think - mostly because most of the players in those groups are active-duty soldiers, there are commanders, and the map/mission creators are mil/ex-mil as well.
- mercurial 13y ago
  > I was referring more to atmospheric and thematic authenticity. I understand what you mean, but the mechanics do detract from any perceived authenticity. It's like having "authentic" weapons and "authentic" unit names in a Rambo movie. At the end of the day, it's more fetishism than anything else. > Either way, entertainment which utilizes ongoing conflicts has the potential to leave a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. It comes off as trashy if poorly executed. CoD is not known for its nuanced approached in this regard. > Regarding ArmA, although it has vastly more realistic mechanics, it's not really a valid comparison due to a lack of virtually any story or narrative at all. It's more of a simulation sandbox at heart, albeit a sterile one. I don't know about ArmA, but Operation Flashpoint: Resistance had a decent story. I heard good things about the "episodic" Arma III campaign as well.
  - rl3 13y ago
    > It's like having "authentic" weapons and "authentic" unit names in a Rambo movie. At the end of the day, it's more fetishism than anything else. Precisely.

rl3 13y ago

I was referring more to atmospheric and thematic authenticity. Obviously, no one is going to believe health regeneration is real. In retrospect, I should have made it clear that I was speaking mostly in context of single-player campaigns. My point was that, what may be dismissed as unremarkable by most people, might be compelling narrative to some teenage kid coming up on military age. Keep in mind that the games aren't fiction in a vacuum, but fiction with real life military unit names, equipment, and in some cases setting. Then, marketing touts the fact that actual members of said real life military units helped make the game. That lends credibility to any perceived authenticity, no matter how misguided. There is of course the argument that nobody that young should be playing the games in the first place, but it is what it is. On the other hand, if we're talking about Medal of Honor, that might even be compelling to some young adults. Either way, entertainment which utilizes ongoing conflicts has the potential to leave a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. It comes off as trashy if poorly executed. --- Regarding ArmA, although it has vastly more realistic mechanics, it's not really a valid comparison due to a lack of virtually any story or narrative at all. It's more of a simulation sandbox at heart, albeit a sterile one.

TsiCClawOfLight 13y ago
That really depends on what Clan/Group you play with, how good their map creators and modders are. Many a game has been much more realistic in that way than you seem to think - mostly because most of the players in those groups are active-duty soldiers, there are commanders, and the map/mission creators are mil/ex-mil as well.
mercurial 13y ago
> I was referring more to atmospheric and thematic authenticity. I understand what you mean, but the mechanics do detract from any perceived authenticity. It's like having "authentic" weapons and "authentic" unit names in a Rambo movie. At the end of the day, it's more fetishism than anything else. > Either way, entertainment which utilizes ongoing conflicts has the potential to leave a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. It comes off as trashy if poorly executed. CoD is not known for its nuanced approached in this regard. > Regarding ArmA, although it has vastly more realistic mechanics, it's not really a valid comparison due to a lack of virtually any story or narrative at all. It's more of a simulation sandbox at heart, albeit a sterile one. I don't know about ArmA, but Operation Flashpoint: Resistance had a decent story. I heard good things about the "episodic" Arma III campaign as well.
- rl3 13y ago
  > It's like having "authentic" weapons and "authentic" unit names in a Rambo movie. At the end of the day, it's more fetishism than anything else. Precisely.