The upcoming war shooter, or as I like to call it “survival horror” game Six Days in Fallujah, has seen more than its fair bit of controversy in recent weeks. And it hasn’t even hit the shelves yet.<\/p>\n
So what’s the cause of this shooting match (ahem), and why is such a small games developer getting more attention that Rockstar on a GTA release day?<\/p>\n
For those not in the know, Six Days in Fallujah is a third-person war simulation game based directly on the experiences of a battalion of US Marines during the Second Battle of Fallujah, executed under Operation Iraqi Freedom. It started out as a training tool for the Marine Corps, but the 47 soldiers assigned to help make it more realistic apparently asked the developer, Atomic Games, to make it into a full-blown video game.<\/p>\n
But, as with anything related to the touchy subject of war (and especially the Iraqi conflict), the question being asked is: is it too soon for something like this to surface? Or is it just a simple, tactless money-making move on behalf of publisher Konami?<\/p>\n
Now, there are two sides to this story. The first is from the devs, publishers and the Marines themselves, most of whom are proud to have their actions recreated for public consumption and enjoyment.<\/p>\n
In fact, one decorated veteran, Sgt. Casey J. McGeorge, told the press, “As a combat veteran and as a gamer, I have no problem whatsoever with the game. As long as it’s made as realistically as possible, I believe that this could be a good thing for both combat veterans and for the war in general.”<\/p>\n
The other side is composed of everyone from offended soldiers and war heroes to human rights lobbyists and a clearly divided US public. Some denigrate it as insensitive and offensive, like Reg Keys, the father of a British soldier killed in the conflict: “Considering the enormous loss of life in the Iraq War, glorifying it in a video game demonstrates very poor judgment and bad taste… these horrific events should be confined to the annals of history, not trivialized and rendered for thrill-seekers to play out.”<\/p>\n
The plugging of the Six Days in Fallujah’s features such as fully destructible environments and advanced AI also seem to lend a certain gimmicky vibe to the game. As in many shooting titles available nowadays, players can also take cover to slowly regain health: how realistic is that? And what are we to think about the contributions from the actual insurgents themselves?<\/p>\n
Personally, I’m joining the Bad Taste Camp on this one. A military training tool is one thing, but dumbing it down with traditional gameplay elements takes away any credibility or plausibility Six Days in Fallujah may have had. I also don’t see a video game as an ideal medium to speak to the masses; perhaps the funds could’ve raised awareness in a more practical and less controversial way?<\/p>\n
Whatever happens, Six Days in Fallujah is going to cause more of an upset than a porcupine in a condom factory. But, whether the game ends up being more a piece of military propaganda or an educational tool than anything else is something that we’ll have to hang on till release day to see.<\/p>\n