real leaders aren’t held accountable for real war crimes.
In the interest of preserving realism of the gameplay experience, gamers should not be punished.
Sliding the “war crimes” difficulty bar between African Colonel and IDF Prime Minister.
I had to look this up. It’s from 2013 and it’s a blog post, but it’s real:
Then they got an Arma DLC which is effectively a red cross training course [story]
Over a decade of knee-jerk gamers responding without reading the article, how time flies
It’s stuff like this getting flung around that helps me remember no one cares about reality
Accountable to whom? There’s no victim.
This is a headline that idiots have been reposting forever without context - they’re taking about IN THE GAME
That would be hilarious. Just one CoD that drops a patch and every player who committed a war crime spends entire matches in a prison.
they’re taking about IN THE GAME
Calling in an airstrike to win a round of Call of Duty and immediately transitioning to a JAG themed game of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.
Warframe players: That’s not a war crime. This is a war crime!
Murders an entire battalion with biochemical weapons
Hey!
I mean, yes you’re right, but: hey!
Genocidal space ninja FTW.
No, this is beyond ridiculous, videogames re not real life, they serve as an escape from relaity
It’s still pretty dumb. What Senechaud is proposing is that not far off from the Hayes Code. He’s also suggesting going about it the hard way. Instead of simply proposing that players not be able to commit war crimes, he’s asking that there be an in-game system that punishes players committing war crimes in accordance with international law. His stance is also based on the premise that video games now have realistic enough graphics that they could be used to fake footage of real war zones. In no way does a video capture of Call of Duty resemble reality, even when players are deliberately trying to behave realistically due to a combination of things like walking animations still being kind of off, especially when starting or stopping, and gameplay concessions, like bullets spawning in blatantly incorrect positions when guns are shot. It’s really obvious he’s never played these games he’s complaining about.
You say that, but Arma footage keeps being aired on the news.
What Senechaud is proposing is that not far off from the Hayes Code.
I don’t think it’s so much that games depicting war crimes shouldn’t be allowed to exist, but rather wanting a game (or more games) to depict realistic consequences.
His stance is also based on the premise that video games now have realistic enough graphics that they could be used to fake footage of real war zones.
That’s not true at all. It’s not about faking footage, it’s about the games being realistic enough to feel immersive. From their website:
The ICRC is concerned that certain game scenarios could lead to a trivialization of serious violations of the law of armed conflict. The fear is that eventually such illegal acts will be perceived as acceptable behaviour.
If their concern was about fake footage, they’d be calling for it not to be depicted at all.
Games as escapism is an unhealthy coping strategy, but so are hard drugs and they’re even more fun
Escapism is an appropriate coping strategy for situations where you do not have influence over the outcome.
Where is the harm? Why care so much about things we cannot change?
Naturally, things get hairy when you have some influence but that influence is very small or difficult to measure.
BiDyA gAeMs BaD111one!!
Should the article author be accountable for intentionally writing rage bait? Sources say “yes”!
The Guardian: “Should we hold gamers accountable”
Also The Guardian: “Anti-gender ideology is one of the dominant strains of fascism in our times”
Real “We Demand To Be Taken Seriously” out of the UK paper of record.
Stellaris players have left
the chatlifeI’ve made people who’ve rebelled against the hive mind edible and genetically engineered them to be docile and delicious.
Of course you have. That’s what that game is for: creative war crimes.
On a side note, I recently did a tree of life plantoid budding build, they grew SO fast. I got big quick, started being really nice to everyone, integrated or vassalized lots of neighbors without having to fight much at all. I called them the vegan borg.
I’ve heard some philosophical musings on the dominant species of life on Earth being wheat, based on how much time and energy the global ecosystem spends cultivating and spreading it.
How many egalitarian democracies do I need to make to pay off my determined exterminator debt?
Nah this can’t be a real article.
It’s real but it probably isn’t what you think it is
Ah yeah Arma had an entire expansion on this theme. Press, Red Cross, and civilian playable models. It’s actually a pretty cool concept.
I don’t know if I’m excited about the idea of gamifying atrocities.
On the one hand, you’re going to have the inevitable “What’s the most/worst number of crimes I can commit in the game?” reactionary freak streamer.
On the other, you’re going to have the Model UN Liberal insisting that NATO couldn’t be committing any war crimes, because he already played the Liberation of Rafa mission on War Crimes Simulator 4 using the same tactics outlined in the press briefing and got a perfect score.
Oh cool, so you get medals right?
Yes, a lot of the games you can get medals.
Have you never played a game?
When you beat someone 1v1, you get to keep their PC.
Given how many times I genocided entire nations in Civilization, I guess they’d better send me a one-way ticket to Nuremberg.
This is why I only play zombie shooters. That way I’m only killing the concept of death.
You could also say you’re a doctor fighting against an epidemic.
racks shotgun the doctor will see you now
I’m surprised Rimworld hasn’t been mentioned here yet.
Two types of people out here on the Rim. Colonists and hats.
I am always the good guy in games! If anyone asks…
“Everyone liked that”
The Bad Guys always think of themselves as the Good Guys…
“I always play the good guys!”
“Which faction do you side with in Fallout?”
Does this also apply to more fantasy oriented war games?
No, the ICRC is talking about video games that simulate real-war situations. It is not suggesting that this apply to games that portray more fictional scenarios such as medieval fantasy or futuristic wars in outer space.
A few media reported that certain virtual acts performed by characters in video games could amount to serious violations of the law of armed conflict. Is this correct?
No. Serious violations of the laws of war can only be committed in real-life. A person cannot commit a war crime simply by playing a video game.
https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/film/2013/09-28-ihl-video-games.htm
PDX players too.