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Spec Ops: The Line has been removed from all digital storefronts, due to licensing issues. Why was this game so important? Let’s understand the context surrounding its release.
GMTK Minis are short, scrappy videos designed to let me comment on noteworthy news events. Enjoy!
=== Sources and Resources ===
- Sources
[1] Spec Ops: The Line delisted from Steam | Eurogamer
https://www.eurogamer.net/spec-ops-the-line-delisted-from-steam
[2] We Are Not Heroes: Contextualizing Violence... | GDC Vault
https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1017980/We-Are-Not-Heroes-Contextualizing
[3] Don't Be A Hero - The Full Story Behind Spec Ops: The Line | Polygon
https://www.polygon.com/2012/11/14/3590430/dont-be-a-hero-the-full-story-behind-spec-ops-the-line
[4] Shooters: How Video Games Fund Arms Manufacturers | Eurogamer
https://www.eurogamer.net/shooters-how-video-games-fund-arms-manufacturers
[5] Playing War: Military Video Games After 9/11 | Matthew Thomas Payne
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt18j8z64
[6] Game Designer Dave Theurer on "Missle Command" | YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd6uaDQ-qRI
[7] Hideo Kojima | Twitter
https://twitter.com/HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN/status/1492797335256334336
[8] Spec Ops: The Line‘s lead writer on creating an un-heroic war story | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/07/spec-ops-the-lines-lead-writer-on-creating-an-un-heroic-war-story/
[9] Spec Ops: The Line - Learn about the story with lead writer Walt Williams | Games Radar
https://www.gamesradar.com/spec-ops-line-learn-about-story-lead-writer-walt-williams/
[10] Dissecting the Horror: The Mysteries of Spec Ops The Line | 1UP (Archived)
https://web.archive.org/web/20160606040421/http://www.1up.com/features/horror-mysteries-spec-ops-the-line
[11] Special Edition Spoilercast: Spec Ops: The Line | GameSpot
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespot-gameplay-special-edition-spoilercast-spec-ops-the-line/1100-6386587/
[12] The touch that transcends violence and death | Chicago Tribune (Archived)
https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-it-is-impossible-to-mak/25124667/?locale=en-GB
[13] 87% Missing: The Disappearance Of Classic Video Games | Video Game History Foundation
https://gamehistory.org/87percent/
- Additional resources
Spec Ops The Line... 5 Years Later | Raycevick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dzstxE_5Rc
Spec Ops: The Line - A Literary Analysis | Games As Literature
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ1Zp3gNcEI
Errant Signal - Spec Ops: The Line | Errant Signal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlBrenhzMZI
How Spec Ops: The Line's Opening Manipulates You | Monty Zander
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPm7tKvILrE
Having Fun is Wrong: An Analysis of Spec Ops: The Line | Professor Bopper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogg4ITOmYiw
=== Credits ===
Music provided by Epidemic Sound - https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/vtdu5y (Referral Link)
=== Subtitles ===
Contribute translated subtitles - https://amara.org/videos/zq3te4KZz6ym/
I think the crux of spec ops was less about morally judging the player or even the protagonist actions. In my opinion the driving theme of that story was encouraging critical analysis of the media we participate in, in this case, video games. It’s not so much that the player had no choice but to do those bad things, the important part is the way the context of the surrounding narrative framed those choices. And then extrapolating that to other games of a similar ilk and frankly media as a whole.