Hey folks! In light of recent events, I think it's time to revisit an old topic, "standing up for our medium"
Now, video games are no stranger to controversy by any means
Like most new media games have experienced their share of growing pains
We've had them all:
video games cause violent behavior
video games encourage crime
video games cause addiction
video games socially cripple children
video games cause obesity
this game is a "porn simulator"
that game is a "murder simulator"
games caused this or that school shooting
*sigh*, good times
It's not fun, but it's all part of the medium's journey to respectability
Now, controversy is bound to keep flaring up as games grow,
and there's nothing we can really do to prevent that
that's not what I'm here to talk about
What I'm gonna talk about is what we -can- do
We can make a difference with the way we react to that controversy when it arises
And frankly, that's an area where we need to improve
The sad truth is that, game makers aren't weighed in the merit of their work
They're judged by the name of their medium
When controversy arises, our opposers don't look at a game studio and see a team of artists
They see a team of toy makers, who've gone too far
Like a branch of Mattel gone rogue
That the industry is viewed this way is pretty shameful, but perhaps even more shameful is how rarely we stand up for the work we do
Let me give you an example, if you keep up with game news, you probably heard of six days in Fallujah
And the huge fuss it surrounding it last year
For everyone else, here's the skinny:
Six days in Fallujah was a third person combat simulation about the second battle of Fallujah
It was being developed by Atomic games
who intended the game as a sort of documentary
The story goes that Atomic was doing some sidework helping the U.S. Marine Corp develop training tools
When the battalion they were working with was was called away to Irak, when the men returned,
they started telling the Atomic dev team all about their experiences in Fallujah
Now, many of these marines were young guys, guys who played games
who probably considered games to be one of their comforts out there in the desert
These guys came back, and told the developers at Atomic that they wanted people to understand what they had experienced
Even just a small part of it
They asked Atomic to make a game about what they had lived through
Now for those of you who don't know
Greenlighting a project like this is a big risk
It's not something you do unless you really, really believe in the project
And, to their credit, Atomic went for it.
And the project was slated to be published by Konami
But after the game was announced, it was met with a hailstorm of criticism
Various groups argued that making a game about the second battle of Fallujah would disrespect those that died there
That making a game about such a recent battle was in bad taste
In response to this controversy, Konami decided to bail
And Atomic was left without a publisher
They never found a new one, and the struggling studio pretty much folded soon after
Now, if I may briefly address Konami, you guys are great, I love many of your games,
and I know the pressure you're under as a business to maintain your brand.
But some things are just more important than that.
No, if you really, really believed, from the beginning, that Six days in Fallujah was in poor taste,
you would never have given this game the go-ahead in the first place
I mean, you're not dumb, you don't go around publishing games without thinking about it
And you had to know this game would probably stir a little controversy
So why run for cover at the first sign of dissent?
By caving in, you validate all of the accusations
You legitimize slander founded in ignorance and you guarantee a larger outcry the next time you consider a project like this
Don't believe me?
Watch this.
*static*
"There was a lot of controversy over this new videogame called Six Days in Fallujah, critics are calling the game
which is based on one of the deadliest battles in Irak
too realistic. For a fair and balanced discussion, I'm joined by the game developer
Peter Tamte
Captain Reed Omahundro
And he lead a marine company in Fallujah and lost thirteen men there
He's now and advisor on the game, and Tracy Miller
who's against the game because she lost her son
in that battle, good morning to all three of you
A lot of people see these videogames and such, that basically, you know, have war involved in them
Real life experiences that happened and sometimes they get kind of a sad reaction to the fact that we live this
Why make it into a game?"
Tamte: Well you know, about half or so of the young adults that we've surveyed are familiar with the battle for Fallujah
and here we have one of the most historic battles in the history of the country, and most young adults aren't familiar with it.
Fox reporter: Captain, are you actually saying, I know that you advise on this project
But are you actually gonna say that this is a way to honor the men who died that day?
Capt. Reed: Well, I wouldn't necessarily say it's a way to honor the men that died that day.
what I'd say, it's more of an honor for the people that fought there.
*static*
FR: Tracy, my condolences to you
You lost your son in this battle and I can never put myself in your position
But explain to me, whether or not you think that this game is an honor to your son.
Tracy; You know, it's complicated; I don't, I think that if I were to see it and actually see my son being killed, it would be terrible
in the other hand if this is a realistic game I'd think all of us who have lost children
want most for them to be remembered and so if he's not included then that would be bothersome also
*static*
FR: I, I think I read somewhere in the notes that you've lost your funding to actually put this game out to the public, is that true?
Tamte: Yeah, no, that's true
FR: Obviously you knew though that you might get some blowback on it because some people lost their children in that battle
Peter Tamte, Capt. Omahundro and Tracy Miller, I'm unfortunately out of time this morning. *static*
You see that?
The instant she asks that last question, all of his credibility banishes.
To the Fox News audience, even the game industry had agreed
This game should not be made.
Now look, I'm not trying to say that the controversy over this game was stupid
Six Days was a controversial game
And there were a lot of valid opinions on both sides.
But whatever your personal feelings are about the game, you have to agree
Those soldiers returning from Fallujah deserve better than that
This isn't the only time this sort of thing has happened either
You remember Luc Bernard?
No? Maybe?
He's the guy who made Eternity's Child?
Well he's been working on another title called "Imagination is the only escape"
A story set in World War II about a jewish boy
Meant as an educational title to teach children about the Holocaust
But, due to it's dark setting and subject matter
Nintendo of America has stated that it doesn't intend to release the game here
And now, most recently, that whole Medal of Honor thing
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think calling one of the multiplayer teams 'taliban'
was going to land any artistic weight or significance to EA's game.
That they used the name in the first place
seems like little more than a cheap controversial marketing ploy
Which we know EA isn't above doing.
But, to decide on that name, knowing that people were going to make a fuss about it
And then, cave on it later, when people do make a fuss
Thanks, EA, you set us back even further
These games are not being judged because of their content
They're judged because they are "games"
Countless film makers, novelists and artists have tackled difficult subjects before and been celebrated for it
Topics like war
genocide
sexuality
hatred
Many of these pieces are critically acclaimed, and rightfully so
They dare to explore humanity's dark side
the ugly realities of the human condition
They venture into uncomfortable territory and find the truth hidden within
This is the stuff art is made of
What is it about games that disqualifies them from exploring this harsh territory?
I've heard it argued that we need a rebranding
That we need to take on a new title for this medium
Kind of like how comic books had to take on the name graphic novel
before they started getting the respect they deserve
And, maybe we do
"Interactive Experiences"? Uh, no.
"Simulations"? Hmm, no, that doesn't sound right either
Well, while we are at it we also need to expand the scope of what we do to include more of the human experience
And address a broader set of ideas
But before any of that is gonna happen
We need to stand up without fear and embrace what our medium has become
And what it has the potential to be
We can't keep marginalizing ourselves
by pretending we only craft products for children
We are not toymakers.
Our work can mean so much more than that
Now, I'm gonna quote James word for word here, because this is good stuff
"This will take real courage from within our industry
It will take the bravery to face critique and the fortitude to wear the outcry
It will ask that we expose ourselves to short term finantial risk
And that we don't back down from early losses
Firm in the knowledge that we are doing right
We will have to be steadfast under the scrutiny of the world
And resolute when we are asked to justify ourselves
in the court of public opinion
It will ask that, for the moment, we give up ease
But if we can do this, we can do good, real good with our medium
If we do this, we can expand the industry
and bring whole new genres within the purview of games
If we do this, we can turn a greater profit
while providing more meaningful experiences
and reach audiences hither to unthinkable
If we do this, we can perhaps elevate some small portion of our labor to an art
But if we do this, we will no longe rbe able to pretend as if what we do doesn't matter
If we do this, we can never go back to the way it was before
Damn, James
Nice.
What I'm saying is this:
We can't run at every controversy
Or hide behind the mantra "we're just making games" anymore
If we are to grow as a medium, and evolve into something with the social
artistic and commercial reach of other mass media
We must be willing to stand up as an industry
And defends works of merit
Rather than meekly abandon them whenever objections are raised
In the words of the Ex-ISA President, Doug Lowenstein
"Push the envelope
And don't duck and cover when the shit hits the fan"
Stand up, and defend what you make.
Whatever you may think about Six Days in Fallujah
you have to give the guys at Atomic credit, they took a risk
and stuck to their guns when the going got tough
I hope there are more game developers out there who have the guts to follow that example
And I speak for James, Alisson and myself when I say
to everyone at Atomic, wherever you guys are, we salute you.