No russian, no warfare

Violence and adult content should not be pigeonholed to only one medium. Sex can and should be both written and shown in books and films, and sexual interaction have a place in video games. The same can be said for violence. A society that hides itself from the realities of life, whether those realities be vile or morally repugnant for some, is a society that suffers.

The first Modern Warfare made a grand statement about war. In the game, two levels juxtapose the reality and detachment that exists in war. Violence on the ground is real, unavoidable, and nasty. Violence from the air is without consequence and quiet. This could have been extrapolated into the situation games create, where reality and virtual reality are farther apart than people care to realize. I can't believe such a statement was in a popular video game played by millions. I thought "The genius to do this and pull it off... wow!"

Of course, it was accidental.

No, the grand statement was nothing more than just a cool way to show people dying and glorify war. The sequel to the first game cements this cold realization. Here, Infinity Ward, the developers of the megahit, sprinkle the foliage with pot leaves, ridiculous military jargon, and worse. In the lead up to the game's release, the company decided to show a promotional video on their twitter feed. The video was an official product, not a fan video or something else. It was initially fully endorsed.

The video acted as a fake campaign against one of the problems in the first game's multiplayer mode where people would use grenades to kill people. The fake campaign in this video was titled "Fight Against Grenade Spam" and that those that spammed grenades were "pussies." There's two major problems with this, and it is sad, but predictable, that only 1 is the focus of media attention.

The first obvious one is the fact that Infinity Ward is using the derogatory word fags. For homosexuals, the remark is very offensive. It would be as if Infinity Ward had the campaign be called "No Infinite Grenade Gouging Everywhere. Really Serious" and called people niggers instead. This is hateful language to a group of people that is already bullied constantly on the multiplayer service. And, whether they want this connection or not, there's also the issue of the extremely homophobic nature of the U.S. military, and the game is a military shooter.

Then, there's the issue of "pussies." Again, this word is being used in a derogatory manner. Women play games, and even violent military games. Just as it isn't right to call someone a fag or a nigger, it's not right to call someone in a derogatory fashion a pussie or any other female slur. The fact that this part of the video is being ignored only further shows that the entire video game culture is dominated by men, reported by men, and ignores any issues relating to females.

Then the game came out, and it was more messy. In the game Modern Warfare 2, an undercover CIA operative infiltrates a Russian terrorist group and accompanies them on a mission to shoot dozens of innocent civilians in an airport. There is a warning that because of the content of this mission, the level can be skipped by the player with no penalty.

However, the problem arises in the fact that the level itself is of no consequence to the game. Instead of acting as any catalyst for larger discussion, the scene is only a plot point in a ludicrous plot that doesn't even remotely try to ground itself in reality. As such, why bother putting something so grizzly and realistic in a bizzaro military fetish simulator? The simple answer is to drum up controversy to promote sales.

You can't shoot the Russian terrorists in the level, or else the terrorists will shoot you and you die. You can't just sit there or try and leave the level, or else the terrorists will shoot you and you die. You are forced to walk side by side and witness the carnage of innocent men and women dying for no purpose. The game gives these vague ideas that it is worth having this awful event take place so that a worse one in the future can be prevented, but what is this event? What is worse than hundreds being gunned down in an airport?

Yes, you can go through the level without killing any civilians. But this is a small accolade given to the player. You are still required to kill the police who arrive to try and stop the massacre. I spend hours, literally hours, trying to pass this 15 minute section, but it was impossible. The police are acceptable cannon fodder and the game requires it.

More nonsense continues, but why give this game any more words than it deserves. What respect I once had for Infinity Ward is gone. When Modern Warfare 3 comes, there will be one less purchase, and I'll encourage those around me to do the same. This game, and this company, are hateful. Despicable.

No Russian. No Warfare. No more.