War Games

I’ve long been a fan of war games, particularly World War 2 games. Red Orchestra, Company of Heroes, Day of Defeat, Hidden and Dangerous 2, Return to Castle Wolfenstein^[1] - all of these hover at the top of my list of favorite games.

The thing is, though, part of me wonders: are these games a little disrespectful? Is it disrespectful to take something as serious as World War II, in which millions died, and to turn it into a game? While they’re quickly disappearing, there are still World War II veterans alive; what do they think about a bunch of 20-somethings playing soldier in games that are becoming increasingly realistic?^[2] Do they take offense? Do they think the war should be seen for what it really was, something terrible and something that should be avoided if at all possible, and that making a game out of it is crossing a line that shouldn’t be crossed?

These questions could be posed to veterans of other wars, as well; the Vietnam War is serving as the base for more and more games (although I’ve not played any). It’s obviously even closer to us than World War II; how do ‘Nam vets feel about games being based on their experiences?

While it’s hard (or perhaps impossible) to find where the line is exactly, there seems to be a line between what we’re allowed to base entertainment on, and what we aren’t allowed to touch - yet. If Russia were to declare war on America tomorrow and land two million troops on the west coast, would I expect a game based on the event to be released 6 months later? No. The event would still be too close to Americans, too real. But 30 years down the road? 50? Sure, why not. It’d just be another war to make a game out of. Strange.

1. Admittedly, Return to Castle Wolfenstein has a lot of fiction in it - zombies, monster-like robots, etc. - but the base setting is World War 2. [↩]
2. As realistic as games can be, anyway. I’m well aware that playing a game will not teach me what it’s like to be cold in a bunker or to see my friends blown up. By “realistic”, I suppose I mostly mean visually realistic. [↩]