Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

'Not just a game'

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 11:35am - 0 Comments

Defence Minister Peter MacKay writes to the Citizen to respond to Dan Gardner’s column.

I would like to point out to your readers and to Gardner that Medal of Honour is not just a game. It is a representation of the reality that Canadian Forces members in Afghanistan face every day.

Tags: Afghanistan, dan gardner, Medal of Honor, Medal of Honour, Peter MacKay

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LdKitchenersOwn

No, it's just a game.

(A game that hasn't been released yet, and which I'm quite certain the Defence Minister has never played).

Tceh

It's just a game, sort of like censoring Detainee files into oblivion and discrediting anyone who offers a alternative version of Afghan events in an attempt to hold power.

MostlyCivil

- Medal of Honour!
A game so real the Canadian Minister of Defence says "it's not JUST a game, it's..reality"-

The makers are now praying he calls for it to be banned…way to boost the sales there, Pete.
Emily

Yes Peter it's a game based on a reality. Just like all the games, movies and books we have based on WWII.

Perhaps if our militaries had played such a game, and taken the part of the Taliban, they'd have had some idea of the realities of Afghanistan themselves.

Bob

You can't honestly think if people played the part of the Taliban shooting at Americans or Canadians in the game they'd have "some idea of the realities of Afghanistan"??? Ridiculous.

Emily

The American military tried it for both Afghanistan and Iraq. Turned out they lost everytime.

So they tossed out the game.

You can see how much better they're doing in real life, right?

Cats

Um America won the Iraq war.

Cats?

Emily

Um….no, it's the way you deal with a quagmire….declare victory and get the hell out.

RunningGag

For years I thought Axis vs Allies was insensitive to the Jews. Now I know – thanks to Mr. McKay – that I was right!

* Eagerly awaiting human rights complaint against Hasbro *

Cats

Maybe we should distinguish between an on going conflict and one that happened a couple generations ago ?
Kinda like when people make jokes about horrible tragedies. "Too soon".

I mean its pretty much symbolic treason to play the Taliban isn't it ?

How many young Toronto 18 types are going to get their hands on this and have the time of their lives ?

Contributing to the radicalization of Canadian muslim youth doesn't strike me as smart.

Cats!

RunningGag

Maybe we should distinguish between an on going conflict and one that happened a couple generations ago ?
Kinda like when people make jokes about horrible tragedies. "Too soon".

Of course, since the holocaust happened so long ago, its fine to make Jew soap jokes right?

I mean its pretty much symbolic treason to play the Taliban isn't it…

I don't think you have any concept of how video games work. Think Cowboys vs Indians, or capture the flag. You aren't playing as the Taliban, so much as you are putting on a uniform to identify your side.

And, even if it were an immersive Taliban experience, so what? The point of video games is to tell a story. Guns don't kill people, and neither do video games.

Cats

Nah. Its ugly and distasteful.

That being said, i'm all for free speech and if these companies want to put something like this out they have the right to.

They just got to consider whether its worth annoying the heck out of some military families to make their trigger happy audience satisfied.

Cats.

RunningGag

… trigger happy audience

We aren't talking about psychopaths sitting in their parents basements giggling at the prospect of virtually killing people.

I'm just going to assume that you have not actually played a game any more advanced than Mario, and I'll give you a hint: The revenue from the first person shooter genre is in the billions of dollars. The fact of the matter is that the average person who plays these games is a normal, well adjusted 18 -35 year old (women make up ~ 40% of the gaming market).

The problem isn't the game. The problem is that you are commenting on a topic that you don't understand.

Be_rad

at the risk of engaging Emily on this again, I have no doubt McKay is sincerely disgusted by the game. To some extent, I'm sure many respond to the gut instinct behind that disgust. But as Mostly Civil points out, he's directly aiding and abetting sales and as Dan Gardner pointed out, the reality is the impact is symbolic, not real.
Anon Liberal

I feel better knowing this man is in charge of our military.

Jan

I'm impressed that he has such time management skills, he can fit in worrying about video games.

DBM

The reality is that our defence minister may have taken one too many knocks on the head playing the game of rugby.
ZestyMordant

Aren't there some "games" where you can play as the Russians?

How insensitive. Our troops are risking their lives turning away Russian bombers on a regular basis.
http://onelinecritic.wordpress.com/ DirtyOldTown

Sure. It's all fun and games – right up until someone overturns the board in a fit of temper because they couldn't hold on to Asia, even with all those extra armies per turn. Then you have to spend hours picking all the pieces out of the carpet. That's why we never play Risk at our house anymore.

Patchouli

You must have been playing with my sister. Who never followed the "loser picks up" rule EVER!

Mike R

People whose children and spouses the Taliban are currently trying ot murder don't likely find this to be as funny an issue as some others do. Of course, with the passage of time almost anything becomes less sensistive – and playing a simulation game in which one takes the German side doesn't make you a Nazi sympathiser. But as our troops expose themselves to danger every day, it is not surprising that many people consider it to be insensitive to play the role of their enemies. The Defence Minister isn't just speaking for himself on this issue.

Emily

The Defence Minister is speaking TO himself. As always.

Kevin

At least this time we don't have to look at pictures of him out East, talking to his dog and hugging his potatoes.

Patchouli

That was his neighbour's dog.

BGLong

Meanwhile the relatives and friends of the many thousands of Central Asians who have been killed,
mutilated,tortured and droned get to contemplate the real thing.
Mike T.

Don't worry, Mr. MacKay is aware of your concerns and has well paid ministry of defence employees crafting carefully worded press releases to play them like a fiddle.
LdKitchenersOwn

I don't think this is funny, so much as ludicrous. I can't believe we're even discussing it. Sure, people may be offended by the game, I suppose, and fair enough. Don't buy it. I'm not sure how much of an issue there is of "insensitivity" towards our soldiers and their families though. Not unless one is going to deliberately play the game in front of them, and force them to watch. I guess too, in addition to thinking that this is just a waste of everyone's time, I also feel like the Minister is co-opting the feelings of Military personnel and families, and acting as if he's representing their feelings, and that they're hurt. I'd imagine there are plenty of Canadian Forces personnel who would be offended by this game. But let's be frank, and keep in mind that the demographic we're talking about is mostly young people, and more men than women. There are probably many more who are PSYCHED that a new MoH is coming out than who are offended by it. And if no one can play the Taliban, who will they all fight in multiplayer matches? To my mind, the thing that would tick off our Forces WAY more than the fact that in MoH's multiplayer mode you can play the bad guys, would be if they bought the new MoH only to realize that there's no online multiplayer component!
Anon Liberal

No he speaks for thousands of other idiots across the country.

TJCook

Yeah you guys, it's not just a game!

Sheesh, can anybody take McKay seriously any more? At this point he might as well walk around Canadian bases handing out Jos Louis.

Mike R

War and the deaths and maiming of young Canadians are serious matters. What exactly is wrong with the Minister of National Defence being concerned that those issues should not be trivialized or turned into a game? He isn't calling for censorship, but he quite rightly points out the insensitivity of the notion that a current war can be played simply for fun without engaging the question of the moral implications of such "fun". Or should he just embrace the Aaron Wherry-esque mockery of everything to do with the Forces?

Emily

Well it's a little late to get into the 'moral implications' of invading another country.

The 'sensitivity' of our troops is apparently a major worry to the man who has never been in our military, and is unaware they don't like being portrayed as delicate pansies with angst over columnists and video games.

Of course the sensitivity of Afghans invaded, bombed and murdered for no reason is apparently not a question.
frobisher

One of the favourite past-times at base is playing ball hockey followed closely by…first person shooters. So drop the high-dudgeon.

Mike R

Soldiers can and do laugh at themselves and their environment. They don't necessarily enjoy other people taking the same liberties. I know people whose sons have and are serving in Afghanistan. They are troubled by the notion of adolescents and others pretending to kill their sons and daughters.
I agree its not the biggest issue in the world, nor should anyone seek to force the game off the market. But it is not an irrational sensitivity to point out the current situation is a bit too raw for some people to accept the notion that the life and death of their loved ones is just an opportunity for entertainment.

LdKitchenersOwn

pretending to kill their sons and daughters

I really think this shows a misunderstanding of how online multiplayer first person shooters work. There's no narrative. There are no characters. There aren't even "units" or "squads" really in a traditional sense. It's mostly just one group of avatars trying to kill another group of avatars. One group are the good guys, and the other are the bad guys, but really, to the player, all that means is that they have different clothes and different weapons options. Hell, you usually only really "die" for a few seconds, and then re-spawn and continue the mayhem.

I wonder if it would help people to get their heads around this type of game to keep in mind that many of the people "pretending to kill" their sons and daughters in uniform are, their sons and daughters in uniform.

Anyway, I still think this whole thing is pretty ludicrous, and it's only even coming up because people freak out over video games. If we were talking about a movie or T.V. show (Generation Kill maybe) or a novel… well, let's be frank, we wouldn't have this discussion about a movie or a book. I really think this mostly comes down to people who don't play video games freaking out about a video game they have no idea about.
frobisher

Point taken.

Emily

Yup, and if they get their hands on this game, they'll play every part in it.

Jan

Maybe Mackay's time could be better spent standing up for the needs of the veterans of Afghanistan. That'a a serious issue with moral implications.

Richard_S_Argent

Alls I know is that every time I amassed my triangle armies (worth 5 you know) in Kamchatka plotting a sneak attack on Alaska along the dotted line that connects them I couldn't help but sympathize with Stalin.

Ah Stalin, now there was a man who understood the importance of gaining a card per turn!
bennji1977

When I get my hands on the new Medal of Honor, I am hoping that there is an option to play a Government of Canada Redactor.

Now that would be a cool role!

Emily

Yeah but think of all the extra ink cartridge points you'd have to rack up.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Ottawa_Centrist Ottawa_Centrist

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Liberals: Diverse and generalized, Liberals are the ultimate generalists. Master's of nothing, this faction is kinda good with small arms and standing on sturdy limbs. Special power: Mock Outrage. Special weapon: Rae Gun. Weakness: Elections.

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Bloc: 404 Error Faction Not Found

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