Following the recent announcement of a new war game called Six Days In Fallujah from Japanese publisher Konami, TechRadar spoke with ex-SAS man and well-known chronicler of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Andy McNab.
McNab, author of Bravo Two Zero and a number of other autobiographies and fictional accounts of war, was keen to stress that UK-based critics and commentators of Konami's game need to understand that "culturally it is totally different in the US."
"In America it is not as if this is "shock horror"," said McNab, "everybody has been watching it on the news for the last 7 years."
The ex-SAS man also thinks the culture of videogames is far more deeply ingrained in US culture, telling us that "my mate's granny lives in an apartment block in NYC and she has a gaming room of her own with two settees back-to-back and two flat screens – and she's in her late eighties!"
GTA and Call of Duty
The ex-SAS man sees little difference between Six Days In Fallujah and "killing Nazis or drug dealers or whatever it may be," reminding us that the "US Army uses shoot-em-ups as a recruit tool – it has a travelling gaming fair that travels round malls to recruit lads. Culturally they are more up for it."
Ironically, while McNab agrees that the game IS entertainment, he argues that "the media has used the war as entertainment anyway," and that "the war has turned into entertainment, with viewers more interested in visuals" than understanding the complex terms of the conflict.
"The hypocrisy is in the fact that when the media wants a 'shock horror' story they will focus on something like this," adds McNab.
"In Afghanistan last year, in those last few months of Basra, and lads there have got their laptops and they are playing games on their laptops in their free time…The people who are fighting these wars are playing these games."
Insurgents and civilians?
For a truly in-depth 'game-amentary' surely, some critics argue, we should show the point of view of the numerous groups involved in conflicts?
"Maybe we should show the civilian or the insurgents' side of it, sure," notes McNab, adding, at the same time, "the media doesn't do that in covering the real conflicts!"
In McNab's opinion, it really comes down to the cultural differences and the depth of feeling and understand about what Fallujah meant to Americans.
"In Fallujah the Americans lost more soldiers than the whole of the British Army has in Iraq and Afghanistan combined," he says. "So Americans are aware of it… it is in their psyche… so if the game stands up and offers Americans those soldiers' stories, then, why not?
"In America a 90 year old and a 12 year old will know what happened at Fallujah. Its on the TV, there are books about it… so the game is a natural extension to that.. it is folklore. The only difference being that it is presented in a different medium.
Your comments (2) Click to add a new comment
mao1113
April 27th 2009
2. Okay, firstly, your criticising a man who has been willing to fight and give his life for his country. Show some respect.
Sencond, while i agree with you that his books are nothing special, he has sold a lot of copies, which means that a lot of people like them.
Third, if you don't like the game, then don't play it, if you have a kid who dosn't like the game, don't let them play it. But don't become self righteous and start pretending you know what's best for people.
People like you are called "KILLJOYS". You ruin it for those who like somthing because you don't like it. The Media, Mr McNab, the Intenet, everyone is making entertainment out of the war, it's what we do. Video Games shouldn't be excluded from that.
Plus, Konami make Kickass games.
Alert a moderator
lovlid
April 7th 2009
1. Is this author of really bad novels comparing the inhabitants of Fallujah to Nazis and drug dealers? Notice he didn't say "invading" aliens, because thats a comparison for the other side. And fair enough, the Americans tragically lost more than their fair share of men in Fallujah, but does this mean that many of these "aware" Americans are buying the game to exact some sort of self satisfying revenge by playing it ("take that Mr naughty Iraqi person")?
In America it wouldn't be shock horror. If one of their own citizens "goes postal" the shock is always "my god look at the dead" but its never (except by the minority) "why did they have the guns in the first place"?
And folklore? It isn't folklore. Its not something that might have happened, but lets believe it anyway. Its real. Real people got killed with real guns. Thats not folklore.
"Maybe we should show the civilian or the insurgents' side of it, sure," notes McNab, adding, at the same time, "the media doesn't do that in covering the real conflicts!"
Yes they do. We've seen no end of pictures of the dead in Iraq, especially of civilians. Maybe its different on American television, maybe they just focus on military deaths and keep the worst aspects of the war out of it. Im not in a position to say, dont live there.
"The hypocrisy is in the fact that when the media wants a 'shock horror' story they will focus on something like this," adds McNab.
And Mr McNab has never made anything out of the Middle East wars or his experiance of them...Oh wait, he wrote those really bad novels, didn't he? Hypocrisy????
Alert a moderator
Tell us what you think
You need to Log in or register to post comments