The Video Game Invasion of Iraq

[Ack]

Did anyone else read this piece in the New Yorker? I think it's a great look into how video games are viewed in Iraq, particularly military FPS.

For Abdulla, playing these games in their real-world settings isn’t problematic. “Any video game that’s set within Iraq and involves killing terrorists becomes instantly famous here,” he said. “Everyone wants to play it. We have been through so much because of terror. Shooting terrorists in a game is cathartic. We can have our revenge in some small way.” Alanseri agreed: “Any game that has a level set in Iraq is popular. They always sell more copies than other games because they are related in some way to our lives.” The games have even established a kind of empathy for foreign gaming partners that Alanseri said he would not otherwise have. “I have learned a lot of things, like Western-world values, culture, life style, and even the way that they think through video games.”

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/e ... -iraq.html

[dsheinem]

i hadn't seen this...great piece! thanks much for sharing.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I am somewhat concerned that they are learning about our "values, culture, life style, and even the way that they think" from the people playing popular military-themed shooters online...

(Thanks for the link, Ack! It is a very interesting article.)

[Blu]

Great Read, Thanks Ack!

[Fragems]

I am somewhat concerned that they are learning about our "values, culture, life style, and even the way that they think" from the people playing popular military-themed shooters online...

*face palm*

Their view of the average American.

[flojocabron]

Theres an old genesis rom that depicts the first gulf war.

I downloaded it a few years ago. It seemed like amateur crap.

Biased product? Made by a pro-iraqi government programmer or sympathizer?

Quite alot has changed in a few years.

Glad to see that more people can play a safe digial hobby without any serious reprocussions.