take a gander at the latest whining about vid games...

[Mike70]

now there are "human rights" groups who are crying about combat games allowing "war crimes." the fact that these games are fictional flights of fancy pretty well escapes a lot folks, doesn't it? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8373794.stm

[slickwilly13]

Just another watch group that needs to fold. As for the lawyers, they know better. They are just in it for the money. I am so glad I ditched law school for a 2nd degree.

[deadpunk]

It said game makers should work harder to remind players about the real world limits on their actions. Ummmm....yeah. Is it just me?

[Mike70]

Ummmm....yeah. Is it just me? no. that lost me too. i think that 99.99999999999% of gamers live solidly in the land of reality and have zero confusion about whether driving down the road chucking grenades at people is correct behavior. i really wonder what the hell these folks are on about and what the hell they are exactly trying to achieve.

[darth los]

It's the new scapegoat of our times. They sound just as dumb as the old fogies back in the day complaining that rock and roll was the devil and was going to lead to the end of our society. We don't need that, we're doing fine on our own.

[MoonSylver]

It's the new scapegoat of our times. They sound just as dumb as the old fogies back in the day complaining that rock and roll was the devil and was going to lead to the end of our society. Or that playing D&D was going to cause you to listen to heavy metal, smoke pot & worship the devil...or was that listing to heavy metal, smoking pot, & worshiping the devil causes you to play D&D? I forget the cause & effect chain there...

[Rancid Carcass]

I can just see it now...Modern Warfare 3: UN Security Council Diplomatic Sanction Strike. Can you pass the resolution that will stop the greatest terrorist threat the world has ever known... Only intense political negotiation and hard nosed debating in the security council chamber will get that treaty ratified before it is too late, and the non-denominational terrorists blow up little Timmys house and make him cry... The bullets have failed... It's time to talk...

[SymphonicX]

no. that lost me too. i think that 99.99999999999% of gamers live solidly in the land of reality and have zero confusion about whether driving down the road chucking grenades at people is correct behavior. i really wonder what the hell these folks are on about and what the hell they are exactly trying to achieve. I don't think they were implying that the level of violence is unacceptable, nor are they claiming a bad influence on kids as a result of playing. It seems the article is raising the debate of whether war based games should include realistic humanitarian situations based on the geneva convention. I'd say a WW2 game should at least nod to the rules of engagement - but not be driven by it. The trouble with this article is that it seems to want to create really boring games for people...the whole point of playing them is that I don't get to do this stuff in real life, so why would I want to be bound by real rules?

[Tricky]

I'd say a WW2 game should at least nod to the rules of engagement - but not be driven by it. Problem there is the rules of engagement were only very loosely applied, you very rarely hear stories of allied soldiers being tried for war crimes in WW2 despite incidents like that depicted in the second episode of Band of Brothers. Its only in modern conflicts where these rules have been really enforced for better & for worse...

[SymphonicX]

Problem there is the rules of engagement were only very loosely applied, you very rarely hear stories of allied soldiers being tried for war crimes in WW2 despite incidents like that depicted in the second episode of Band of Brothers. Its only in modern conflicts where these rules have been really enforced for better & for worse... Yeah absolutely...what I mean is a nod to the rules, for instance if you kill a surrendered soldier, someone mentions it as a bad thing...that kinda thing...not necessarily penalising you or making the game based around those rules, but y'know, a nod...