Should Video Games Ever Be Set in a Current War Zone?

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Over at Damnlag.com, Zach Rovinsky revisits the controversy over last year's cancellation of the video game Six Days in Fallujah by Atomic Games after extensive media and military criticism.

Rovinsky points out what he thinks is a double standard:

Saying there shouldn’t be games about Iraq when a movie about Iraq just won Best Picture is indicative of a double standard that is no longer acceptable....The great power of games is in their interactive nature, and something like Six Days in Fallujah can explore the subject much better than The Hurt Locker can by the virtue of its interactivity. All the lessons that can be learned and the thoughts that can be had are amplified when the consumers are putting themselves into the experience, and that’s what games can do.

Of course, some people don't think Holywood should be making The Hurt Locker, either. Should game companies stay away from a current war or can a video game actually show us something about the realities of combat? Story Continues