'A Harvest of Death' questions the blurred line between games and reality

[dpq06]

Interesting article.

'A Harvest of Death' questions the blurred line between games and reality | The Verge

I wasn't entirely sure whether to put this in off-topic or here, but since it primarily features PR:BF2 I figured it should go here.

[Bluedrake42]

Before people come in here bashing the author of that article
I think its important to say that the article isn't bashing Project Reality
It raises a very valid point... war has always been something that (in entertainment) is incredibly enjoyable
Now of course in real life, its a horrible horrible thing
What the article is saying is that war is evolving, and in many cases its becoming like a video game

Modern Pilots (for predator drones and even A10's) do the killing much like you would in a video game
You kill shit on the screen, and its getting to that point where its easy to detach yourself emotionally
Its not saying we should all stop playing games, its just saying we should be aware of this fact

Now why the author chose PR and not something else like BIS's ArmA
(who straight up develops military software) is a mystery to me

[sylent/shooter]

I don't think that the type of desensitization that is put forward by this article is going to actually happen for a long time, if ever. My reason being is that you are constantly going to be in a military atmosphere, not necessarily on the ground but the control base will still be highly militarized, so I think all the little reminders of people and protocol is going to constantly be playing at the back of your head and telling you that this is real, even if it is just a computer screen.

Another thing I'd like to mention is that people trained to use drones and gamers playing highly realistic FPS games are highly different in many aspects. I believe that drone pilots are trained to be as desensitized to what is happening as possible, while the desensitization that gamers receive is truly, in a sense, "false". That is to say that myself, being an avid gamer of FPS games, would have truly high reservations just being put in the place of the drone pilot. I haven't undergone the stringent military training that those pilots have undergone and therefore I am not "desensitized".

That's just my two cents on the matter. Interesting article, but I think the points put forward need to be delved into a little further.

[Acemantura]

I think the desensitization already occurs, especially among those without proper and/or complete education.

I am fortunate enough to have a robust and mostly complete education, and I have been brought up to respect and fear war. So when I play this game, I do not relish in killing another human being, but in defeating a bloodless, virtual foe, who is connected to a human blood filled being.

I'd rather not kill a real person, but rather outfox that person in a simulation.

[40mmrain]

Lol, the somewhat unrealistic body statics of the dead soldiers makes it more over dramatic than genuine.

[JackAttack91]

I think a more pertinent discussion would be about how graphic games will become. As our technology gets better, so does our ability to create, in gruesome detail, the very graphic nature of warfare and violent conflict. Games (in general) have become much more about killing and less about solving puzzles - the Splinter Cell series, for example. I think people want to compete with and entertain themselves with their friends rather than frantically try to apply a compress to a severed artery, but it's hard to ignore how much people just want to vicariously "watch things die from a good safe distance." Of course, people make the same argument about movies and TV. Ultimately, it comes down to supply and demand. Enough people have the propensity and desire to watch these films and play these games, so studios and developers will continue to make grittier and more graphically disturbing content. Whether that is the morally correct thing to do or where it will lead our society remains to be seen, and I don't think anyone can predict with any degree of certainty on that matter.

[ShockUnitBlack]

People don't want to see "realistic" gore, believe me. The guys who talk about how cool gibbing or whatever it is in Call Of Duty would be as feel sick as anybody else watching the real thing -which just so happens to be bad for business - so I doubt games are going to simulate realistic carnage any time soon. For example, I don't think anybody watches Saving Private Ryan - which actually does do that - for entertainment value.