Comments on: Atomic Games re-traumatizes every survivor of violence http://www.nickarnett.net/2009/04/07/atomic-games-re-traumatizes-every-survior-of-violence/ Social media analytics for decision-making Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:45:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Nick Arnett http://www.nickarnett.net/2009/04/07/atomic-games-re-traumatizes-every-survior-of-violence/comment-page-1/#comment-593 Nick Arnett Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:17:07 +0000 http://www.nickarnett.net/?p=348#comment-593 I know that we deal with war through drama - doing crisis intervention at a school where children were murdered by their father, I recently was helping the staff accept the fact that kids process their grief through aggressive play. That's normal. I haven't called for the game to be banned, except in another blog post that is pure satire. Although I would never play the game, my objections are more about what the company has said about it than the existence of the game. Other producers of war-based dramas rarely trivialize the reality of war and trauma the way this company has. I know that we deal with war through drama – doing crisis intervention at a school where children were murdered by their father, I recently was helping the staff accept the fact that kids process their grief through aggressive play. That’s normal.

I haven’t called for the game to be banned, except in another blog post that is pure satire. Although I would never play the game, my objections are more about what the company has said about it than the existence of the game. Other producers of war-based dramas rarely trivialize the reality of war and trauma the way this company has.

]]> By: Steve http://www.nickarnett.net/2009/04/07/atomic-games-re-traumatizes-every-survior-of-violence/comment-page-1/#comment-592 Steve Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:55:05 +0000 http://www.nickarnett.net/?p=348#comment-592 Nick, while greatly sympathising with the loss of your nephew, I also feel that your personal closeness to this particular incident has overshadowed your view of the reality of the world around you. War is entertainment. Big Entertainment. Witness the nightly news stories. Movies like Saving Private Ryan, Valkyrie, Rambo, Dirty Dozen and hundreds of others. Were you upset over the depiction in the original Castle Wolfenstein from the early/mid 90's of German Soldiers as little more than coloured targets to be blasted away? For fun? Where was your anger at the reality depicted in Operation Flashpoint, where the targets to be slaughtered are Soviet Soldiers? Or the expansion pack where the slaughterees are now US Soldiers? That game is 8 years old now. Or perhaps we should mention the neighbourhood kids playing "cowboys and indians" running around pretending to kill each other? Or doing similar playing "army" where they "shoot" each other before going home for cookies and milk? Like it or not, there is a huge market for this material. And probably has been since humans first "invented" war however many 1000's of years ago that was. Trying to ban a single computer game because its subject material is close to you and yours? Well it looks a lot hypocritical. Disclaimer: I've never been an Atomic Games customer, and based on their games history, never will. Most Sincerely Steve Nick,
while greatly sympathising with the loss of your nephew, I also feel that your personal closeness to this particular incident has overshadowed your view of the reality of the world around you.

War is entertainment. Big Entertainment.

Witness the nightly news stories. Movies like Saving Private Ryan, Valkyrie, Rambo, Dirty Dozen and hundreds of others.

Were you upset over the depiction in the original Castle Wolfenstein from the early/mid 90′s of German Soldiers as little more than coloured targets to be blasted away? For fun?

Where was your anger at the reality depicted in Operation Flashpoint, where the targets to be slaughtered are Soviet Soldiers? Or the expansion pack where the slaughterees are now US Soldiers? That game is 8 years old now.

Or perhaps we should mention the neighbourhood kids playing “cowboys and indians” running around pretending to kill each other? Or doing similar playing “army” where they “shoot” each other before going home for cookies and milk?

Like it or not, there is a huge market for this material. And probably has been since humans first “invented” war however many 1000′s of years ago that was. Trying to ban a single computer game because its subject material is close to you and yours? Well it looks a lot hypocritical.

Disclaimer: I’ve never been an Atomic Games customer, and based on their games history, never will.

Most Sincerely
Steve

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