Bin Laden Operation Featured In Two Video Games

By HAL9000 on May 9, 2011 in News 35

This didn’t take long … Stephen Johnson reports on G4′s The Feed:

This Saturday, Kuma games released their Osama Bin Laden chapter in Kuma War. There’s also a Counter-Strike map so players can relive the glorious victory of the U.S. over the terrorist leader again and again in their homes.To be fair, the Counter-Strike map is simply a recreation of Osama’s hideout, not a full fledged, “let’s kill Osama” game, but it’s still interesting, both in terms of how quickly the game and map appeared, and in terms of what they say about how we feel about war.

More on G4′s The Feed

Entertainment, Military, Osama Bin Laden, Society, Video Games, Violence, War On Terror

Samoa To Jump Forward In Time By One Day

Seeing Beyond ‘Evil’

Anonymous

Overheard at my local LAN center, circa 1998: “Dude, we should totally go to the real Jalalabad. We would PWN there.”
Rheokhu

Overheard at my local LAN center, circa 2008: “Dude, we should totally go to the real Jalalabad. We would PWN there.”
E.B. Wolf

What the hell? You don’t even get to shoot women in this simulation? What a ripoff!
E.B. Wolf

What the hell? You don’t even get to shoot women in this simulation? What a ripoff!
Butter Knife

“it’s still interesting, both in terms of how quickly the game and map
appeared, and in terms of what they say about how we feel about war”

Is it really? I feel like this is a retread of discussions most people deemed pointless about 10 years ago… there isn’t any clear statistical evidence that video game violence begets real-world violence, and once adjusted for variables like age, gender, wealth, etc. most studies actually show a somewhat negative correlation.

Video games are an expressive outlet much like any other media, it just seems to be taking some social observers a long time to realize it. I would be much more surprised if, despite the proliferation of references to and renditions of the event in other media outlets (Saturday Night Live had several just in this last show), none were made in video games. Actually, the fact that relatively few have so far been made *is* a surprise.
Butter Knife

“it’s still interesting, both in terms of how quickly the game and map
appeared, and in terms of what they say about how we feel about war”

Is it really? I feel like this is a retread of discussions most people deemed pointless about 10 years ago… there isn’t any clear statistical evidence that video game violence begets real-world violence, and once adjusted for variables like age, gender, wealth, etc. most studies actually show a somewhat negative correlation.

Video games are an expressive outlet much like any other media, it just seems to be taking some social observers a long time to realize it. I would be much more surprised if, despite the proliferation of references to and renditions of the event in other media outlets (Saturday Night Live had several just in this last show), none were made in video games. Actually, the fact that relatively few have so far been made *is* a surprise.
- Guest
  
  No. It is not because we had this video game that this happened (if this is, indeed, what happened)…It is because this “happened” that we have this game. It glorifies the whole thing, and that is disturbing. It’s like celebrating his death in the streets.
  
  Also, It’s propaganda.
  - Hadrian999
    
    violence and aggression has always been celebrated by humans, our heroes aren’t philosophers or farmers, they are warriors, governments have almost always grown up around a warrior class, it is our nature, we love conflict and battle our leisure activities have long been about simulated war and conquest, this is nothing new. everything is propaganda
    - Markov Cheney
      
      Nothing new does not equal nothing to change
      - Hadrian999
        
        what do you propose, censorship of entertainment only allowing neutered official forms of fun.
        
        people need outlets and need to be instructed in the proper time and place for their aggression and how to use it honorably, total suppression of aggressive instincts will not work
        .
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7NSDHXZVKAFK4SVLFWIQQDXURI Dirk Johnson
  
  I’ve never liked that argument about video games causing violence either. But I think politicians and such aren’t the best to argue about what effects games have on people, they reduce it to “This is violent, therefore censor it to stop violence” – which is bullshit. However, there is a lot of proof that it normalizes and reinforces violence as it already exists in the world, and that is a point that should be discussed and analyzed, not for censorship but for understanding how video games can sometimes be a propaganda for certain social norms. (violence against women, glorification of war, so on). Also @Hadrian999:disqus – I am not sure that it can be reduced to “humans celebrate violence, it is our nature, so it just is” – I think the fact that warrior classes tend to rule and be powerful has a lot more to do with societies learning to celebrate violence than “human nature” as such.
Anonymous

There was one enemy in the entire map and he still managed to die
dumbsaint

There was one enemy in the entire map and he still managed to die
Anonymous

There was one enemy in the entire map and he still managed to die
Guest

No. It is not because we had this video game that this happened (if this is, indeed, what happened)…It is because this “happened” that we have this game. It glorifies the whole thing, and that is disturbing. It’s like celebrating his death in the streets.

Also, It’s propaganda.
Hadrian999

violence and aggression has always been celebrated by humans, our heroes aren’t philosophers or farmers, they are warriors, governments have almost always grown up around a warrior class, it is our nature, we love conflict and battle our leisure activities have long been about simulated war and conquest, this is nothing new. everything is propaganda
Hadrian999

violence and aggression has always been celebrated by humans, our heroes aren’t philosophers or farmers, they are warriors, governments have almost always grown up around a warrior class, it is our nature, we love conflict and battle our leisure activities have long been about simulated war and conquest, this is nothing new. everything is propaganda
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/RCBGZNI5LDSLNWBYTTZASC6PE4 morristhewise

Pakistani Intelligence is turning over the three female impersonators who shacked with OBL to American intelligence for questioning. But the interviews should be handled by Larry King,Rush Limbaugh, Alex Jones,and Michael Savage. Otherwise the details about their love life will be censored.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/RCBGZNI5LDSLNWBYTTZASC6PE4 morristhewise

Pakistani Intelligence is turning over the three female impersonators who shacked with OBL to American intelligence for questioning. But the interviews should be handled by Larry King,Rush Limbaugh, Alex Jones,and Michael Savage. Otherwise the details about their love life will be censored.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7NSDHXZVKAFK4SVLFWIQQDXURI Dirk Johnson

I’ve never liked that argument about video games causing violence either. But I think politicians and such aren’t the best to argue about what effects games have on people, they reduce it to “This is violent, therefore censor it to stop violence” – which is bullshit. However, there is a lot of proof that it normalizes and reinforces violence as it already exists in the world, and that is a point that should be discussed and analyzed, not for censorship but for understanding how video games can sometimes be a propaganda for certain social norms. (violence against women, glorification of war, so on). Also @Hadrian999:disqus – I am not sure that it can be reduced to “humans celebrate violence, it is our nature, so it just is” – I think the fact that warrior classes tend to rule and be powerful has a lot more to do with societies learning to celebrate violence than “human nature” as such.
GoodDoktorBad

If violence is like a disease, video games like these are a symptom of it, not a cause.
- Hadrian999
  
  violence isn’t a disease, it is a necessary part of life. the disease is our gleeful destruction of ethics and integrity that has lead us to a place where unfocused never ending violence is the answer to all questions.
  
  “Justice without force is powerless; force without justice is tyrannical.”
  
  Blaise Pascal
Anonymous

If violence is like a disease, video games like these are a symptom of it, not a cause.
Hadrian999

violence isn’t a disease, it is a necessary part of life. the disease is our gleeful destruction of ethics and integrity that has lead us to a place where unfocused never ending violence is the answer to all questions.

“Justice without force is powerless; force without justice is tyrannical.”

Blaise Pascal
Haystack

It looks like, in their version, Osama is armed.
Haystack

It looks like, in their version, Osama is armed.
CeleryGeneral

My favorite part is “Objective 2: Recover Osama bin Laden’s body.”

This HAS to be made by the government.
- Someguy
  
  Objective 4: Dump it in the ocean, with great haste.
  - Sage
    
    I was about to say the same comment.
Anonymous

My favorite part is “Objective 2: Recover Osama bin Laden’s body.”

This HAS to be made by the government.
Markov Cheney

Nothing new does not equal nothing to change
Hadrian999

what do you propose, censorship of entertainment only allowing neutered official forms of fun.

people need outlets and need to be instructed in the proper time and place for their aggression and how to use it honorably, total suppression of aggressive instincts will not work
.
Someguy

Objective 4: Dump it in the ocean, with great haste.
Someguy

Objective 4: Dump it in the ocean, with great haste.
Sage

I was about to say the same comment.