"Call of Duty" villain is not politically incorrect
Jake Sonner
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Opinion
Sales figures for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" reached $310 million (4.7 million copies) in the first 24 hours after the video game was released Nov. 10. Those figures are from North America and England alone.
Russia banned the game's sale based on its storyline painting Russia as a country overrun by terrorists.
An overreaction? I think so.
Movies, books, TV shows and video games have heroes and villains. In the world we live in, there are heroes and villains.
Infinity Ward, the company that created the second installment of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare," is simply telling a story with a playable medium.
Other mediums have used the Russians/Soviet Union as villains without such an uproar. James Bond has been subverting the Northern giant's plans to dominate the world for years. Indiana Jones recently thwarted the Soviet's plans to harness a secret alien technology in "Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Tom Clancy villainized Russia in his novel "The Hunt for Red October."
Here's a newsflash for Russia: The former superpower was our primary enemy for more than five decades in the Cold War. Combine the nation with the newest threat, terrorism, and Infinity Ward found itself a relatable villain.
It all comes down to money. The company's primary markets are in the United States. A marketable storyline should pander to American gamers before Russian gamers.
Popular media has always been a source for secondary propaganda.
Russians and terrorists are just two prevalent villains in popular media. Nazis were favorite subjects for years after World War II in TV series like "Hogan's Heroes" and movies like "The Great Escape."
Common villains in new video games, movies, etc. are Islamic terrorists. Frequently they are of Middle Eastern descent. Jack Shaheen's 2001 book "Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People" exposed the new favorite evil in popular movies.
While pop culture furthers unfortunate stereotypes, all good stories have relatable antagonists. When an audience can relate to the protagonist's plight or struggle, the plot is more interesting. Better plots mean better reviews. Better reviews mean greater sales figures.
Those who cannot separate fact from fiction are still the minority. The overwhelming majority of video game players won't be driven to hate Russians because they fought them in their living rooms on TV screens.
SPOILER ALERT.
American military leaders share an equal - if not more devious - role as the bad guys in "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2."
CONTINUE READING.
Before whole populations stand up in protest over the theme of a game, movie, TV show or book, they should remember entertainment is still a profitable venture.
It's not personal; it's just good business.
Russia banned the game's sale based on its storyline painting Russia as a country overrun by terrorists.
An overreaction? I think so.
Movies, books, TV shows and video games have heroes and villains. In the world we live in, there are heroes and villains.
Infinity Ward, the company that created the second installment of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare," is simply telling a story with a playable medium.
Other mediums have used the Russians/Soviet Union as villains without such an uproar. James Bond has been subverting the Northern giant's plans to dominate the world for years. Indiana Jones recently thwarted the Soviet's plans to harness a secret alien technology in "Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Tom Clancy villainized Russia in his novel "The Hunt for Red October."
Here's a newsflash for Russia: The former superpower was our primary enemy for more than five decades in the Cold War. Combine the nation with the newest threat, terrorism, and Infinity Ward found itself a relatable villain.
It all comes down to money. The company's primary markets are in the United States. A marketable storyline should pander to American gamers before Russian gamers.
Popular media has always been a source for secondary propaganda.
Russians and terrorists are just two prevalent villains in popular media. Nazis were favorite subjects for years after World War II in TV series like "Hogan's Heroes" and movies like "The Great Escape."
Common villains in new video games, movies, etc. are Islamic terrorists. Frequently they are of Middle Eastern descent. Jack Shaheen's 2001 book "Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People" exposed the new favorite evil in popular movies.
While pop culture furthers unfortunate stereotypes, all good stories have relatable antagonists. When an audience can relate to the protagonist's plight or struggle, the plot is more interesting. Better plots mean better reviews. Better reviews mean greater sales figures.
Those who cannot separate fact from fiction are still the minority. The overwhelming majority of video game players won't be driven to hate Russians because they fought them in their living rooms on TV screens.
SPOILER ALERT.
American military leaders share an equal - if not more devious - role as the bad guys in "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2."
CONTINUE READING.
Before whole populations stand up in protest over the theme of a game, movie, TV show or book, they should remember entertainment is still a profitable venture.
It's not personal; it's just good business.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Smokey
posted 12/19/09 @ 3:27 PM EST
I'm buying this game for my son. Are there any games in
which the antagonist is Muslim and/or non-Caucasian?
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