The Massive Poll returns with a twist! Before we begin we must mention that there are small spoilers for Modern Warfare 3 below, if you don’t want to read about a certain event, click here instead.
Right. A video had been posted showing a scene from Modern Warfare 3. The footage has been created to look like it was filmed on a home video camera and shows a mother and child having a day out in London. Moments later a large truck pulls up and explodes, apparently killing the child.
This week, there are three options in our poll and in a none too subtle rip-off of the TV show Argumental, we have two guest speakers who will offer their opposing opinions.
Speaking first on behalf of the ‘It’s Part Of The Story‘ Party it’s Adam, a.k.a. AG2297.
In the clip you, the character, are not blowing them (the child and mother) up yourself, this is from the point of view of what seems to be the father in an attempt to provoke an emotional response. You are not a soldier watching it, or a news crew, this is your family, the character at the time.
This is not done for enjoyment; it is done for the shock factor. This same shock factor was used in the popular Dead Island trailer where the child was bitten by a zombie and thrown out of a window landing on the pavement below, dead. While the argument of it not being “tasteful” is often thrown around, how do you be tasteful about such a situation? Is life tasteful in such tragedies? Should games not be realistic when dealing with such issues and always add “taste” too such tragedies?
In the end, Modern Warfare 3 will be telling a story. In that story there will be much death and in this case a child died. This was not gory or graphic. The bomb went off, the child fell to the ground. Did it have to happen? No. Was the terrorist attack made much more shocking and personal to the player as a result? Yes.
This scene can be shocking and you could even call the act sick, but the fact is that these things happen and in fiction (whether a movie, book or game) real life events are often mimicked to engage the reader, viewer or player and this is no different.
On the opposing team we have a second guest speaking on behalf of the ‘Blatant Tabloid Scandal‘ party, it’s that devilishly handsome chap called Tuffcub.
After the headlines following ‘No Russians’ you would think Activision and Infinity Ward would be scrutinising every part of the story to make sure that it is justified, it is required to move the plot along and is something that they can defend. I’m sure they probably did that, and then asked themselves how they can get even more headlines than last year. What’s going to get those red tops in a frenzy? I know, let’s slaughter a child.
When was the last time you had a child blown up for you entertainment? It rarely happens in films or in television programs as – strangely enough – most people do not like watching children die. When it does occur (for example in Heavy Rain or the film The Mist) it is handled sensitively and usually off screen.
Admittedly we do not know the story preceding the clip but as the person (presumably the father) holding the camera also seems to be dead it’s safe to assume this is not the viewpoint of a major character.
The child’s death is not shocking because they blew a kid up, it’s shocking as it’s in the game with sole purpose of generating headline news across the world and shifting a few more copies of Modern Warfare 3. There was no need for this to be a family, the sequence could have had the same impact (possibly more) if they had blown the truck up amidst the crowds of tourists on Oxford Street.
To put it simply, Infinity Ward decided to kill a child in their game, to sell more games.
Strong words from both sides, how will you be voting? Will it be Team Adam or Team Tuffcub? Voting closes at midnight on Sunday, results will be published next week.
Smallville2106
People do realise it’s not real don’t they?
That it’s not a real child and family?
It’s in the game as part of the overall package. Pretty sure that nobody at Acti thought ‘Lets blow up a family, that’ll be entertaining.’ Sh!t happens in real life everyday unfortunately and Acti are just trying to portray a realistic view (In their opinion.)of what a WW3 scenario would be like. Obviously children, families and innocent people and soldiers etc would be killed and it would be awful but that’s how it would be.
If it wasn’t realistic then it would be stupid and people would moan about that too. It’s a war game. War is awful, innocent people die unnecessarily and unfairly and soldiers have to give their lives.
If you don’t like things like this, don’t buy a game about/containing war.
stylishkev1
You see I’ve never really got this.
It’s a Story,
in stories things happen,
things that are shocking.
But these things have to happen as part of that story, and in a game it needs to be shocking to explain why your character has to do the thinks it is asked to do.
The first Max Payne had the hero’s Wife and baby killed, and lets not forget the rather creepy corridor scene where you follow a corridor while overdosed on drugs before following a blood trail with the hero’s child crying for the longest time ever! I never saw that on the news?!?!
And lets not forget it’s called modern WARFARE, not “everybody dies apart from the children, their like cockroaches in a nuclear blast!!!”
Why is the fact A CHILD has died any different to a ADULT dying in the same way??
It’s like Bambi’s mother all over again!
Is it necessary? Possibly not. Could it be done in a different way, Yeah probably. Would it make the story any less shocking.. No not really.
Boomshanks
Oh wow, did you need that motivation in any of the other COD games. Nah didn’t think so.
Deathbrin
How do we know it’s a part of the story if we haven’t played the game and have no idea how significant it is? Plus, if we wouldn’t like spoilers?
cc_star
*shock shock horror horror*
Media over the years has done much, much worse.
It’s not like you yourself kill the child, they’re terrorists who are indiscriminate by their nature.
Until you’ve played the game yourself seeing how events play out from the start to the end, you’re almost as uninformed as some Journo writing for the Metro, Star or Mail.
And at the very least, this is nothing, absolutely nothing in comparison to the RainbowSix: Patriots vid I’ve just watched.
SpikeyMikey23
aye! I just watched that vid.
hazelam
the why release a scene like that with no context?
column inches, getting talked about on national news programs.
they know fox news, the daily mail, and other news outlets like that will pick up on this, job done.
people will be talking about call of duty.
like the saying goes, the only bad press is no press.
i just dread to think how far they’ll go if they try to keep pushing this thing for every new cod.
AG2297
I don’t believe they did release it, in fact they removed it after CVG released it.
djhsecondnature
The video was up for well over a day, Acti are MUCH quicker at taking down stuff that they really don’t want leaked.
hazelam
ok that was my mistake, they didn’t release it, at least not officially.
but this still feels like a cheap and cynical play for news coverage.
when the game is in more people’s hands and more people see that bit of footage.
they know the “uninformed journo writing for the metro, star or mail” will do what the marketing department at activision couldn’t.
KeRaSh
Media baiting, nothing else. What a coincidence that they decided to release this trailer so close to the release. Why release it at all? I don’t care if it’s part of the story but this does not make you want to play the game, which is what trailrs are supposed to do. This was only released to gain peoples attention and the fact that they use such a fictional event for this sole purpose is what I think is worse than actually having it in the game.
Boomshanks
Oh yes COD would be the perfect game to handle the death of a child perfectly /sarcasm
Hand me a team Tuffcub shirt
wick15
I’m of the opinion that this tabloid baiting. Don’t see how it can tie into the plot of the game. Much like “No Russian” a simple news headline in the game or something like that would have done the job. It’s just done to sell more copies.
moshi
People want more realism in games and that in hand goes with real life. The choice is yours.
djhsecondnature
Possibly the worst argument I’ve heard.
moshi
So anybody that dies in a game that involves war/conflict/terrorism has to be a man and they deserve it. Innocent people of any age/race/gender are victims in real life in these incidences too so what’s wrong with showing there portrayal in games.
DrNate86
I don’t think it falls one way or another. I’m sure they are very keen to stir up some controversy to boost profile (as if it needs it), but it is also a legitimate scene created for emotional impact. There is nothing wrong with including upsetting events in an entertainment medium. Not all entertainment is meant to make you laugh.
aerobes
I don’t know. It’s in a video game, you aren’t in direct control, we’re not sure how or even if the scene is related to the story and the game is rated 18. What’s the big deal? In a terrorist attack, there’ll be 10’s and possibly even 100’s of deaths that aren’t seen. The idea that it’s a child should compound the shock of the attack.
This sort of ‘shock value’ thing has been going on for ages. I remember watching the original Assault on Precinct 13 (made all the way back in 1976 when this sort of thing will have been way more powerful than it is now) and the ice cream scene where the little girl gets shot point blank on the side of the road. I bet that movie got an 18 at the time for that one scene.
In short – A storm in a teacup.