Critics Condemn Violent Video Game Set In Juarez

[Hans Ludwig 0]

Here we go again with games cause violence. :(

Critics Condemn Violent Video Game Set In Juarez

http://www.npr.org/2011/02/23/133966367/critics-condemn-violent-video-game-set-in-juarez?ft=1&f=1052

"February 23, 2011

The announced release of a video game that glorifies murder and mayhem in the violence-wracked city of Juarez, Mexico, is sparking an outcry. The game — Call of Juarez: The Cartel — will be released by the French video-gamer Ubisoft this summer, but critics on the border are already condemning its bad taste.

A screen shot of the game pictures an outlaw in a flak jacket and cowboy hat, gripping a shotgun, next to the words: "Welcome to the new Wild West. Take justice in your own hands, on a bloody road trip from Los Angeles to Juarez."

The industrial border city across from El Paso has become Mexico's murder capital and, by some estimates, the homicide capital of the world. Last year, there was an average of eight murders a day. The majority were victims of a savage turf war between two rival drug cartels.

In a particularly violent 72-hour period, from last Thursday to Saturday, 53 more people were gunned down. They included two police officers and a state investigator.

"In Juarez, there's been a real tremendous outcry against this video because people see it as really the ultimate dehumanization of people of Juarez," says Howard Campbell, an anthropology professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. Campbell closely follows the drug war across the river in Mexico.

"Their problems are so severe, and then for people to mock them and make light of them is very, very insulting," Campbell says. "I mean, more than 8,000 people have been killed in the last four years; and it's not something to joke about."

In protest, the Chihuahua state legislature has asked the federal government to forbid sales of the video in Mexico.

A spokesperson for Ubisoft says the game is purely fictional and for entertainment purposes only, created more as an action-movie fantasy than a portrayal of life in Juarez.

Last year, a New York-based cosmetics company abandoned Mexican sales of a makeup collection that caused similar objections because its ashen hues were said to be inspired by the murders of women in that city."

[Gunter Severloh 4051]

The new motto for the game should be "Save a life, play the game instead."

[Hans Ludwig 0]

lol so true.

I'm sorry, but games aren't killing people; drug cartels are killing people.

[ArmAriffic 10]

Wasn't Call of Juarez a Old wild west shooter?

[mr burns 132]

lol so true.

I'm sorry, but games aren't killing people; drug cartels are killing people.

Still, setting a game on the happenings of a real world environment where real people are killed every day in a non-warzone is nothing more than a prove of bad taste and sheer sensationalism on the side of the producers - reminds me of the idiotic airport scene in a game i never played.

Drawing the line between a wargame based on real conflict xy being more widely accepted than those two examples above might be tricky, but at least in a wargame there´s only (or mostly) combatants involved - with no purpose driven depictions of cruelty & warcrimes (hey look, *horrible situation*, didn´t your *put in relative here* die like that?!).

[Hans Ludwig 0]

Still, setting a game on the happenings of a real world environment where real people are killed every day in a non-warzone is nothing more than a prove of bad taste and sheer sensationalism on the side of the producers - reminds me of the idiotic airport scene in a game i never played.

Drawing the line between a wargame based on real conflict xy being more widely accepted than those two examples above might be tricky, but at least in a wargame there´s only (or mostly) combatants involved - with no purpose driven depictions of cruelty & warcrimes (hey look, *horrible situation*, didn´t your *put in relative here* die like that?!).

By that logic you shouldn't be playing Arma2 or any FPS for that matter.

So, let me get this straight. If someone dies in warzone, their life means less than someone that dies in a "non-warzone"?

The last I checked, the Mexican army and marines are patrolling the streets of most of the towns bordering the US and Central America. I would think that would pretty much be defined as a warzone.

[max power 21]

How can the game that gave birth to the ladder goat be so bad?

[Gunter Severloh 4051]

I'm sorry, but games aren't killing people; drug cartels are killing people.

Never said the game/s was killing anyone, its a metaphor saying that you got a game almost like the situation over there,

if you gave everyone the game then the folks would need to kill anyone cuz theyd be to busy with the game, ya its dum but you get the idea.

Their problems are so severe, and then for people to mock them and make light of them is very, very insulting," Campbell says.

"I mean, more than 8,000 people have been killed in the last four years; and it's not something to joke about."

What he says here is understandable, but whats more insulting then someone threatening you with a weapon, their worried about a stupid game,

and like the spokesperson says:

A spokesperson for Ubisoft says the game is purely fictional and for entertainment purposes only, created more

as an action-movie fantasy than a portrayal of life in Juarez.

Then too I can see both sides,

but I guess we should be questioning further the spokesperson... well if its just fictional and not based on the real situations there,

then why does the game somewhat in many ways represent, or at least make it very familier to the situation almost identifiable as that is what it looks like.

Its almost as if to say whos kidding who here. So your building the game on this situation but thats not what its about.

I'd like to really know what this guy was thinking when he was thinking of a theme for a game.

you can hear him talking to the other designers and developers... Oh I know Jurez is all F*cked up and is an interesting

story lets base the game on that! Yaaaa! Just remember its not an actual portral of the life there.

Lol you could fooled me.

[Hans Ludwig 0]

Never said the game/s was killing anyone, its a metaphor saying that you got a game almost like the situation over there,

if you gave everyone the game then the folks would need to kill anyone cuz theyd be to busy with the game, ya its dum but you get the idea.

Sorry, I wasn't directing that statement to you. I was just trying to get everyone to remember the real reason why people are dieing in Mexico, which has nothing to do with gaming.

[icebreakr 3156]

The proper answer of us, gamers, should be the same as in case where BIS doesn't want to include childen ingame (armed or unarmed) or in case where women cannot carry weapons (yeah, thats realistic) -> create a mod, now where is that Mexican mod in the making topic? ;)

[Gunter Severloh 4051]

I think what this guy's reponse to that article he had a very good point, kinda of runs along in a way with what your say Hans,

here what he said:

Jeff Williamson (JeffWilliamson) wrote:

I heard this on NPR today and thought I'd look into it further. This story was a bit misleading in that they don't mention

the game being set around the Civil War in the 1860s and has nothing at all to do with Juarez today. Instead of quibbling

over a fictitious video game, the focus should be directed at resolving an astounding average of 2,000+ murders per year crime rate in Juarez.

[max power 21]

now where is that Mexican mod in the making topic? ;)

There was a drug wars topic not too long ago...

I think what this guy's reponse to that article he had a very good point, kinda of runs along in a way with what your say Hans,

here what he said:

The banner has a helicopter, AK-47, spas-12 shotgun, and modern attire in it. I think maybe this person is confusing the new game that's coming out with the old one set in the 1800s.

Edited February 27, 2011 by Max Power

[Placebo 29]

I'd condemn it for taking a great Old West franchise and ruining it by making it some generic modern day game. Kind like taking a well respected milsim franchise and turning it into some generic BF clone ;)

[CW001 10]

I'd condemn it for taking a great Old West franchise and ruining it by making it some generic modern day game. Kind like taking a well respected milsim franchise and turning it into some generic BF clone ;)

As if that would ever happen!

:j:

[abs 2]

Funny how politicians and their irk are.

“I don’t understand how anybody could be held responsible for somebody who is completely mentally unstable like this. Where I come from the person that is actually shooting is the one that’s culpable...â€

Source

So political violent imagery isn't the cause of people picking up a gun and shooting people, but computer games are?

Puhleeze.

Abs

[vilas 477]

about violence in games there was a topic before

i am not changing my mind

within FPS gamers there are few percent of cycos and thus (because of them) there are reasons to prevention seen by some critics of games

in normal society there are 1-2 or more % of population with mental disorders

in gaming societies such kids concentrate and because of this critics think that banning game will make this few percent more peaceful

mentally ill kids (or pshycho) will always concentrate more with games like GTA than games like Black Mirror, Siberia or any Tycoon

it is fact and because of those few percent of cycos people (like some associations) fight with games

it is for example visible in YT comments where kids have fun at violent, war atrocities videos and in their other movies you see only FPS games and GTA

for normal human being death is nothing funny, for sick psycho kids it is (just like in big business, army you have concentration of psychopaths)

people think that "if you take away tool, you will make less cycos"

and i will repeat myself again like in previous topic

in Poland we have 3-4 times more violent teenagers crimes like we had in 80s, 70s

the only thing that changed during those 40 , 30 years is coming of games, war movies, violent movies in TV

according to police statistics we had much much lower teenagers criminal rate

in some cycos demon sleep but he is not awaken

demon awakes when he is awaken by external violence (games, movies)

it touches 1-2% of population, but all anti-criminal effort always focused on 1-2% of population

and always 1-2% was making problems to 99%

even here in this community we had some sick personalities who threatened death to addonmaker if he won't do requested addon (FPS kids, CoD no-lifes etc.)

and those associations who fight with games always have focus on this 1-2% of idiots, which we even have here , not saying about GTA community (game about being criminal and shoot to police for me should be banned, cause game cannot teach "how to be gangsta and shoot police officers", if i would have deciding voice i would ban GTA for sure (for shooting to police and stealing property in game scenario) )

cause a lot of those cyco kids who killed someone are found to be hardcore-gamer , this is the fact (just to mention those famous school-shooters)

thats why those games are rated 16,18 but stupid parents allow to play in it 10 or 12 y.o. and latter we have 14 y.o. kid who only "wanna shoot anyone"

Edited February 28, 2011 by vilas

[johncage 30]

haha an ak wielding virtual michelle rodriguez. what a disaster.

must appeal to those narco corridos fans.

[[general nuisance] 0]

Anyone think that violent games can make people more aggressive? Perhaps because it's safe to do so. You're at the comfort of your own home, you're by yourself. There are no repercussions if you yell at someone and call them all kinds of names under the sun. It's a bit different when you're in close proximity to people. Then again alcohol can affect people in a similar manner because it removes their inhibition. So anything that makes someone feel it is safe or acceptable to do something, they'll do it.

I think it's worth at least invesgating and taking a scientific approach rather than dismissing it off-hand.

[katipo66 94]

Isn't the original post more about bad taste rather than if games create killers... for example would a game about terrorists blowing up US buildings and flying planes into them be received well in the states? maybe not... anything else is all good though?

[mach2infinity 12]

Isn't the original post more about bad taste rather than if games create killers... for example would a game about terrorists blowing up US buildings and flying planes into them be received well in the states? maybe not... anything else is all good though?

Well I took my cue from the original poster here:

Here we go again with games cause violence. :(

....

I'm sorry, but games aren't killing people; drug cartels are killing people.

Although yes it's more about taste and what would be deemed 'acceptable' in games. I think the choice of location is no accident and clearly it's meant to parallel modern day events in Mexico. Perhaps they thought no-one would notice or frankly didn't care. The symbolism isn't overt but it's still there. I think it's fine but I do believe you should have a boundary. For instance a game that allowed one to become terrorists and set-up bombs to massacre civilians would be a stretch too far for me. In fact, I didn't like the Russian airport segment in "Modern Warfare 2". I refused to shoot anyone, well except the police who shot me first but of course you can't progress if you die. I couldn't see the point of that bit although I'm sure the developers thought "we have a clever way of making players choose their morality here!"...yes not quite.

I think certain games such as the latest "Medal of Honour" game probably walk a fine line. It can be uncomfortable when you're playing a game in an environment which is modelled on an on-going conflict, where soldiers are fighting in your name and have lost their lives. It can almost feel like a badly done parody of sorts.

[Hans Ludwig 0]

Yes, the article is supposed to be about a group that is offended by what is inside of the game. But the author, who is with NPR and would mean he is most likely falls on the left of the political spectrum, is taking the discussion back to the debunked myth that video games causes kids/people to kill others.

The announced release of a video game that glorifies murder and mayhem in the violence-wracked city of Juarez, Mexico

Don't get me wrong, I think the game developer handled this situation wrongly, but I don't like the latent tone of the article.

Edited March 4, 2011 by Hans Ludwig

[draakon 11]

Myth: Video games cause people to do activity X.

Fact: Only true, IF that given person hasn't been teached about virtuality and reality(aka bad pareting).

[nodunit 397]

Oh this again...ah it reminds me of the big and pointless debate over Mass Effect being a "sex simulator" to desensitize younger audiences..how people were so fast to jump on a scene where the most nudity you saw was a butt cheek.

I really do hate it when critics do this, why are movies and other forms of media which include violence exempt from the "does X cause violence?", Had you said Manhunt then I would likely be rather tounge tied considering it gave rather in depth descriptions of how to murder people and in the most gruesome ways.

But anything below that just seems silly, I think these critics need to pull their head from their behinds and cast blame on the people who carry out these crimes, games don't effect people, if a person does something bad after playing a game then that person was mentally unstable one way or another.

I agree that in the end it comes down to knowing the difference between reality and not,don't blame the game, blame the fool who did it and perhaps the parent who failed them and themself

Edited March 7, 2011 by NodUnit

[ziiip 1]

My feelings towards these kind of news have become completely neutal due to the repetition.

Every time something like this comes out, x people reply with OMGs and WTFs and yeah, it gets boring after a while.

[vilas 477]

just give him gun and parent walks into room saying "stop playing"