Killing Games

Excerpt from Gerard Greenfield originally published in Focus on Global Trade.

..How will the history of the U.S.-led military aggression against Iraq be told? For many activists in the peace and antiwar movements this question is less urgent than the task of resisting U.S. imperial interests in occupied Iraq. But in many ways this question for tomorrow was answered yesterday. The history that favors military aggression, racism, and state violence, and that justifies domination and exploitation (all essential elements of the capitalist world in which we live), has been written.

A challenging new mode of learning or experiencing this history is through computer games, particularly interactive online gaming and historical simulation gaming. These games are often presented as based on “real events,” involving “real people and places,” and of course “real battles.” Maps, chronologies, biographies, and “official sources” add to this reality. Indeed, the authenticity of games may be considered as important as the quality of its graphics, player options, and sound effects. Advertisements promoting military computer games cite the role of military advisors, including advice and support from the U.S. Department of Defense, in ensuring the accuracy of the games.

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