The Playstation Generation

A couple of weeks ago my Facebook page was defaced with a youtube video of the new Ghost Recon game's portrayal of American troops fighting a war in Peshawar, naturally I put on both beard and my shalwar kamis in a frenzy and made the decision to go outside and burn a few star spangled banners in a show of sporting appreciation. Okay so none of that really happened, but I was offended and for once I found myself siding (at least on the surface) with the resentful bearded fascists whom I needless to say tend to distance myself from. The youtube video itself became a troll fest with the "modern camp" versus the "barbaric anti-western camp".


One side seemed profoundly pleased that their city had been given the publicity it so clearly deserved in a game that people will play across the world, the other saw it as politically incorrect. I am not going to try to reconcile the two I'm merely going to tell you why the cool modern crowd is extremely disillusioned.


1) Peshawar has seen enough violence, the last thing anyone wants is for American troops to be fighting a war there, it is unlikely you will be able to empathize with me on this point unless you've actually lived through the worst period in the city's history. Taking the strained nature of Pak-US relations into account it is completely inappropriate for people to rejoice about a Peshawar being portrayed in such a light.


2) The Playstation Generation lacks remorse, when sent to war people who have grown up playing virtual representations of war see each kill as just another point in a deathmatch. Whether you choose to admit it or not children will grow up playing this game, one day they will join the army and they will be more than ready to invade Peshawar. To those of you who think this is conjecture. I'm sure you're all familiar with the famous collateral murder video (go watch it).


Yes it's JUST A GAME but games are political, the enemy is always dehumanized  and I don't appreciate the opinions of people who are so desperate to appear modern and liberated that they start celebrating when they see something that should upset them. On a side note the game is a clear gears of war clone they've even copied the needlessly disorienting crotch zooming camera when you move from cover to cover.