Prez wrote on May 31, 2023, 14:44:

thestryker wrote on May 31, 2023, 14:33:
I've never understood why anyone would want to make a game about Fallujah. It would be like playing a game set in 1993 Mogadishu. Terrible combat which didn't need to happen caused by inept leadership that damaged both sides badly along with civilians. Something with a wider focus could work just as effectively from a gameplay and storytelling perspective.

With Spec Ops The Line they were able to tell a powerful story without dragging real history into it. I think it's unfortunate that we haven't seen more combat games that tell stories focused on people. A replayability focused procedurally generated coop shooter is not what comes to mind when I think of storytelling though.

I will never, ever subscribe to this logic. A battle such as this would not be off limits for a book or a movie. But someone wants to make a game about it, them all of a sudden it's off limits. People largely treat movies and books as entertainment , yet allow for thoughtful and nuanced explorations of actual tragic events constantly. It's almost like people accept that those mediums can handle the subject with enough care and dedication to an honest portrayal that it isn't an immediate no-go. Yet we'll lose our shit about games because we have a singular, wrongheaded view that we have to absolutely enjoy and consume without any thought or maturity.
That's not to say that it looks like they are being mature and careful with the portrayal of this particular game, but to declare it off limits for a game is narrow-minded and wrong-headed in my opinion. How many movies were made about 9/11?

At no point did I say they shouldn't be allowed to make the game nor that it should be off limits. Perhaps try actually reading before getting on your soapbox. I said it doesn't make sense to make a game about the battle and they'd be better served by widening the focus. This does not preclude them from including the battle. I don't see what's compelling about making a game set in the confines of a singular atrocious urban battle.

The Spec Ops example was to make the point that they didn't need history to make a compelling game and that this game does not appear to be that.