Kotaku - Making A Game Out Of Today's War - Six Days in Fallujah.
When approaching a game that realistically depicts a modern combat
situation, one criticism that often arises is the subject of fun. Can a
realistic military shooter be fun? According to Ian Bogost, that's the wrong
question to ask. "We use the word fun as a placeholder, when we don't even
really know what we mean when we look for some sort of enjoyment in a
serious experience," he said. Fun and entertainment aren't mutually
exclusive, especially when it comes to entertainment based on real-world
military conflicts.
Charlie Stross's Diary: gaming in the world of 2030. Thanks Ant and
Boing Boing.
Welcome to a world where the internet has turned inside-out; instead of
being something you visit inside a box with a coloured screen, it's draped
all over the landscape around you, invisible until you put on a pair of
glasses or pick up your always-on mobile phone. A phone which is to today's
iPhone as a modern laptop is to an original Apple II; a device which always
knows where you are, where your possessions are, and without which you are —
literally — lost and forgetful. Welcome to a world where everyone is a gamer
— casual or hardcore, it makes little difference — and two entire
generational cohorts have been added to your market: one of them
unencumbered by mortgage payments and the headaches of raising a family.