For almost as long as there have been video games, there have been video game controversies. Critics once warned of a world of couch potatoes made fat, violent, antisocial, and misogynistic thanks to hours of staring at the screen, controller in hand. Violent video games and addiction were even blamed after the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. But the Mortal Combats and Dooms of the 1990s were tame compared to the ultra-realism of the war games of the early 21st century, which have haven't shied away from taking on current events. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and especially the specter of terrorism, have become popular themes for game developers -- and bestsellers, at that.
The military is now trying to harness the potential of video games for more nuanced versions of war, designing games that reflect the current trend towards counterintelligence strategies , rather than the entertainment industry's focus on blood and gore. As Michael Peck points out in "Confessions of an Xbox General," games such as the U.S. Army's UrbanSim deal as much with rebuilding sewers as firing rockets, pointing to evolving ideas on the skills needed for modern warfare.
It remains to be seen if the entertainment industry will follow suit and embrace a more thoughtful approach for console colonels. But as the seven games below show, video game warfare adapts almost as quickly as does its real-life counterpart -- but not without growing pains.
Electronic Arts
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