The latest videogame to renew the classic argument about violence and desensitization is EA’s Medal of Honor, which allows players to take on the role of soldiers fighting in Afghanistan in the recent past. In addition to the question of whether or not it is appropriate to base a game on a war that is currently being fought, some have rejected to the way the multiplayer game will allow you to take on the role of a Taliban fighter. Chris Suellentrop has a very informative and fairly thorough exploration of the depiction of war in video games in a recent New York Times piece. Suellentrop interviews the Special Forces Consultants for Medal of Honor, traces the history of the debate, and engages the question of whether or not video games can offer a more accurate and beneficial depiction of warfare.
For Christians, Suellentrop’s article raises many important questions about the morality and dangers of playing video games that depict modern warfare, but he also explores the potential benefits of such games. If you are at all concerned about whether or not it is appropriate or loving to playing games like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, I encourage you to read this article to get it wider perspective on the issue.
Alan Noble (Co-Founder/Editor) is a graduate student at Baylor University pursuing his Ph.D. in Contemporary American Literature. To feed himself and his wife, he teaches Freshman Composition at the university. In 2006, he graduated from Cal. State Bakersfield with a Master’s degree in English. In addition to studying, teaching, and writing, Alan enjoys watching college basketball (Go Bears!) and NBA games with his wife and daughter, and loves Star Wars. While not particularly good at making art of any kind, Alan has an intense interest in the arts and culture and how believers ought to interact with them to the glory of God and edification of others. Alan lives in Waco, Texas with his Math-loving wife, owl-loving daughter, and their no-longer-able-to-skateboard-because-of-an-injury English Bulldog, Gertrude.
Email: noble.noneuclidean [at] gmail [dot] com
