The inadequate stories of FPS war games.

Hitler from Wolfenstein 3D

The war game genre is as old as 3D in games it self, starting with the infamous Wolfenstein 3D.  The 90's were littered with first person shooters set in World war 2. A trend that of course continued right up to the point, where it became an obvious cliche.

Things were moving along at a slow pace until Infinity Ward released the acclaimed "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" This game was set in a modern war theatre, and didn't tell the story of just one soldier, but of many. CoD 4 set a new standard for the war simulation FPS games, but I would argue that in spite of it's virtues, CoD 4 and other war games has yet to reach the potential of such games to engage and amaze.

Is it a question of realism? I don't think so. A lot about war is boring. When I served in the army up north, getting loaded unto a lorry, sitting shoulder to shoulder to my comrades had already become a familiar feeling.  Nearly all of us was familiar with the scenario, and nearly all of us quickly learned to discern the difference between the feelings the real world endows, and which the war games try to portray. And although sitting in that lorry, expecting to soon be running around in the woods "fighting" was exciting enough, that scenario really doesn't translate well to the small screen at home.

One of the more realistic scenes from CoD 4

What happens at your computer isn't the same as what happens in reality, and we should be thankful for that. Instead one must adapt the message to the medium. So the war game genre went in it's own direction, and it took it's cues from other games that were also around at the time.

The war game genre is now getting quite old, and it is getting good at delivering on it's promises. But I say that that promise is the wrong one. This promise is of empowerment.
It is hard to say where the idea that this is what gamers crave stems from. But I know that game developers see it as the answer to the question of: If you could do anything you'd like in a fantasy world of your own, what would it be? This question has spawned inFamous, and countless other super hero games  - it has pushed the boundaries for high jumps and high falls and in some cases even tried to make you a God, like in Black & White, The Sims and even to an extent in LittleBigPlanet.

Early on some of our cleverest game developers realized that games had the power to do more. Hideo Kojima became known for creating a new genre, the sneaking game. He was seeking to create a different kind of feeling in his games. His storytelling and gameplay portrayed what one might think is the opposite of empowerment - disempowerment. You were weak and frail. You could be taken down with only a few bullets in your back. But intricate as the story in the Metal Gear games are, they are not particularity good at portraying emotion. (At least not in a western fashion). Besides one could question that disempowerment is the opposite of empowerment. What is the essence of that feeling? The visceral sense of belonging and mastering. The on- top- ness of danger and raw, barely- controlled power. Wouldn't then the opposite be alienation, helplessness and resignation?

From "The Pacific"

And these three aspects of war, are often the ones that are portrayed in war movies. Alienation, helplessness, resignation. Possibly the most difficult emotions to portray in a game without distancing the player from the game it self. You must identify with the character, and then feel alienated. Alienation is complex. It is not a feeling so much as a result. It is the disentanglement from the realities of your day. And war movies has nailed this! The war movie portrays the disparity between what "home" is, and what the war is. It sets up the most gruesome picture you can imagine. And then shows you dissenticiced people. One particular scene in "The Pacific", shows one one the main characters passing the time by tossing pebbles into the opened scull of a japanese soldier. Alienation is the blend of depression, anomie, solitude and disempowerment.

Though I did not see any empowerment in the army while I was there, I saw plenty of depression, alienation, helplessness and resignation. That is because, possibly with the exception of depression, the army uses these tools deliberately to control it's soldiers. You are asked to to irrational things time after time, until at last you are meant to just follow orders. They seek to dissentisice you to your own suffering, and accept your misery to attain whatever goal is set for you. You only empowerment is the ability to kill. But you are meant to be disentangled from the real ramifications of your actions.

And that is why I think war games in theory, has a much greater potential to tell the story of the alienated soldier. The ability to make you identify with the character on screen should be greater, because you are playing his actions, and often times partaking in the decision. And the more connected you are to the action. The more you can be revealed the truths and fallacies behind them.

Jan- Stian believes that a game does not have this capability, because the player has the power to change the outcome of each situation. In the text above I have tried to counter this point, but I still believe it is a legitimate complaint. And in particular the ability to save and load anew should something go amiss is also a god- like power you will not find in a war movie. My reply to this is that it is within the power of the game creators to accept failure, and adapt that into the story. And indeed there has been a few attempts of doing this. Heavy Rain is the last example, but Rainbow Six also springs to mind. A solution I could see would be to tell the story of a whole platoon, and then allow for a few deaths along the way. Be a bit  perspective- promiscuous. It will pay.

From the multiplayer of CoD 4

Another point Jan- Stian makes, is that the feeling of disempowerment is there, when in a game, a grenade lands at your feet, or a combat helicopter rolls over the hills. But I should say that these moments are more designed to make you a god, as you in the vast number of cases survive anyway.

The last, and very good point he makes, is that multiplayer reveals the frailty of your life. To this I have no reply, other than that multiplayer yet seldom tells a story worth mentioning, except to comment on it's nonexistence.

It will be interesting to follow the development of games in general. But I shall be keeping a special eye on the story telling of the First Person Shooter war game. If for no other reason than it's potential in story telling.