GamerPost #03 Uncomfortable Choices

As I look at those often mean little numbers in the bottom right of my left display, sitting happily at the end of my task bar, they tell me that it is now 10:42 am. Now, to me, that’s pretty offensive as it stands, because I am normally not up before 11 on a day off university (I prefer to start late, work late). But this morning it’s almost a little worse, for I have been up since 7:20am! Why, you may ask, well it’s a bizarre little story.

I, as a man who enjoys the little things, like a warm duvet, a soft pillow, and the feel of being asleep, do not have the time for midnight launches. The same can be said for supermarket chain Sainsbury's, who not having 24 hour store opening, decided on another, more appealing way to drawing in the customers to purchase the latest Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare 2 (Technically Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2, think Final Fantasy X 2). They would be selling the game, RRP £55, for cheap. How cheap you ask? Not for £45, not for £35 but for £26! Let me put that into perspective, you can still buy Modern Warfare 1 for £30 new, or £27 pre-owned (Play.com, GAME.co.uk). That’s right, you can buy the most anticipated game of the year for CHEAPER than it’s 2 year old predecessor.

So, last night as I was going to sleep, I was debating whether to make the purchase. I decided to leave it to fate; I would wake up whenever I wake up, call the nearest store and see if they had any left. If they didn’t, no harm, no foul and I save £26. If they did, well I’d get a copy and make a huge saving. Best laid plans of men and mice.

I wake up this morning at 7:20am, feeling disturbingly refreshed (I got an early night last night, before midnight that is) and thought ‘fuck it!’. I through on some clothes (I don’t think they would serve me naked), jumped on the next train, and literally within 20 minutes I was standing out side Sainsbury's at 7:40 in the morning. And even better, I was at the front of a 20 something meters long queue! Win! 20 minutes later the shutters start to rise and I am not kidding, grown men and even a few grown women were scooting under the shutter before it was even 2 meters off the ground. Sainsbury’s was organised, well prepared and well stocked and within 10 minutes, I had my copy.

Now I must comment that something funny did occur as I was queuing. A number of my senior members of the community, whom I will refer to as ‘old codgers’, or something of similar effect, from now on, made some rather disparaging comments about the folly of queuing for a ‘silly game’ that early in the morning. I thought this was rather hypocritical, seeing as they were there equally early to do their shopping. Now I have worked in a supermarket, and these ‘early rises’ are a bizarre bunch. They will be outside a supermarket, up to ten minutes before opening, every week, or in the more extreme circumstances, every DAY, like clockwork to get their paper, fruit and meat etc. It’s as if they’re worried that the stuff we have in stock everyday like clockwork will sell out if they’re not there at 8am sharp. And they called us stupid? Some people.

But yes, back on topic. I’m not going to spoil anything for the game for those who have yet to play it, but I do offer one word of warning, if you are easily offended, disturbed or upset, you may want to enable the option to skip the disturbing content, if only as a fail-safe. This is for one reason; at a point early on in the game, you kill civilians, and a lot of them. I’m not talking insurgents dressed as civilians, or even civilian law enforcement. You kill unarmed, non-combatant civilians who run screaming for their lives. This was a particularly upsetting moment for me, if only because the realisation came after I had started pulling the trigger.
As many of my fellow first person shooter fans out there will agree, if you’re playing a game and the AI starts shooting, you automatically start shooting the same targets. This is because the AI is supposed to know what it’s doing. It’s programmed to advance the plot, or keep the heat off you so you can do so. Now in the above situation, I wouldn’t be lying if I said I simply started shooting because the AI was doing so. A few seconds later I realised who I was shooting at, and it hit me. At one point I actually fell back to the rear of the group, shooting those who were already shot and dying, if only to put them out of their misery. I even felt the slightest bit nauseous. But it did make me think. Not to ruin the plot, but this scene revolved around one government doing (or allowing) something terrible for a greater good (in theory). And for a few seconds afterwards, I sat and thought “you know, I wouldn’t be surprised if something similar hasn’t happened before”. And it’s at that moment, when you have those thoughts, that you lose another little piece of your faith in humanity. I don’t begrudge Infinity Ward for inserting the scene. They could’ve made it a cut scene and everyone who watched it would be all “oooh, those evil terrorists, lets go get them, Hoo Haa!”. But no, IW made us play it, and they made us think, and feel, and (I really hope) feel shit about it. Because the world is full of people, people in power, who make the hard choices, that have terrible consequences, for that fantastic ideal of 'the greater good’.

That’s all I really wanted to say. Thank you for reading this little post. Thank you Infinity Ward for making me think. And thank you Activision (the games publishers) for doing this.