Real world war is not the same as in video games

Nov 24, 2014 15:48 GMT  ·  By

We live in an age of abundance and both me and my friends tend to be troubled when our Internet goes out for more than a few minutes and never actually worry about how we will get access to our next meal or about the best way to find a bed in which to sleep.

We also live in an age of peace, with the number of conflicts down all over the world and less people affected by conflicts than at any other point during the history of the human race.

But the advent of mass media and the expanding awareness about international politics means that even a relatively uninformed citizen knows more about the sieges in Syria or about the battles in Africa that have an effect on civilians.

But due to limited time or lack of interest, we tend to rarely explore more and we do not know what the people trapped in cities which are under attack go through and how their psyche is affected by the events.

This War of Mine takes their experiences, builds a set of solid gameplay mechanics around them and then thrusts them into the world of video games, where most fans have only been the ones shooting the bullets or issuing the threats rather than the victims.

The loss of power is initially annoying, but it does show how the real world is different from the power fantasies that we often become involved with.

A necessary role reversal

The biggest achievement of the team at 11 bit Studios is that This War of Mine is entirely playable and enjoyable, in terms of mechanics, even for someone who has no interest in what the game has to say about conflict and about its effects.

It’s easy to get hooked on the gameplay challenge of simply staying alive and to only then discover what the developers are trying to say about civilians in cities under siege.

And I hope that the various decisions and moral choices included, alongside the way the characters deal with the events around them, will prompt a lot of those who play This War of Mine to then search for more information about the issue and see whether they can help alleviate it in any way.

11 bit Studios could have delivered the same core mechanics using a zombie invasion or an alien attack as theme, but they have focused on a more problematic theme and have done so with a lot of attention, something that they should be commanded for.

This War of Mine Images (9 Images)

This is how it begins
Trio of charactersHard to survive
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