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February 11, 2003
War games
You can't make this stuff up. Trond Helleland, a Conservative member of the Norwegian parliament, was caught playing a war game called "Metalion" on his Pocket PC handheld -- during a debate over the war in Iraq:
Helleland told Nettavisen that he only meant to check his electronic appointments calendar, "but fiddled a bit too much" and landed on his new war game. He admitted that he "just had to try it out."
"It's a robot game where you shoot drones," he said, stressing the game doesn't involve any blood.
Helleland, who leads the parliament's justice committee, apologized for the inappropriate diversion during an important parliamentary session.
"I'll never do it again," he promised, claiming, by the way, that he managed to follow the debate while he played.
Of course, I began immediately wondering -- what precisely is Metalion? A quick Google search found me several (quite favorable) reviews. Even better, I found the text reprinted from the game manual. Apparently, the plot of Metalion is thus:
The year is 2252 AD. Due to extreme overpopulation and lack of food, the world leaders form a group of top scientists and engineers known as the Universal Federation, to research the conversion of dead planets to living ones, better known as Terraforming. After nearly 100 years, the group of scientists successfully Terraformed Mars and began colonization. Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are transformed and colonized 50 years later.
Unfortunately, the transformation of Jupiter was not as successful as the others. Jupiter's new atmosphere and environment began to deteriorate after only 15 years. The colony on Jupiter rebels against the Federation. Due to this renegade colony of Jupiter, the leaders on Earth form the "Universal Federation Corps" to serve and protect the Federal colonies. The colony of Jupiter claims its independence from the Federation and the self-proclaimed Emperor of Jupiter creates his own army called the "Red Galaxy Knights." For 50 years, the Red Galaxy Knights wreak widespread havoc and destruction among the peaceful colonies of the Federation.
On September 21, 2710, the "Red Galaxy Knights" launch a full-scale attack on Earth. Millions of lives are lost. Four days later, the Federation declares war on Jupiter.
After 4 long years of war, the Federation has finally developed a new weapon called "Metalion." This robotic weapon, piloted by a single human being, was developed specifically for inter-planetary travel and battle. It is the Federation's last hope for peace.
Ahem.
You know, I'm a gaming geek from way back. I've played Doom, Quake, Half-Life, Counterstrike, America's Army, and loved them all. I am thus accustomed to reading the manuals for space shoot-em-up games -- which inevitably sport similarly hysterical, apocalypso sci-fi prose. "The aliens have captured the moon base and are reverse-engineering the fragments of the crashed UFO to enslave us all." "The Titian faction has become enraged with mutant bloodlust and will not stop until all are exterminated." It's always something like that.
Yet you might wonder why the heck game designers bother to write these complex little backstories. After all, the goal is just to fly around in outer space blasting the shit out of everything, right? Why the throat-clearing? Why the complex, turgid justifications for the interstellar carnage? I've long suspected it's because game-makers are aware, on some level, that they can't just unleash these scenarios of joyful, wanton death without offering some feeble excuse for why all this killing is necessary. They recognize that, even though this is just a game, you can't quite come out and say the obvious -- which is that massacring endless phalanxes of space goons is fun. That's implicit. But to actually offer it as the sole justification would seem kinda creepy, even to themselves. No, they need some vaguely plausible moral backdrop, and that's why every single game forces you to sit through some impossibly lame, cringe-inducing explanation of Why We Fight.
Which brings me quite neatly back to our friend Trond Helleland. He was playing the game during a debate on whether to go to war with Iraq, which lends a truly gorgeous symmetry to everything here. Go back and read that backstory from "Metalion"": A bunch of colonists sent to Jupiter get uppity, stage a rebellion, and we have to go to war, dude. Now pick up the paper and read the U.S. government's rationale for attacking Iraq. There are endless reasons why the war is an incredibly bad political move, which I've discussed before. But Bush has spent the last few months ignoring those bad reasons -- and telling us, again and again, a bunch of long narratives about why we need to invade.
In the real world too, it seems, we need a backstory to convince us it's okay -- to go to war, kick ass, and blast away until there is nothing left to blast.
(The news item about Trond came to me via Gizmodo and PocketPC Thoughts -- many thanks!)
Posted by Clive Thompson at February 11, 2003 01:10 AM
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Don't forget the hideous perversions of science at work in most game setting material. How do you terraform a giant ball of gas like Jupiter?
Posted by: Erik at February 11, 2003 7:20 PM
Heh. Ah yes, the demented pseudoscience of games! The Galileo probe is about to crash into Jupiter and prove just how insanely nasty that planet is. Apparently it will survive only for a few minutes, as it becomes bombarded with radiation 100 times higher than we experience on Earth.
Posted by: Clive at February 11, 2003 11:06 PM
Clive, the reason is because they probably all have read ENDER'S GAME. And even there, the huge backstory justification for the video game war still led to three sequels full of guilt.
Posted by: Morgan at February 12, 2003 9:39 PM
Heh. Oddly enough, I only got around to reading Ender's Game this summer! And when I went into the MIT bookstore today, I saw a huge display of his three following books. I've yet to read 'em ... though probably will soon.
The thing I've never been able to figure out is, why does everyone talk about Ender's Game as if it were a big critique of military culture? Hell, it read like a massive conservative wank-fantasy about the merit-based quality of military life ... the best rising to the top via true grit and all that.
Posted by: Clive at February 12, 2003 9:46 PM
I want to know where the historic enmity between Pac-Man and Ghosts comes from.
Posted by: Jeff Liu at February 13, 2003 3:57 PM
Posted by: Clive at February 13, 2003 4:29 PM
I've got a 3.8 GPA in my classes at Boston College and the thing that gets me through the lectures is Pocket Dogfight and Defender on my Audiovox Maestro. I don't care how high up you are, when monotny hits the fan there is nothing like a cool game of solitaire to bring you down to earth while you still take it all in, it puts much in perspective. Peace in Norway.
Posted by: Rob at February 14, 2003 11:02 PM
Hell yes! I just wish the PDAs had been around when I was in college ...
Posted by: Clive at February 21, 2003 12:22 PM
Negative spiritual influences.
Dictator games, Oni,( means demon btw )games of theives, games of ninja's in the underworld where human souls are sacrificed to the dark lord? Games like Grandtheft auto where people are beat with baseball bats? Women are beat? What IS ALL THIS TRASH?
Chinese gamers creating hellbound (shadowbane.com for example ) games with a basis on the underworld and with demonic names, characters and story lines.
Occult connection here? Uh yeah, i DO think so.
The occult is known to influence the minds of people and is why we see millions of copies of new Harry Potter books being sold to children about witchcraft. While churches on the other hand take these books SO seriously as to being an effective source for programming of the mind of young children ( whom by the way are easily influenced ) burn such books! Gee, what now would churches see that others aren't? Could it be a satanic influence hidden within that kids just can't see nor parents of which have little spiritual understanding. The author go figure comes out of Great Britian. Ever see the crime statistics of Great Britian? It's HIGH! And it's because it's a society influenced by deceptions.
Same with much of the gaming industry. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that gaming programmers are being influenced by either other people with NO spiritual regard OR...some other source of influence...as well and they may not even realize it. Is like a person whom joins a cult and they don't realise the brainwashing until it's too late.
Example...
Games now for kids are being thrown out that contain the occult on a level like never before. Characters of Goddesses, demons, vampirism, dead bodies walking, entering the underworld where places exist for characters to battle demonic characters. Some of these games are so sick, i honestly can't fathom how they can have the conscience to market them to kids. Shoot em ups where the character beats people with bats and other screen shots where blood spurts out the top of their heads, etc. Ever take a look at the names or cover pictures of some of these games being marketed to kids? If you don't believe me, sit around and watch Walt Disney cartoons on cable, japanese cartoons on cable. Gargoyles depicting demons as heros? Hercules with stories based on the occult and mythology? For kids? Class room instruction on Egyptian religion and mythology. Oh, but best not have God in the pledge of allegiance, we might offend someone! When your kids are exposed to enough of this without parents being aware of it, eventually the children change. Their words become different, their actions become different as again, i state...it's an injection of the occult into our society from those lacking the moral and spritual understanding. Some laugh, some say yeah right. Some roll their eyes. But...
What was found on the kids computers of the high school where teens went in with shotguns? blew away their own classmates? Video games maybe? Then what else was found?
My own kids have fallen victim to these games and cartoons. Until i took notice. When our 5 year old daughter started saying things like, you pig, you're discusting, that's discusting, i hate you, you're sick...our of nowhere? And to our baby? there's no room in here for pigs, get out. I'll kill you. WHAT! I finally sat down with my wife and watched it and saw JUST where she was getting it from. Characters talking like demons, red eyes, and saying the words i heard from her. These are some demented individuals creating such cartoons and games.
Tell me something is not going on here with the mental programming of childrens minds from such sources?
Same with Harry Potter and the gaming industry these days. Is why also my son came up to me and began speaking words i couldn't understand, words of witchcraft. Incantations of witchcraft? EH? Asking him where he got that from and it was Harry Potter books. Go figure...schools have reading lessons of these books from athiest teachers. Why? Look at the rest of the world my friends. There's a reason why. Everyone wants to get rid of God. Cloning of humans? Legalization of abortions, same sex marriages by priests? I could go on and on here but this isn't the place since the issue is about games.
Well, if you've ever played with a ueja board, you'd believe me that there IS something to channel into especially if you got the technique down. Ask anyone whose played with one and 99.9 % of the time, they'll tell ya " yeah, scared the heck out of me and got rid of it!"
And witchcraft can do it too folks and is what Harry Potter has within it, incantations related to channeling of such the same things involved in ueja boards. Go figure...look at the times we're in...the riots, the floods, the famines, the wars and rumors of wars, the deseases spreading, virus, (btw, watch out for the 9 it's a number of the occult and at this time it's all over the news every time you see a story about death or war or desasters - people dying - As the ufo phenomenon is related to this number as well as the Egyptian religions - pyramids, etc new age trash )You know...the books blind parents are standing in line for hours for to let their kids read.
As i said, it's a spiritual influence and this is why millions upon millions of people go to churches around the world on Sunday. Because it's real. Is why millions of streets on sunday mornings are empty of traffic because people are resting and not going to work because of this day.
Gee, even the atheist take advantage of this day to take the day off of work.
So just some advice given from a guy whose almost 40 years old and has been around to see these influences upon children, if you have friends involved in these games and you notice something that really comes off to you as odd or with overtones of the underworld, characters fighting demons and the dead biting the heads off of game characters...tell your friend it's trash and tell em to get rid of it. Especially if the friend is a young kid. Your little brother or sister simply doesn't need to be involved in playing such games but that's up to you.
I have no problem with games, having fun with it and the kids or teens playing them or heck even adults messing around with em. Long as the games are not of such occult influences or based on these types of scenarios. Don't feel such games CAN influence kids? How about movies? Like when fast and furious came out, the police new that after the release of this movie kids would be out speeding their cars and racing. So, they stepped up patrols of the areas of which would be suspicious. It's because yes, such things DO influence the minds of the youth.
Take your own survey and use your own judgement. But do your friends or brothers or sisters a favor...don't let em mess with it if you can see what i can see. Some can't see it and usually it's because they themself have no understanding of such influences on others. But would you if say one of those kids who got a shotgun pushed into their face and the trigger pulled was one of your own family members? Imagine how those people feel about it. Well, they're experiencing now every DAY for the rest of their lives the direct influence of what such games and source can cause. Put yourself in their shoes if you feel i am on the wrong course here.
This might help answer some of your own thoughts you've had as to the reasons why such games have to come up with reasons for all the death and destruction. And the very same thing goes with these space games. As if you research the connection Mars has...it IS related to occult religions. Is why now i can do a search and see such games about mars and how ironic they mention such things of the occult within their games. Astrology, ghosts, aliens, vampires, ufos, enslavement, etc. I'm not a preacher, i'm just aware of what i've seen affect the minds and actions of others. As it's affected my own family and nobody can argue this fact with me about it.
Other than that...I really hope you guys enjoy your gaming and your chat about em all. I see a few on here are smart and CAN see what i see too.
Me in Tx
Posted by: Me at June 22, 2003 7:37 AM
Don't forget the hideous perversions of science at work in most game setting material. How do you terraform a giant ball of gas like Jupiter?
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All of the casinos listed on this site offer you fair odds, above average payout percentages, excellent game selections, and quality customer support services. These online casinos are known to have prompt payouts and are very popular amongst the players on the net.Online casino gambling has recently become a popular form of entertainment online.
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Don't forget the hideous perversions of science at work in most game setting material. How do you terraform a giant ball of gas like Jupiter?
Posted by: Erik at February 11, 2003 7:20 PM
Heh. Ah yes, the demented pseudoscience of games! The Galileo probe is about to crash into Jupiter and prove just how insanely nasty that planet is. Apparently it will survive only for a few minutes, as it becomes bombarded with radiation 100 times higher than we experience on Earth.
Posted by: Clive at February 11, 2003 11:06 PM
Clive, the reason is because they probably all have read ENDER'S GAME. And even there, the huge backstory justification for the video game war still led to three sequels full of guilt.
Posted by: Morgan at February 12, 2003 9:39 PM
Heh. Oddly enough, I only got around to reading Ender's Game this summer! And when I went into the MIT bookstore today, I saw a huge display of his three following books. I've yet to read 'em ... though probably will soon.
The thing I've never been able to figure out is, why does everyone talk about Ender's Game as if it were a big critique of military culture? Hell, it read like a massive conservative wank-fantasy about the merit-based quality of military life ... the best rising to the top via true grit and all that.
Posted by: Clive at February 12, 2003 9:46 PM
I want to know where the historic enmity between Pac-Man and Ghosts comes from.
Posted by: Jeff Liu at February 13, 2003 3:57 PM
Ahahahahah!
Posted by: Clive at February 13, 2003 4:29 PM
I've got a 3.8 GPA in my classes at Boston College and the thing that gets me through the lectures is Pocket Dogfight and Defender on my Audiovox Maestro. I don't care how high up you are, when monotny hits the fan there is nothing like a cool game of solitaire to bring you down to earth while you still take it all in, it puts much in perspective. Peace in Norway.
Posted by: Rob at February 14, 2003 11:02 PM
Hell yes! I just wish the PDAs had been around when I was in college ...
Posted by: Clive at February 21, 2003 12:22 PM
Negative spiritual influences.
Dictator games, Oni,( means demon btw )games of theives, games of ninja's in the underworld where human souls are sacrificed to the dark lord? Games like Grandtheft auto where people are beat with baseball bats? Women are beat? What IS ALL THIS TRASH?
Chinese gamers creating hellbound (shadowbane.com for example ) games with a basis on the underworld and with demonic names, characters and story lines.
Occult connection here? Uh yeah, i DO think so.
The occult is known to influence the minds of people and is why we see millions of copies of new Harry Potter books being sold to children about witchcraft. While churches on the other hand take these books SO seriously as to being an effective source for programming of the mind of young children ( whom by the way are easily influenced ) burn such books! Gee, what now would churches see that others aren't? Could it be a satanic influence hidden within that kids just can't see nor parents of which have little spiritual understanding. The author go figure comes out of Great Britian. Ever see the crime statistics of Great Britian? It's HIGH! And it's because it's a society influenced by deceptions.
Same with much of the gaming industry. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that gaming programmers are being influenced by either other people with NO spiritual regard OR...some other source of influence...as well and they may not even realize it. Is like a person whom joins a cult and they don't realise the brainwashing until it's too late.
Example...
Games now for kids are being thrown out that contain the occult on a level like never before. Characters of Goddesses, demons, vampirism, dead bodies walking, entering the underworld where places exist for characters to battle demonic characters. Some of these games are so sick, i honestly can't fathom how they can have the conscience to market them to kids. Shoot em ups where the character beats people with bats and other screen shots where blood spurts out the top of their heads, etc. Ever take a look at the names or cover pictures of some of these games being marketed to kids? If you don't believe me, sit around and watch Walt Disney cartoons on cable, japanese cartoons on cable. Gargoyles depicting demons as heros? Hercules with stories based on the occult and mythology? For kids? Class room instruction on Egyptian religion and mythology. Oh, but best not have God in the pledge of allegiance, we might offend someone! When your kids are exposed to enough of this without parents being aware of it, eventually the children change. Their words become different, their actions become different as again, i state...it's an injection of the occult into our society from those lacking the moral and spritual understanding. Some laugh, some say yeah right. Some roll their eyes. But...
What was found on the kids computers of the high school where teens went in with shotguns? blew away their own classmates? Video games maybe? Then what else was found?
My own kids have fallen victim to these games and cartoons. Until i took notice. When our 5 year old daughter started saying things like, you pig, you're discusting, that's discusting, i hate you, you're sick...our of nowhere? And to our baby? there's no room in here for pigs, get out. I'll kill you. WHAT! I finally sat down with my wife and watched it and saw JUST where she was getting it from. Characters talking like demons, red eyes, and saying the words i heard from her. These are some demented individuals creating such cartoons and games.
Tell me something is not going on here with the mental programming of childrens minds from such sources?
Same with Harry Potter and the gaming industry these days. Is why also my son came up to me and began speaking words i couldn't understand, words of witchcraft. Incantations of witchcraft? EH? Asking him where he got that from and it was Harry Potter books. Go figure...schools have reading lessons of these books from athiest teachers. Why? Look at the rest of the world my friends. There's a reason why. Everyone wants to get rid of God. Cloning of humans? Legalization of abortions, same sex marriages by priests? I could go on and on here but this isn't the place since the issue is about games.
Well, if you've ever played with a ueja board, you'd believe me that there IS something to channel into especially if you got the technique down. Ask anyone whose played with one and 99.9 % of the time, they'll tell ya " yeah, scared the heck out of me and got rid of it!"
And witchcraft can do it too folks and is what Harry Potter has within it, incantations related to channeling of such the same things involved in ueja boards. Go figure...look at the times we're in...the riots, the floods, the famines, the wars and rumors of wars, the deseases spreading, virus, (btw, watch out for the 9 it's a number of the occult and at this time it's all over the news every time you see a story about death or war or desasters - people dying - As the ufo phenomenon is related to this number as well as the Egyptian religions - pyramids, etc new age trash )You know...the books blind parents are standing in line for hours for to let their kids read.
As i said, it's a spiritual influence and this is why millions upon millions of people go to churches around the world on Sunday. Because it's real. Is why millions of streets on sunday mornings are empty of traffic because people are resting and not going to work because of this day.
Gee, even the atheist take advantage of this day to take the day off of work.
So just some advice given from a guy whose almost 40 years old and has been around to see these influences upon children, if you have friends involved in these games and you notice something that really comes off to you as odd or with overtones of the underworld, characters fighting demons and the dead biting the heads off of game characters...tell your friend it's trash and tell em to get rid of it. Especially if the friend is a young kid. Your little brother or sister simply doesn't need to be involved in playing such games but that's up to you.
I have no problem with games, having fun with it and the kids or teens playing them or heck even adults messing around with em. Long as the games are not of such occult influences or based on these types of scenarios. Don't feel such games CAN influence kids? How about movies? Like when fast and furious came out, the police new that after the release of this movie kids would be out speeding their cars and racing. So, they stepped up patrols of the areas of which would be suspicious. It's because yes, such things DO influence the minds of the youth.
Take your own survey and use your own judgement. But do your friends or brothers or sisters a favor...don't let em mess with it if you can see what i can see. Some can't see it and usually it's because they themself have no understanding of such influences on others. But would you if say one of those kids who got a shotgun pushed into their face and the trigger pulled was one of your own family members? Imagine how those people feel about it. Well, they're experiencing now every DAY for the rest of their lives the direct influence of what such games and source can cause. Put yourself in their shoes if you feel i am on the wrong course here.
This might help answer some of your own thoughts you've had as to the reasons why such games have to come up with reasons for all the death and destruction. And the very same thing goes with these space games. As if you research the connection Mars has...it IS related to occult religions. Is why now i can do a search and see such games about mars and how ironic they mention such things of the occult within their games. Astrology, ghosts, aliens, vampires, ufos, enslavement, etc. I'm not a preacher, i'm just aware of what i've seen affect the minds and actions of others. As it's affected my own family and nobody can argue this fact with me about it.
Other than that...I really hope you guys enjoy your gaming and your chat about em all. I see a few on here are smart and CAN see what i see too.
Me in Tx
Posted by: Me at June 22, 2003 7:37 AM
Don't forget the hideous perversions of science at work in most game setting material. How do you terraform a giant ball of gas like Jupiter?
Posted by: dsl at January 4, 2004 4:46 PM
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We have reviewed hundreds of online casinos. Here, you will find the one that is right for you. That's a promise!
All of the casinos listed on this site offer you fair odds, above average payout percentages, excellent game selections, and quality customer support services. These online casinos are known to have prompt payouts and are very popular amongst the players on the net.Online casino gambling has recently become a popular form of entertainment online.
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