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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Is a Holocaust game too far?

izaaz101 on 14 March 2008
mesoteto said:
i guess its the fact its targeting kids and making light of the subject matter.....there is nothing cute of fantasy based about that whole situation

From what I understand, the main character, a kid, copes with the horrors of reality by going into a fantasy world in his mind. It's not so far-fetched to assume that children/women/men would do that in those horrible circumstances. Hell, people do it today by escaping to the movies/music/games when what we're dealing with is so trivial (compared to this). 



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Garcian Smith on 14 March 2008

Old guy outraged at that thar newfangled technology: News at 11.

Seriously, it upsets me that this game is getting so much bad press. If nothing else, it'll serve to raise awareness of the Holocaust in a sensitive and artistic manner. It's not like it's going to be GTA: Auschwitz or anything.



"'Casual games' are something the 'Game Industry' invented to explain away the Wii success instead of actually listening or looking at what Nintendo did. There is no 'casual strategy' from Nintendo. 'Accessible strategy', yes, but ‘casual gamers’ is just the 'Game Industry''s polite way of saying what they feel: 'retarded gamers'."

 -Sean Malstrom

 

 

mesoteto on 14 March 2008
izaaz101 said:
mesoteto said:
i guess its the fact its targeting kids and making light of the subject matter.....there is nothing cute of fantasy based about that whole situation

From what I understand, the main character, a kid, copes with the horrors of reality by going into a fantasy world in his mind. It's not so far-fetched to assume that children/women/men would do that in those horrible circumstances. Hell, people do it today by escaping to the movies/music/games when what we're dealing with is so trivial (compared to this).

but how educational can a situation like that be?

 



 

Kasz216 on 14 March 2008
rocketpig said:
Schindler's List is acceptable but a game that deals with the Holocaust in a very serious manner is not.

Bah, some people need to be kicked in the head. Games are maturing, as is their subject matter.


Yeah, i agree with you.  I'm guessing he just didn't know what the game was about.  I know when i came into this thread I was expecting some sort of game where you escape a holocaust camp only to come back, gun down all the nazi's with a WW2 rifle and free everyone.

Now that game would of been over the line.

 



TheRealMafoo on 14 March 2008
izaaz101 said:

It's not so far-fetched to assume that children/women/men would do that in those horrible circumstances. Hell, people do it today by escaping to the movies/music/games when what we're dealing with is so trivial (compared to this). 

A thousand people a month are murdered in Somalia as we speak. No one gives a shit about them however.



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mesoteto on 14 March 2008

@Real Mafoo--and my ancestors dealt with the trail of tears and still have our camps, there called reservations


what set this (hol) apart was the fact that there was a global war that delt with it



 

Kasz216 on 14 March 2008
TheRealMafoo said:
What’s worse: rape or murder? I say Murder.

 Eh, I disagree.  I think they're about as equally bad.  Some rape actually turns out worse then murder to the point of where the mind of the person has basically died except they have to live with it as well while they are alive.  For those people murder would of likely been more preferable.

Still, people should make the games, and those that are over the line should just not get bought.  Like Custer's Revenge.  Which is a rape simulator.  For the Atari 2600 no less.

Of course wheter it's appropriate or not.   That's a whole different arguement.



Kasz216 on 14 March 2008
mesoteto said:
izaaz101 said:
mesoteto said:
i guess its the fact its targeting kids and making light of the subject matter.....there is nothing cute of fantasy based about that whole situation

From what I understand, the main character, a kid, copes with the horrors of reality by going into a fantasy world in his mind. It's not so far-fetched to assume that children/women/men would do that in those horrible circumstances. Hell, people do it today by escaping to the movies/music/games when what we're dealing with is so trivial (compared to this).

but how educational can a situation like that be?

 


You'd be surprised.  There was a really great movie that had a really similiar premise.  A few in fact.  Though none of their names come to mind... which is sad.  Though I hadn't seen any of them.  Just wanted to see them. 

 



rocketpig on 14 March 2008
FOOD said:
rocketpig said:

Now, I do acknowledge that games can be pretty educative, but I honestly think this is too far. Games are meant to be enjoyed, and to think someone is going to make a game out of a man's horrifying experience to be enjoyed by the rest of the world is sickening.

 

What's next, a rape simulator to educate people why rape is wrong? Get real.

Are you joking? Movies deal with serious situations all the time. There is nothing wrong with a game showing the horrors of the Holocaust in a serious and educational manner.

People need to get their head out of their ass and realize that games can extend beyond the world of Mario and become a legitimate art form in their own right. This kind of thinking pisses me off.


Don't get me wrong on this. I'm not against the fact that a game can be as serious and informative as a video documentary on something horrible, the only difference is the medium it's delivered in. But the fact of the matter is that this Luc Bernard guy is making an game about an atrocity that is "enjoyable to play."

Now, a lot of people seem to be having some sort of bias against the Holocaust survivor because he's "old." Not all old people are codgers. I have great sympathy for the man. The reason I'm against this game is simply because they are making some sort of game out of his experience.

Put yourselves into his shoes. He went through a horrible ordeal, maybe a lot of his family and friends were slaughtered by Nazis, and he probably had to deal with life afterwards with nothing but the rags he was wearing. Years later you got some dick who never experienced the Holocaust making an game out of it that's "enjoyable to play."

This game isn't simply something that's supposed to be informative, it's a game. I really advocate video games that educate people as much as anyone else, but I'd honestly tone the interaction down and remove the "enjoyable to play" part. I seriously hope this game is more of a trivia type of game.


You can't base your art on whether someone somewhere might be offended. Almost anything worth playing/watching/doing is going to insult someone.

I lost two family members to idiotic street racers but you don't see me hollering about movies like The Fast and the Furious, other than me complaining how juvenile Hollywood crap like that is. Horrible shit happens. We all know that. But trying to ignore it or dance around difficult subject matter is even worse IMO. Take the subject head-on and let people do what they please with it. We're adults here - well, most of us anyway - and whether we do or do not give this guy money for his creation is our own personal choice. 




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izaaz101 on 14 March 2008
mesoteto said:
izaaz101 said:
mesoteto said:
i guess its the fact its targeting kids and making light of the subject matter.....there is nothing cute of fantasy based about that whole situation

From what I understand, the main character, a kid, copes with the horrors of reality by going into a fantasy world in his mind. It's not so far-fetched to assume that children/women/men would do that in those horrible circumstances. Hell, people do it today by escaping to the movies/music/games when what we're dealing with is so trivial (compared to this).

but how educational can a situation like that be?

 


I have no idea how educational it is, or what the potential of it is. However, I am willing to give him a chance, and see what he comes up with, rather than shutting him down simply because it's about the holocaust.  If it has no purpose, and is just some random game about the holocaust, then I would tend to agree with you.