Games ‘Allow’ War Crimes (Part 1/2)
War-depicting video games have come under fire because they ‘permit’ the execution of war crimes.
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Various Human rights groups played the games to see if any broke humanitarian wars that govern what is and isn’t a war crime.
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The survey condemned the games for violating laws by killing civilians, blowing up houses at will and torturing captives.
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It said that game manufacturers should work harder to inform the players about real-world limitations for their actions.
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Limitless war
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Trial and Pro Juventute were the two human rights groups to examine the games. Staff played the games in the presence of human-rights lawyers, who were skilled in the interpretation of Humanitarian law.
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Twenty games were scrutinised to see if they were portrayed under the same limits as the real world.
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‘The practically complete absence or rules or sanctions is…astonishing’ said the study.
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Army of Two, Call of Duty 5, Far Cry 2 and Conflict Desert Storm were a few of the many games examined.
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The games were analysed to see ‘whether certain scenes and acts committed by the player would constitute violations of international law if they were real, rather than virtual’.
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The study chose games, rather than films, because of their interactivity.
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“Thus,” said the report, “the line between the virtual and real experience becomes blurred and the game becomes a simulation of real life situations on the battlefield.”
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The study was used to check if there were any violations of the Geneva Convention and its additional protocols which cover war.
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to be continued…
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