Justice and Righteousness of America in Call of Duty - Essay Example

Justice and Righteousness of America in Call of Duty Shooter games are more than just a game of first-person shooting, bombing and explosions. They are in fact as informative as movies and books that deal with a particular period in history. For the many people who do not recognize the value of shooter games, these games may be considered by many as mere senseless violence or a mere outlet for those who have so much stress and those who simply want to kill time. However, it is not always that these games have no social value. Many shooter games such as Call of Duty are more socially valuable than they actually seem. The game Call of Duty seems to be an FPS game that includes a lot of violence with a background of World War II, but it is really about the portrayal of justice and how the United States thinks that they are a righteous power. The task of visualizing World War II has recently been taken up by new media, particularly video games, which include Call of Duty. This has therefore created new social and political perspectives of the war other than what movies like Pearl Harbor or Saving Private Ryan would naturally point out to. World War II games features military combat. Nevertheless, more than this, the World War II game has somehow become a “resilient formula and an important way that the cultural memory of the war was activated for a growing segment of the population” (Allison 183). Thus, such games have somehow illustrated a justified military force where the United States acted as the savior of the world. One more quality of Call of Duty and other World War II shooter games is the fact that the player can take the role of “an American paratrooper, a British Special Forces operative, and a Russian tank commander,” thus adding an element of equality to the game, or the idea that other countries, like Great Britain and Russia, believed in America’s cause during World War II (“Exclusive First Look”). The fact that one can play more than just being an American soldier in Call of Duty somehow instills in the minds of those exposed to the game that other countries have consented to the war that America has fought long and hard. The cooperation of other countries especially powerful countries like Great Britain and Russia somehow lends to the idea that America indeed fought a worthwhile war and was therefore justified in its mission of bringing justice to the world. This makes Call of Duty similarly worthwhile, and this makes this particular shooter game highly instrumental in instilling in everyone who plays it the idea that America was the harbinger of justice to the world. Another way that the game Call of Duty shows that the United States is the source of justice is for World War II shooter games to “expose people to history” despite the violence that they may instill in them (Mike). The history and documentation behind the violence somehow justifies the violence and somehow makes the players of Call of Duty realize that this violence may have actually happened sometime in actual history, i.e. during World War II. This further means that as long as players realize this fact, then they would understand the role that America played in bringing justice to Europe during World War II despite all the violence that happened. Thus, the historical knowledge and insights that players of Call of Duty may derive from the game will hopefully bring the players to the realization that without this war and without the violence that accompanied it, there would never be any justice that came to Europe and to the rest of the world at that time in history. Moreover, although there is so much violence that takes place in Call of Duty, the game is still considered a piece of drama that hits hard and that is one story about “what men are prepared to do in the service of their country” (Lewis-Hasteley). Because of such an emphasis on the idea of service to one’s country, one begins to understand that all the violence in this game is directed towards the purpose of peace and service to the American people and to all innocent people of the world. Because of such realization, players of the game learn that the United States did everything during World War II in order to arrive at the peace that everyone wanted. Justice was therefore the main motive behind all these acts of violence in the actual World War II and in the war portrayed by shooter games such as Call of Duty. In fact, it is possible that without the intensity of the violence, players would not be able to realize how hard it was for American and Allied heroes to have fought for the war that freed many countries from the tyranny of Hitler. Aside from showing the world the justice that America made happen during the war, World War II games, including Call of Duty, also portray the power and victory of the United States and that of the Allied forces. It therefore serves as an “evidence for the assured triumph of the West [and particularly the United States]” (Allison 183). It is in fact the interactive game play that performs this function. Playing the game over and over again somehow reiterates and emphasizes to the player and viewer that it was the Allied powers that won the war, and not the Axis powers. Moreover, according to Allison, various World War II games, including Call of Duty, would also recycle similar scenarios of the action during the actual war and the various levels of game play contribute to the narrative association of the war (184). This means that in order to emphasize the victory of the Allied powers, what is needed by these World War II games is not only continuous game play but also the repetition of the various parts that narrates such victory. Furthermore, for Allison, mastery of the details of World War II is somehow helped by the fact that the player also displays mastery and control of the game itself (183-184). Thus, this means that if the game were simply watched as a movie, its significance would somehow be less understood than when it is directly played. World War II video games, including Call of Duty, have also somehow almost perfectly imitated movies about World War II, and so through this, these games can actually portray the details of the power of the United States. The video game versions of the war somehow focus on the discursive associations of World War II films (Allison 186). This means that World War II games that are based on films featuring the actual war serve as more accurate portrayals of the victory of the United States. As an example of this, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, is a shooter game that “borrows much of the iconography of the World War II combat film” (Allison 187). According to Allison, this means that the characters in the game are donned with authentic WWII uniforms, vehicles, weapons ad insignia that appeared in the films and even in real life. The events were also the same as in the movie and in the actual war – D-Day landing, combat in France, tank combat in North Africa, and other events where America actively took part. Moreover, such games also feature characters from various parts of the United States, and for the Call of Duty games, the character is American (Allison 188). Thus, through the realistic backdrop of events that features the heroism of Americans as well as the character portrayal of these anonymous but actual, real-life American heroes, America’s victory, power and superiority in World War II is emphasized. Another characteristic of Call of Duty and similar World War II games is that they feature internationally diverse characters led by American main figures, thus indirectly showing the strong leadership and power of the United States during World War II. Specifically, in Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, although the main character of the game is an Americans named Sgt. Roland Roger, the minor characters include a Jewish soldier named Pvt. Alvin Bloomfield, a Latino-sounding solder named Pvt. Castillo, and a number of African-American, Filipino and Chinese characters (Allison 188). The choice of many characters of multiple nationalities somehow imply not only the idea that World War II was justified by the fact that many countries supported America during the war, but also by the idea that it was the United States who basically fought for these other countries and commanded them into battle. Thus, through this game Call of Duty, one can see that the United States did not only lead but also helped and inspired the people of many countries, not just Americans. One more characteristic of the video game Call of Duty is the use of evidence and historical references for the purpose of making the game authentic, and so this level of authenticity somehow guarantees the believability of events that transpired in the game and in the heroism of America in the actual war. According to Allison, “Like 1940s combat films, these video games include animated maps, epigraphs, inspirational quotations” and place specifications (188). Moreover, in many World War II shooter games, there is a documentary of some kind like a newsreel footage that was taken during the war (188). Such add-ons to the game usually give it not only a rather sophisticated appearance but also a certain degree of authenticity. Such authenticity actually lends credibility to the game and may actually make players think that they are not just playing an ordinary shooter game but they are actually reliving history and taking part in the war that could have destroyed the world. Without such an idea about Call of Duty, players would think that they are merely engaged in senseless and meaningless violence. if they are engaged in such nonsense violence, they would begin thinking that it is perfectly all right to cause this violence to anyone anytime. However, if they understand that the violence in Call of Duty is justified violence and a type of violence that was committed for the sake of justice, then they would rather feel and think that such violence was actually honorable and worthwhile. This also further means that this violence cannot be repeated unless it should be so for the same honorable cause. Another characteristic that makes Call of Duty instrumental in showing the player and the readers that America is a military superior in the world is the game’s sensitivity to social and political issues during World War II. According to Allison, “[Call of Duty’s] overwhelmingly white cast of characters reflects the historical situation of segregation in America’s military during World War II” (188). In short, there was really a segregation issue in the United States during the time of World War II. However, although the game accurately portrays this issue, there is still definitely diversity in the American military in terms of race – Chinese, Filipino, Latino and Jewish (Allison 188). Thus, although Call of Duty accurately portrays details of events in America during the mid-20th century, it is clear that the game does its best not to let these events affect the idea that the United States was still the ultimate bringer of justice and the most superior military leader of the Allied forces during World War II. Moreover, aside from the portrayal of justice and of America’s military power and superiority over other countries, one who plays Call of Duty must also realize that the game is all about the United States treating itself as the ultimate power of justice during World War II. In fact the idea that the main character of the game is an American soldier named Sgt. Roland Roger somehow makes it possible for players and those exposed to the game to realize that not only the game but also World War II was led by the Americans (Allison 188). In short, everything was under the leadership and primary efforts of the United States. This makes America an indispensable, and perhaps the most indispensable, agent of change, peace and justice during World War II. Although other people may interpret this as American dominance over the other races or American supremacy or imperialism, this negative claim clearly does not take into account the idea that the United States did lead the attack on the Axis powers in World War II in order to save not just itself but the whole world. Shooter games, specifically Call of Duty, are highly instrumental in teaching the player or anyone exposed to the game about how strong the United States was as a powerful agent of change during World War II. Moreover, the game is excellent at conveying what this powerful country did in order to bring justice to Europe and to show the world its superiority in military power. Call of Duty taught about the duty of the United States to bring justice to Europe during World War II by exposing the players to details of actual history, by emphasizing the soldier’s duty of service to his country, and by making the United States appear as the leader of other nations including those of the Chinese, Filipinos, the Jewish and the Latin Americans. Moreover, Call of Duty did its best to show that the United States was militarily superior to others in carrying out this justice by showing game players by incorporating in the game details of actual history of the war, by emphasizing that the violence in this game merely reflects the actual events that happened during the war, and by basing the game on the actual sequence of events during this time in history. In all these ways, it is the United States and the American soldier that always come out as the hero. Thus, more than just being a violent shooter game, Call of Duty emphasizes the great role that America played during the war. Top of Form Bottom of Form Works Cited Allison, Tanine. "The World War II Video Game, Adaptation, And Postmodern History." Literature Film Quarterly 38.3 (2010): 183-193. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. “Exclusive First Look.” Macworld 21.6 (2004): 52. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. Lewis-Hasteley, Helen. "Violent Games Might Be Tasteless, But Are They Dangerous?." New Statesman 140.5065 (2011): 57.Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. Mike, Snider. "WWII shows no battle fatigue." USA Today. n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. Read More