By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator
Dallas, TX – Like me, you might be disappointed - but not surprised. Video war games are hot. While other entertainment venues are attempting to use discretion and sensitivity, the video industry is using exploitation. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Midday.
An "unfortunate coincidence" is what NovaLogic spokesman Marcus Beer told the Wall Street Journal. Just a few days after the conflict in Iraq began, the video game "Delta Force: Black Hawk Down" was released. Though it's based on the bloody 1993 U.S. military incident in Somalia, it has no ties the film or the book of the same title. Sounding a little defensive, Mr. Beer said, "We're a company like any other, and everything was in production." What, you never heard the phrase, "stop the presses!"
Trust me, they couldn't have been happier with its timing. In the first four days of its debut, Black Hawk Down sold eleven thousand copies. NovaLogic just took the lead - new war-themed games are bombarding the market. But the $10.3 billion videogame industry (that's just in the U.S., by the way) is attempting to be sensitive in its - marketing. The executive editor of PC Gamer magazine told the Journal "Advertising has become more subdued." NovaLogic actually postponed some of its online advertising. And the launch party must have been a bore without the usually military gear and flashy props.
But don't be fooled. On the inside of all these "tastefully marketed games is violence. The war and fighting has never been more realistic, with titles like "Command and Conquer," "Battlefield: 1942" and "Call of Duty," where players can "experience the dramatic intensity of war through the eyes of common soldiers." You want realism, I've got a title for ya: "War is Hell." Ask any soldier.
But there is one company who took a more honorable stand. The Detroit Free Press reports Deluxe Solutions has suspended production of all games showing war between human beings - as opposed to aliens. For KERA Marketplace Midday, I'm Maxine Shapiro.
Marketplace Midday Reports air on KERA 90.1 Monday - Friday at 1:04 p.m. To contact Maxine Shapiro, please send emails to mshapiro@kera.org.