A Glut of War Games

Activision just announced Call of Duty, the new Medal of Honor game is coming (hi Naked) and I'm sure we'll see more War themed FPS titles announced at E3.

Are things going to get too crowded like we've seen in RTS games long past and perhaps MMORPGs? Personally, I can only take so many war games before I start to go crazy.

I only need and play two war games right now. BF 1942 and C&C. I don''t have the time to even try everything that is coming out. I still have AOM to install.

I was arguing with some marketing student about a study he read that said that about 2 years previous to the Iraq war, the market had begun working on many more war-related movies and entertainment so that people would be more desensitized to the new conflict. That there was a clear rise in the number of war-related movies/videogames.

I thought it was bullsh*t, but I didn''t have enough information to debate. You guys think it''s true? I have noticed many more war-related games this year, but not many movies.

Correlation does not imply causality. The onus is still on your friend for supporting evidence to his claim. I might just as easily argue that lowered infant mortality rates in the US are a direct result of modernist literature. The fact is, as the modernist movement reached its apex and then declined (leading naturally to the post-modern era) the mortality rates in the US were dropping dramatically. We all know that the two issues are obviously not related, and I use an absurd example to illustrate, but it shows my point of correlated events not having any evidence of causality. You win the argument by default unless he can provide some evidence to support his fairly ludicrous claims.

Besides, does he really think the US Government is calling up DICE, Electronic Arts, and Strategy First to tell them what games they must make? I mean ... really?

I was arguing with some marketing student about a study he read that said that about 2 years previous to the Iraq war, the market had begun working on many more war-related movies and entertainment so that people would be more desensitized to the new conflict.

I think that was less a ''pre-Iraq''-thing and more of a ''post-9/11''-effect. Kinda like some action movies were canned/delayed, but war movies like BHD, We Were Soldiers (or whatever that Mel Gibson flick was called) or Behind Enemy Lines were pushed (or even moved ahead). A result of 9/11 and the upcoming war in Afghanistan. Of course, these movies were made before all those things actually happened, but once they ''arrived'' the studios made sure that their products make their way into the theatres in time. Not to desensitize anyone, rather because of a certain ''demand'' the market felt.

"Elysium" wrote:

Besides, does he really think the US Government is calling up DICE, Electronic Arts, and Strategy First to tell them what games they must make? I mean ... really?

If it were that way, the US government would threaten military action to force Sierra and Valve to finish up Team Fortress 2.

If it were that way, the US government would threaten military action to force Sierra and Valve to finish up Team Fortress 2.

Nah the Government got tired of waiting for TF2 and decided to do it themselves with Americas Army.

I just think it''s the markets tastes. In a few years we''ll be tired of war games and go back to saving the world from giant intergalatic bugs.

My General Psych teacher gave our class the PERFECT example of correlation v. causality.

What would you say if I told you that there is a very significant correlation between foot size and IQ?
The larger the foot, the higher the IQ.
It''s true, the correlation value is actually above .6. This extreamly high correlation value would leave someone to believe that a larger foot size causes a higher IQ.

Absurd isn''t it?

The truth is that adults have both larger shoe sizes and higher IQs. While there is a correlation, there is absolutely no causality relation ship. The two just happen to coincide.

What would you say if I told you that there is a very significant correlation between foot size and IQ?
The larger the foot, the higher the IQ.

Wait just a minute there. I always thought the correlation was a big foot means you have a big........, um, little buddy!

If that''s true, then the Irish Curse must also apply to one''s feet.