"Glorious Mission": China's answer to America's Army?

Didn't see any posts about this upcoming Chinese shooter yet. Here's a preview.

The controversial things are:

1. The USA is the primary enemy, which by itself seems like no big deal after Battlefield 2 and other games, but...

2. It looks like it's being developed for the PLA and will be used as a recruiting tool.

I have some mixed feelings about this one to be honest and I'm not really a big China alarmist.

Are they moving from trying to own you to trying to pwn you?

The game play footage is rather troubling, but it makes me wonder what it feels like to be a citizen of one of the countless OPFOR nations featured in so many games developed in the US. I'm thinking specifically of Russia and China.

gewy wrote:

2. It looks like it's being developed for the PLA and will be used as a recruiting tool.

I wonder about this. I don't think the PLA is hurting for soldiers. The PLA has millions of soldiers in reserve who they don't even need. Technically speaking, the PLA isn't even a voluntary army, but since there are already so many enlisted volunteer soldiers, they haven't had to enact a draft.

This looks like a step towards Chinese nationalism though. The PLA is one of the more respected institutions in Chinese society (read: not the most corrupt, has an arguably favorable position in recent Chinese history). I imagine that propping the PLA against a worthy adversary like the US is a Chinese government move towards strengthening the Chinese government's image in the eyes of its people. (The rest of the government is viewed as corrupt, inept or malicious to the people)

What was the name of that Battlefield game where US invaded Northern China?

Yeah, if Americans blows a gasket over this, maybe a little self-reflection as a society is in order. Of course I would prefer them to not use as bad guys in video games, but we've done it to them before, and the Germans, and the Japanese, and the Iraqis, and the Russians, and the Afghans, and the Vietnamese, etc...

The major difference between Call of Duty or Red Dawn is that it wasn't actually produced by our government/military. When the Chinese military starts to demonize and push out propaganda about a future war with the United States, I have a bit more concern than a film studio doing so.

America's Army was actually developed by the Army. The Chinese game was developed by Giant Network Technology Co., not the PLA.

OG_slinger wrote:

America's Army was actually developed by the Army. The Chinese game was developed by Giant Network Technology Co., not the PLA.

It was made for to PLA, though. To their specifications. Again, it's a little bit worrying that their propaganda / indoctrination is specifically for a conflict against the United States.

The game comes from PLA, which is not an acronym for a development firm but instead the People’s Liberation Army of China. The PLA collaborated with Wuxi Giant Interactive Group to create the game which pits Chinese soldiers against their main opposition, the US military.

Glorious Mission (also known as Mission of Honor) is being used a training tool for PLA recruits treads on some dangerous territory by piquing U.S. concerns of nationalism and anti-American sentiments.

Are the Chinese and the Russians supposed to develop the first person shooters so that the enemy is other Chinese or Russians?

The whole outrage seems kinda silly since we've been virtually shooting at Russians, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabs and about 12 other nationalities for the last 20 years or so.

Also, armed conflict against China isn't anything new. We fought the Chinese army in two different wars over the past 60 years. Would it be considered better if the programmers modeled the weapons as 1950s-1960s era rifles instead of current weaponry?

**Edit- I am in no way imagining that this is a good thing for them to do. In fact I think it may be a little stupid on their part. But at the end of the day, we will still need them to buy our debt and be a massive trader with us.

Now they need to release it here. I can't be the only U.S. american interested in playing my in game bad guy self. Hopefully America's Army will answer with a better looking and more interesting game.

Now they need to release it here. I can't be the only U.S. american interested in playing my in game bad guy self. Hopefully America's Army will answer with a better looking and more interesting game.

I'd agree, but watching the video, the graphics kinda suck and some of the scenes gave me a serious sense of deja vu from earlier Call of Duty games (eg landing craft opens and you storm the beaches, crashing helicopter comes to a stop right in front of you).

Just don't let the player shoot any children or a specific unarmed ethnic group and you'll be fine.

Eh, again, my problem is with the fact it was developed by the PLA: It's hard to control the free market/games industry, and a US vs. Russian/Chinese conflict certainly makes for a juicy storyline. But I'd be a little disturbed if the US government commissioned and paid for a film to be created about how to deal with the 'Iranian menace' and was pushing out anti-Persian propaganda. That'd make me wonder about the thought process of the higher-ups and wonder about a certain overly bellicose top brass seeking out a war rather than merely preparing for it.

Thus, when I hear the PLA commissioned this game and is distributing it among its new recruits, it's a bit worrisome to me about the thought process of the Chinese military.

In games like Call of Duty 4 you're not fighting against the Russian army per se, but rather crazy Russian separatists. If this game has Chinese players fighting crazy Tea Party birthers who are trying to speed up the apocalypse, then I'm all for it.

jdzappa wrote:

In games like Call of Duty 4 you're not fighting against the Russian army per se, but rather crazy Russian separatists. If this game has Chinese players fighting crazy Tea Party birthers who are trying to speed up the apocalypse, then I'm all for it.

I think i've just thought of the plot for the next Indiana Jones movie: Separatist Tea Party members are planning to induce the Rapture.... but Indy's not having any of that occult sh*t going down on his lawn.

Duoae wrote:
jdzappa wrote:

In games like Call of Duty 4 you're not fighting against the Russian army per se, but rather crazy Russian separatists. If this game has Chinese players fighting crazy Tea Party birthers who are trying to speed up the apocalypse, then I'm all for it.

I think i've just thought of the plot for the next Indiana Jones movie: Separatist Tea Party members are planning to induce the Rapture.... but Indy's not having any of that occult sh*t going down on his lawn.

Starring Shia LaBeef as the guy who gets shot and gives out a Wilhelm Scream in the first 30 seconds..

Tanglebones wrote:
Duoae wrote:
jdzappa wrote:

In games like Call of Duty 4 you're not fighting against the Russian army per se, but rather crazy Russian separatists. If this game has Chinese players fighting crazy Tea Party birthers who are trying to speed up the apocalypse, then I'm all for it.

I think i've just thought of the plot for the next Indiana Jones movie: Separatist Tea Party members are planning to induce the Rapture.... but Indy's not having any of that occult sh*t going down on his lawn.

Starring Shia LaBeef as the guy who gets shot and gives out a Wilhelm Scream in the first 30 seconds..

Bill O'Reilly is president and Glenn Beck is the Secretary of Defense.

KrazyTacoFO wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:
Duoae wrote:
jdzappa wrote:

In games like Call of Duty 4 you're not fighting against the Russian army per se, but rather crazy Russian separatists. If this game has Chinese players fighting crazy Tea Party birthers who are trying to speed up the apocalypse, then I'm all for it.

I think i've just thought of the plot for the next Indiana Jones movie: Separatist Tea Party members are planning to induce the Rapture.... but Indy's not having any of that occult sh*t going down on his lawn.

Starring Shia LaBeef as the guy who gets shot and gives out a Wilhelm Scream in the first 30 seconds..

Bill O'Reilly is president and Glenn Beck is the Secretary of Defense.

Wouldn't Indy be like 100 years old or something then?

Paleocon wrote:
KrazyTacoFO wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:
Duoae wrote:
jdzappa wrote:

In games like Call of Duty 4 you're not fighting against the Russian army per se, but rather crazy Russian separatists. If this game has Chinese players fighting crazy Tea Party birthers who are trying to speed up the apocalypse, then I'm all for it.

I think i've just thought of the plot for the next Indiana Jones movie: Separatist Tea Party members are planning to induce the Rapture.... but Indy's not having any of that occult sh*t going down on his lawn.

Starring Shia LaBeef as the guy who gets shot and gives out a Wilhelm Scream in the first 30 seconds..

Bill O'Reilly is president and Glenn Beck is the Secretary of Defense.

Wouldn't Indy be like 100 years old or something then?

Wasn't he already that old in Skulls?

Oreo_Speedwagon wrote:

Eh, again, my problem is with the fact it was developed by the PLA: It's hard to control the free market/games industry, and a US vs. Russian/Chinese conflict certainly makes for a juicy storyline. But I'd be a little disturbed if the US government commissioned and paid for a film to be created about how to deal with the 'Iranian menace' and was pushing out anti-Persian propaganda. That'd make me wonder about the thought process of the higher-ups and wonder about a certain overly bellicose top brass seeking out a war rather than merely preparing for it.

Thus, when I hear the PLA commissioned this game and is distributing it among its new recruits, it's a bit worrisome to me about the thought process of the Chinese military.

So I take it you're just as concerned about what America's Army says to the billion plus Muslims in the world since they seem to be depicted as our enemy in that game?

How about a Zombie Indy?

KrazyTacoFO wrote:

How about a Zombie Indy?

Or they could just have him discover the Fountain of Youth in the beginning of the movie. Oh, and shoot Jack Sparrow to get to it.

OG_slinger wrote:

So I take it you're just as concerned about what America's Army says to the billion plus Muslims in the world since they seem to be depicted as our enemy in that game?

I'll be honest, the "America's Army" series of games just didn't interest me too much. But, from what I thought I understood, the game made a suitably amorphous enemy -- to the point that you never actually play as them. Each side sees themselves as the Americans, while the other is some sort of enemy force (That just happens to use all American equipment? Heh. Maybe we're fighting a Belgian/Israeli axis of power!) If the enemy is some sort of stereotypical Middle Eastern group who scream Allah Ackbar, death to the infidels with spray-paint all along the walls about 'Kill the Great Satan!', yeah, I don't think that's appropriate or wise. But from all I've heard, it's actually a really boring game where you have to do various weapon qualifications in single-player and a multiplayer game with a force that's basically a clone of the U.S. forces but in different camos.

However, sitting here looking at videos of America's Army 3 on YouTube, I don't really see anything like you're describing. A lot of the terrain looks -- frankly -- European. Are we perhaps gearing up for a sneak attack second round on Bosnia?!?