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Fukking
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Killing Nazis, fighting religious fanaticism the focus of upcoming video games
As the U.S. grapples with white nationalists rallying in the streets and the violence that followed the protests in Charlottesville, Va., a couple of soon-to-be-released video games are feeling disturbingly timely for some gamers.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, created by the Swedish-based Machine Games, is the hotly anticipated latest instalment in the widely popular series that lets gamers annihilate Nazis — which the game's website calls "everybody's favourite pastime."
So what's new about Nazis as bad guys? The fact that they're in 1960s America, and the Nazi flag is proudly draped along the city's streets — streets where men in Nazi uniforms are fraternizing with robed members of the Ku Klux Klan.
It's a world away from the more traditional Second World War background, where fighting the racist villains takes place on the beaches of Normandy. It's also hitting close to home for some gamers.
"The fact that there is an overlap between Wolfenstein II and reality is absolutely horrifying to me, especially as a Jewish person," said Eric Weiss, a Toronto-based video games editor for pop culture site Dork Shelf.
A 'necessary reminder'
Wolfenstein II, due out in October, is not the only upcoming video game to ring true.
Weiss also points to Ubisoft's Far Cry 5, scheduled to launch in February, which depicts a rural Montana town under the control of a religious doomsday cult. Players will meet and team up with the town's disenfranchised, some of whom feel abandoned by their leaders — a theme that permeated last year's U.S. election.
Ubisoft's Far Cry 5 forgoes the franchise's usual far-flung location in favour of setting the game in Montana, where a religious cult has taken hold of a rural town. (Ubisoft)
Basing the action in an American state is particularly striking since previous versions in the Far Cry franchise have been set on fictional tropical islands or in mountainous regions under the control of anonymous dictators.
According to Weiss, the game sends a message: "We have radicals and extremists right here at home, and right now they're marching in the streets, trying to exert control over small-town America."
But for video games to engage in such charged political themes at all — even those that depict the villains as outlandish caricatures — is "a good thing, because it's something we have to deal with right now," Weiss said, calling it a "necessary reminder."
Killing Nazis, fighting religious fanaticism the focus of upcoming video games - Entertainment - CBC News
Fukking
Wait.
Killing Nazis, fighting religious fanaticism the focus of upcoming video games
As the U.S. grapples with white nationalists rallying in the streets and the violence that followed the protests in Charlottesville, Va., a couple of soon-to-be-released video games are feeling disturbingly timely for some gamers.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, created by the Swedish-based Machine Games, is the hotly anticipated latest instalment in the widely popular series that lets gamers annihilate Nazis — which the game's website calls "everybody's favourite pastime."
So what's new about Nazis as bad guys? The fact that they're in 1960s America, and the Nazi flag is proudly draped along the city's streets — streets where men in Nazi uniforms are fraternizing with robed members of the Ku Klux Klan.
It's a world away from the more traditional Second World War background, where fighting the racist villains takes place on the beaches of Normandy. It's also hitting close to home for some gamers.
"The fact that there is an overlap between Wolfenstein II and reality is absolutely horrifying to me, especially as a Jewish person," said Eric Weiss, a Toronto-based video games editor for pop culture site Dork Shelf.
A 'necessary reminder'
Wolfenstein II, due out in October, is not the only upcoming video game to ring true.
Weiss also points to Ubisoft's Far Cry 5, scheduled to launch in February, which depicts a rural Montana town under the control of a religious doomsday cult. Players will meet and team up with the town's disenfranchised, some of whom feel abandoned by their leaders — a theme that permeated last year's U.S. election.
Ubisoft's Far Cry 5 forgoes the franchise's usual far-flung location in favour of setting the game in Montana, where a religious cult has taken hold of a rural town. (Ubisoft)
Basing the action in an American state is particularly striking since previous versions in the Far Cry franchise have been set on fictional tropical islands or in mountainous regions under the control of anonymous dictators.
According to Weiss, the game sends a message: "We have radicals and extremists right here at home, and right now they're marching in the streets, trying to exert control over small-town America."
But for video games to engage in such charged political themes at all — even those that depict the villains as outlandish caricatures — is "a good thing, because it's something we have to deal with right now," Weiss said, calling it a "necessary reminder."
Killing Nazis, fighting religious fanaticism the focus of upcoming video games - Entertainment - CBC News
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