Re: Controversial Gaming Question

From: Eugene Young <10395@utech.net>

Date: Sun, 30 Jun 1996 00:00:00 +0000

Aleks Andrzejewski wrote:
>
> I want to start a thread of discussion on a topic.  Here it goes:
>
> This is a discussion of developing a game dealing with life in or the
> running of an concentration camp.  I am playing devil�s advocate on
> this one.
>
> With the development of many different types of games, one wonders why
> there is not one dealing with a concentration camp.  Are we concerned
> over the impropriety of such a game?  Why would we feel it is improper?
>
> We play  games of war, conquest, magic and on and on.  Would not an RPG
> or PBM help us deeper understand the psyche of the perpetrators and
> victims?  This in turn would let us re-play an important part of
> historical content.
>
> Who out there is an experienced game developer who is willing to take
> on the challenge?
>
> Here would be a game dealing with the struggle of good versus evil and
> life versus death.  Are these not the basic components of all games?
> Would there be players for the game?  And why not.  We have players who
> play as good and evil characters.

Because it plays to close to home.

Most people war game because they enjoy the strategy aspect of it, i.e.
where the game is reduced to a rather more intricate "Boardgame" type
situation where one person pits his resourses against others in a rather
complicated, multi-layered "game" environment. I'm sure that if you
pucked most wargames on the market today, anaylzed them in depth, you
would note that except for a few neccessary "prime" characters, that the
game takes a rather impersonnel view insuch as the various game resourses
are pieces representing military hardware.

What you propose starts to, in  a sense, 'personnelize" a rather
nasty apsect of war, as millions of people have been abused, tortured,
and just generally put to death for nothing more then what there genetic
background represented to other people.

I enjoy gaming, and have tried many aspects of diffrent games, but to
bring the vary aspect of concentration camps, which were nothing but
pain, misery, and daeth on a very personnel level, to such a level as a
"just a game" is somehow very repugnent to me. My ancestory is includes
some Polish and German on my Mothers side, who was 8 years old during
world war 2. My Great Grandfather rescued many people from the
possability of dying in these camps.

For someone who grew up on these stories, they represent hard memories of
 a family members pain and suffering.

Hope I did'nt ramble to much, but I wanted to respond to this.

and by the way, a response to your letter in this matter represents a
"string".

EWY

References

Controversial Gaming Question
attila3@ix.netcom.com(Aleks Andrzejewski )
Tue, 25 Jun 1996 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Controversial Gaming Question
attila3@ix.netcom.com(Aleks Andrzejewski )
Tue, 25 Jun 1996 00:00:00 +0000