Showbiz

Uproar as controversial video game allows users to play out an actual battle from the Iraq war

Uproar as controversial video game allows users to play out an actual battle from the Iraq war

An upcoming video game is facing criticism for portraying a battle from the Iraq war.

The game, Six Days in Fallujah, depicts the 2004 Second Battle of Fallujah in which around 800 Iraqi civilians, as well as 100 US and British troops, were killed, according to the Red Cross.

It was originally announced in 2009 but was dropped by its publisher due to its contentious nature.

Now, it is set to be released later this year on a range of consoles and is being developed by a company Victura, which used to make military training simulators for the CIA and FBI.

The Second Battle of Fallujah, which took place during November and December 2004, was the bloodiest battle of the entire Iraq War for American troops and was controversial due to allegations that U.S. forces used the chemical weapon white phosphorus against civilians - something that the U.S. military denies. It is also remarkable due to its high death toll.

John Phipps, a veteran from the battle said the game risked glorifying the US military. He is quoted by IGN as saying: “There is a massive unwillingness on the part of American media, no matter what form of media it is, to portray US soldiers as the antagonists or the bad guys, which, in that instance, we were.”

Read more:

In a statement, the game’s developer said the game is “inseparable from politics.” It added that it will not portray the use of white phosphorus and will use a mix of first-person shooter gameplay and documentary footage to tell the story.

But the company’s announcement has not placated those concerned about the game, and posting on Twitter, several people have expressed their unease about the game.

You can watch gameplay from Six Days in Fallujah in the video below.

More: Are game developers becoming lazy, greedy or both?

The Conversation (0)