Politics

Skipping Wolfenstein II

Posted on by Tom

The ad campaign for the game Wolfenstein II was brought to my attention in my gaming Twitter timeline.

I don’t follow that account and I sure won’t now.

Obviously games are marketed toward kids, and kids today think it’s the coolest, hippest thing on Earth to “punch Nazis,” thus an ad campaign for a game with cartoon Nazis is born.

Overall I like the Wolfenstein franchise and I’ve played many of those games, though I would describe them as mediocre. I don’t know a thing about this new game, but I’m absolutely, positively not buying it for any reason, even if it goes on sale for $5. I also will not be watching any streams of it, or any YouTube Let’s Play series about it, or retweeting any tweets about it. (That last part won’t be hard for me, since I never do any of that anyway.) I know it won’t make a bit of difference, but I have no desire to support this product in any way.

There are a couple of problems here. First there is the juvenile frivolity of trivializing a potentially serious situation with white supremacists by comparing them with cartoon Nazis. I’ve talked about the imbecilic use of the term “Nazi” a couple of times before though so I won’t rehash it here.

Second is the very hard push to make it seem like players are making a political statement in favor of “the resistance” by buying and playing this game. I will not under any circumstance participate in that. I respect the opinions of “the resistance” and I try to understand their point of view, but they are living in a different world than the one I’m living in. [UPDATE: I live in a centrist world.]

Third is that it’s just another shooter, probably no different from any other shooter. I already own many shooters. I don’t need to throw away money on yet another mediocre shooter.

If they wanted me to buy their game, why not, you know, make a good game that distinguishes itself from the rest? Why lean on cheap tricks and gimmicks that appeal to the lowest common denominator? The only conclusion I can draw is that their game is bad. Or perhaps worse: Mediocre.

P. S. I also didn’t buy that Donald Trump game that popped up on Steam in the wake of the election. (I’ve always wondered if they were sued.)

UPDATE

Oh look, here’s a quote from an MMORPG.com review which illustrates exactly why I’m passing on this game. I do follow this person on Twitter, but I completely disagree with this propagandist straw man rhetoric.

I’m frustrated as anyone with the rise of “White Power” in the US, and there’s no mistaking it, this game is in direct defiance of that bigoted ideal. If you find yourself on that side of the argument, you might not like this game. But if you’re not a total piece of shit, you’re going to love Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.

Emphasis mine. If you don’t support the resistance and buy this game, “you’re a total piece of shit.” ‘Nuff said.

UPDATE 10/27

Spidey-senses tell me it’s a manufactured controversy to sell more games.

UPDATE 10/31/2017

Since there are hordes of people delighting in mocking those who aren’t buying or aren’t liking this game, I want to make it very, very clear that I do not care at all about a “liberal message” in the game’s story. (I don’t know if there is one or not, but one would assume this is the primary reason for most #GamerGate gamers to reject it.) I can consume stories with both hard left and hard right messages without any damage to my own sensibilities, because I’m an adult.

The issue I have is the very blatant advertising message that one must buy this game to affirm one’s credentials as a “right-thinking” person. (“Right” meaning “correct,” not ideologically right, obviously.)

UPDATE 11/29/2017

And one month later…

Free trial already, and not so much “punching Nazis” in that ad, is there?

,
Tom