Wolfenstein 3D, Custer’s Revenge, Ethnic
Cleansing , Super
Columbine Massacre RPG!, that game where you shoot
JFK: all are examples of aspects of the real world being looked at through
the lens of video games. They’re all - to differing extents and in their own
ways - difficult to laude as works of high (even low, in most cases) art or
defend as rounded, fair or (maybe) even worthwhile endeavours. They are all
button-pressers: games that wear their controversy-courting intentions proudly
on their sleeves (sometimes just above an insignia-emblazoned armband). While
the first two examples are merely sillily offensive, it’s that all five are
grounded in very explicit real world contexts - as part or complete recreations
of specific events and happenings - that imbues them their power to wilfully
shock and/or disgust. Game Dev Story
isn’t like any of these because it hasn’t a divisive bone in its body. It does,
however, centre itself on a very real world industry, and by doing so is
actually quite mean in the process, if, of course, you’re inclined to look at
it that way (which I am, just so you know).
Metro 2033 is a tale of survival, hope and skulking. It’s
an atmospheric and affecting, sometimes scary, sometimes tense, rewarding and
exciting look at life after a (you guessed it) nuclear holocaust. Most of all,
though, without the English dubbed dialogue it’s a surreal duck into a world of
half-whispers, confusion and mistaken identity.
The ability
to remember aspects of popular culture is a skill that’s lost to me. ‘Remember
how great that line was in that film we watched a decade ago? It was right striking wasn’t it? To the point
where after hearing it only once we can now quote it verbatim and will do so
forever.’ “Well no, not really my old hypothetical chum. I certainly won’t be ‘cos I forgot it almost the instant it was
spoken in favour of paying attention to the intervening years of my life. Sorry
to have put us both in this very awkward position.” Quotes, scenes and
overarching narratives can all be heard ‘round water coolers the world over. Some
boffins can even remember and render entire
video game maps from memory; a feat which I find admirably super-human. I
though, am rubbish at remembering stuff.
