Teens slam 'racist' game, but still love it

[Anastrophe]

Teens slam 'racist' game, but still love it

April 22 2004 at 05:36AM

By Amil Khan

Cairo - Glued to computer screens in a Cairo cybercafe, Egyptian teenagers lead United States forces against China and a shadowy Middle Eastern group, while most of the country seethes in anger against US policy in the region.

The US-produced computer game Command and Conquer: Generals portrays a scenario in which the US and China battle the Global Liberation Army (GLA), a Middle Eastern underground movement with a fondness for chemical weapons.

The teenagers say the game reinforces the western image of Arabs as "terrorists" with introductory scenes showing them gunning down civilians and stealing US aid, but the graphics and high-octane action keeps them hooked.

'I know it's racist but what can I do?'

"I really like the game. I play it every day. I miss it if I don't play it for a day. I know it's racist but what can I do? It's a good game," said 16-year-old Ahmed Mohsen.

The teenagers, all students at an American high school in Cairo, say they are annoyed that games, movies, comics and books from the United States portray Arabs as cruel fanatics but despair that there are no Arab companies that can make products to redress the balance.

"You can't boycott American products because the substitutes are no good. There is no way an Egyptian company can make good quality games," said 18-year-old Ahmed Abdel Qader.

Other Egyptian fans use the virtual characters to take out real-world frustrations.

"Some people enjoy playing as the GLA against America so they can fight the American army," said Mohsen.

'The game makers make the Arabs look like evil bastards'

Demonstrations in Egypt against US support for Israel or the US-led occupation of Iraq are controlled by security forces. Some activists complain of political arrests or say that protesters are beaten.

Mohsen says he does not play the GLA, not because of any political opinion but because the US forces in the game are superior. "You know they made it and will make their army the best," he said.

The website for Generals, produced by computer game giant Electronic Arts says the armies were "inspired by real-world ideologies".

"The GLA uses weapons like toxic weapons, car bombs and suicide bombers. The game makers make the Arabs look like evil bastards," said 16-year-old Amir al-Gindy, taking a break from intimidating his friends with a huge Chinese army.

In three dimensional battlegrounds spread over Central Asia and the Middle East, US weapons verging on science fiction, such as the supersonic Aurora Bomber, battle the GLA's low-tech poison spraying toxin tractor and the bomb truck.

Although the game does not directly identify the GLA as Arab, the names of the rebels sound vaguely Arabic without being real Arabic names. The characters speak in what could be described as Arabic accents.

In other scenes, different nationalities are drawn into the GLA umbrella.

One scene shows the angry mob the GLA can muster - women in black veils and men wearing Afghan hats.

The Egyptian teenagers say the message is not very subtle.

"The GLA represents all of the US's enemies in one role. They are what the US calls terrorists," said Abdel Qader.

"They might as well make Osama bin Laden one of the generals," said Mohsen, referring to the leader of the al-Qaeda network blamed by the US for the September 11 attacks on Washington and New York.

Zero Hour, an expansion to the game, allows players to assume the personalities of different commanders. One GLA general who specialises in stealth operations wears combat fatigues with an Arab scarf around his head and clutches an AK-47 rifle while snarling at the camera.

Gindy, who has lived and studied in Canada for a large part of his life, says the game's portrayal of the GLA influences young people in the west.

"When you play the game online, young kids about my own age will ask where I am from. When I say 'Egypt', they think I live in a shack," he said.

"The GLA's crappy bases just pushes the idea that Arabs are backwards and people in other countries end up believing this."

In spite of their strong feelings about the portrayal of Arabs, the teenagers say most Egyptians have found a way to enjoy the game with a clear conscience.

"People buy fake versions of the game, so they say 'well at least I'm not giving the game makers any money,'."

[DJ Sack]

Its not racist though, they are racist for trying to interpret it as racism. If you had a game where you had a black man with a gun, people would shout out racism again saying it makes it look like all black men use guns and kill people.

[Anastrophe]

steady on, if you had a game where everyone with a gun was black then I would say they have a point.

It does portray the ME region in a very bad light when you stop to think about it.

[DJ Sack]

But many games, especially early games have every character who is white, for example, in goldeneye every single character is white, they all use guns and kill people. But no one says it is racist against white people, but you know for a fact if it was a minority group concerned then it would be racism.

I guess its just the way i see racism, i feel a lot of racism is just people causing trouble and pointing out differences, when as humans we are all the same, no matter what your colour and anti racism is meant to not point out differences of people even if there is.

[mr. fancypants]

In Perfect Dark the only black person was the president... I wanna shoot minorities too godamnit!

[Pob]

But many games, especially early games have every character who is white, for example, in goldeneye every single character is white, they all use guns and kill people. But no one says it is racist against white people, but you know for a fact if it was a minority group concerned then it would be racism.

I guess its just the way i see racism, i feel a lot of racism is just people causing trouble and pointing out differences, when as humans we are all the same, no matter what your colour and anti racism is meant to not point out differences of people even if there is.

Yeah, but you must be able to see that Western kids are going to grow up with preconceived ideas if the games they play constantly cast Arabs in bad-guy roles, toting AK-74s and using suicide bombers. It reinforces stereotypes among impressionable young people.

Of course minority groups have more cause to be concerned about racism, as they are in a weaker position that the majority.

[hub2]

If you can't see this as racist propaganda you're fucking blind. It's ubiquitous in the gaming world and if people keep buying this politicised shite its not going to change.

[CrispinG]

It's hardly anything new. The Middle East has just replaced Russia as the generic terrorist nation in videogames, movies and books. Just reflects the fears and suspicions of white America.

[sandman]

If you can't see this as racist propaganda you're fucking blind. It's ubiquitous in the gaming world and if people keep buying this politicised shite its not going to change.

Who are you saying is producing the "racist propoganda"?

[F-zero]

If you can't see this as racist propaganda you're fucking blind. It's ubiquitous in the gaming world and if people keep buying this politicised shite its not going to change.

You seem to have a problem, i suggest you play non political games.

[hub2]

Who are you saying is producing the "racist propoganda"?

The producers and developers of countless military fantasy games currently being made in the US, Britain and Europe.

[hub2]

You seem to have a problem, i suggest you play non political games.

I don't play 'political' games.

[Popo]

I'm usually the first person to roll his eyes when people start talking about political correctness, but I was GOBSMACKED when I first played C&C Generals. I was personally offended by the portrayals of the different sides and felt a palpable sense of uneasiness that this game was being bought and played by people around the world, and that people might buy into this twisted portrayal of Middle Easterns because of it.

Generals is a shit game in the first place, but the imagery used within it is at best irresponsible and at worst verging on propoganda.

You seem to have a problem, i suggest you play non political games.

Generals isn't a 'political' game - it is pure fantasy subtley disguised within a realistic context. I'm not saying EA have a political agenda, nor am I saying they don't. However, major corporations often have political inerests, especially in America where money can buy you political sway. I don't think it's an absurd proposition to say that Generals is propoganda.

[The Liberal Elite]

Generals isn't a 'political' game - it is pure fantasy subtley disguised within a realistic context.  I'm not saying EA have a political agenda, nor am I saying they don't.  However, major corporations often have political inerests, especially in America where money can buy you political sway.  I don't think it's an absurd proposition to say that Generals is propoganda.

Saying that though, I played Freedom Fighters a couple of weeks back, and Whilst I'm probably reading FAAAAR too much into it, but I thought, 'ooo, Iraq!'

and that's EA distributed as well, so maybe they're just trying to cover all bases. or something.

[MK-1601]

Saying that though, I played Freedom Fighters a couple of weeks back, and Whilst I'm probably reading FAAAAR too much into it, but I thought, 'ooo, Iraq!'

and that's EA distributed as well, so maybe they're just trying to cover all bases. or something.

Freedom Fighters is kind of amusing. Organising a violent underground resistance movement against an invading country is OK as long as you're American.

Thankfully its 'political' content is so tongue in cheek that I can't see it offending anyone too severely.

[Flockheart]

To Command & Conquer General's credit it wasn't really trying to be racist but just played with the stereotypes asscociated with each force. I found the representation of the American forces as amusing as the representations of either of the other sides. The armies in the game we're nothing more offensive than caricature - it was entertainment. Also a friend of mine who is heavily into C&C found the "Arab" GLA to be the best force in the game overall.

[Salsa Party Animal]

The problem with gaming world most of the money come from North America, Oceania, Japan and Western Europe.

There is nothing stopping them using the game engine to make a game that reflect arabic culture.

[Jim Miles]

I've not played C&C: Generals so it could be very obviously racist for all I know, but if it's just a case of who the developers have chosen as the goodie and baddie sides then I don't have a problem with it. It's fictitious, just like the other C&C games. They're not saying it's real and that Arabs are really like that any more than that Russians are really evil by implication from the Red Alert games. Surely?

For me, that series has always played it for laughs anyway and the bad guys are much more appealing than, say, that original sap who briefed you for GDI missions in the first C&C.

We're mature enough to know that on screen violence isn't real so we're mature enough to know that on screen politics isn't either.

Blatantly I'll play the game and change to a 'ban this sick filth stance'. Irony does that kind of sick shit.

[Jim Miles]

in goldeneye every single character is white

Mayday

Baron Samedi

Misc. enemy head #4

Okay I guessed that last one so it could be bollocks, but I'm pretty sure there's more than two non-white characters in Goldeneye anyway. Does Oddjob count?

[Paradigm]

Its not racist though, they are racist for trying to interpret it as racism. If you had a game where you had a black man with a gun, people would shout out racism again saying it makes it look like all black men use guns and kill people.

That is a completely false analogy. C&C Generals is narrative driven, whereby the Arabs are 'evil'. This is utterly different to your example.