Video games and politics have been intertwined since gaming’s earliest days, with many developers using video games as a medium to talk about real-world issues and problems. Frommassive franchises likeCall of DutyandMetal Gearusing games using video games as a platform to deliver messages on the harshness of war and its repercussions to indie games likeNot for Broadcastgiving a unique spin on censorship and extremism, games have long been used as a form of expression for developers trying to send a message to players.
While many players dislike the idea of developers using their games to push political mindsets, games have been long used as a platform to tell these kinds of stories. War is a common theme of many of today’s most popular shooters likeCall of DutyandBattlefieldwhile world events like9/11 have affected games likeMetal Gear Solid 2. However, with the increasing presence of online media and forums, misinformation has also become rampant, with the most recent presenting footage of popular shooterArma 3as real footage from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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A video ofArma 3’s gameplay has been making rounds on Twitter, with the footage incorrectly credited as taken from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine presented as the Ukrainian military intercepting Russian fighter planes. Many fans familiar withArma 3have quickly jumped to point out the inaccuracy with the footage depicting an American A-10 Thunderbolt/Warthog combating an American anti-air C-RAM vehicle. The footage has been quickly discredited by manyArmaplayers, but the Tweet has still reached over 10,000 likes and nearly 4,000 re-tweets.
This kind of false information spread usingArma 3would not be the first time the shooter has been embroiled in similar types of controversy. During conflicts late last year between Pakistan and Afghanistan,similar footage fromArma 3was misrepresentedby several news outlets in India, being presented as evidence of Pakistani-supported Taliban forces launching airstrikes against Afghanistan. While the mix-up was quickly rectified, several outlets were criticized for presenting the footage as genuine, whether by ignorance or intent.
WhileArma 3has been out for over eight years, the game continues to maintain a substantial community and even continues to regularly see new DLC with the game seeing multiple expansions throughout last year alone. Last year sawArma 3add three major expansions to the game between theVietnam-themed ‘S.O.G. Prairie Fire’ in May, the Cold War-themed ‘CSLA Iron Curtain’ in June, and the most recent ‘Western Sahara’ coming just a few months ago in November.Arma 3continues to maintain a passionate community nearly a decade after its launch, even after recent real-world controversies related to the game.
