Water Cooler Games
Water Cooler Games served as the web's primary forum for "videogames with an agenda" — coverage of the uses of video games in advertising, politics, education, and other everyday activities, outside the sphere of entertainment.

The site was maintained at watercoolergames.org from 2003-2009, where it was edited by myself and Gonzalo Frasca. It is now archived here in full.
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Take it easy, it's just a game
by Gonzalo Frasca April 25, 2005
categories: Console & PC Games

What if somebody decided that you are the bad guy/gal? Would you like it to happen to you? What if you are just a fictional bad guy? The obvious answer if that you should take it easy, since it is just a game, right? Everybody knows that you are not really bad, or at least they should. Well, it's an interesting problem, not just in games but in fiction in general, and there is no easy answer to it. Now is the turn to Bangladesh to get really pissed off, since Socom 3 will portray it as a terrorist state. They are actually thinking of suing Sony if they do not remove any reference to their country from the game. I certainly understand their point. It wouldn't be such a problem if somebody accussed Switzerland of being a terrorist state, because we all know that, while very little happens in Switzerland that is relevant to the world attention , the media would be all over it if anything did happen in this little European country. But what about Bangladesh? The international media is not precisely attentive to Bangladeshian politics or events, so it is understandable that if a popular game like Socom 3 focuses on it, that may be one of the very few doses of information that many people would get about Bangladesh. If I accuse Switzerland of being terrorist, at least I can check that accusation that my previous knowledge of the country (I am using Switzerland as an example after the infamous Orson Welles' cuckoo observation). Anyway, on the other hand, it's just a game, right? I am of two minds on it, but I sympathize with Bangladesh on their claim: just because they are an exotic small player in the world, they do not deserve to be called the bad guys.

Comments (4)

I'd like to see an American company make a game where the Americans are bad guys. Maybe they can be evil capitalists. :)

You'd like to see an American company make a game where the Americans are bad guys? Wasn't that what Syndicate was?

Besides, nowadays any company trying to make a game like that would be accused of supporting terrorism or something along the lines of being un-American and hating freedom.

Jean Dupree on April 27, 2005 5:47 PM

SOCOM did a bad thing to potray bangladesh as a terrorist state..!!

Bangladesh is the best country!!!

true bangladeshi on July 22, 2006 7:10 AM

if u state bangladesh a poor country, then check out: http://dhakaracing.50megs.com