War is tragedy, but war is also devastatingly beautiful with the science behind the weapons and the strategies facing each other, one mind against another (in complete and total, practical application). There are so many books recounting war times trying to impart a few lessons or morals, but what about the games?

Is there a lesson behind war games? Or are they purely for entertainment purposes?

When I think about it is Battle Front simply conveying the opposition and constant battle between light and dark? Does Wolfenstein show how expendable lives were during wars?

What do you think? 

I think there is a lesson... war is beautiful and even though some war games are made up or not actually real they show each and every player a sign of what could happen or the trust that they put into their fellow solider friend. It's a magical thing and very unique. War is one of those things that no matter what comes about there is always a lesson to be told.. many may not know what the lesson is but it's there you just have to look a little bit harder.

I don't really think too much of it to be honest, i just see war games as a for of entertainment even though I don't even play them to begin with. I think they are just there for pure entertainment, but if you want to go more in depth with it, I guess you could say there is a lesson to be learned from these kinds of games and maybe they are perhaps magical and unique, it all depends on how the player sees it, let's just leave it at that, if they see it as a war game or as something else on a more inspirational level, that is totally up to them. Interesting topic by the way. 

In some ways, war games teach us a lot about stragety and quick thinking and they also can teach us historicla moments.

I think there can be a serious lesson to be learned in war games, as I discovered when I found a video on YouTube showing clips of war games, with the song "Confession" by Red playing. It was quite moving actually. It taught me that, though war is sometimes necessary, it's always a result of the evil and selfishness that resides deep inside of the heart of mankind, and that it's a tragedy.

However, I highly doubt that most war games intend to convey much of a real lesson.

Eirinn :

one thing that war games have taught me is this.

You may not think that your enemy is always evil, but You are entrusted with the lives of the men underneath you, and they are your first responsibility to protect. When it comes down to it, I may be commander of an army and I may not think that my enemy is that evil, but I must protect my own men, for their lives are entrusted to me. They are my first and foremost responsibility. So I must treat it as such.

And never view your soldiers as expendable.

They are not.

They are people, not coins to be spent on whatever.

I know that these games are not real, but I try to do what I would do in real life, and see how far in the game it takes me.

Sword legion : Those were very good points as well. War has little to do with who the participants think is right or wrong, and mostly deals with following orders and protecting one's own.

Ironic that these games that are supposed to promote violence and murder according to the media, have actually had the opposite effect on your thought process, is it not? I think that also goes to show that how we react to anything is all dependent on our personality and personal mental state.

Eirinn :

Yeah, that is true, many people do take things differently based on their maturity.

I think that violent games should promote a sense of righteousness in children. When I used to watch some of the older Christian cartoons, I decided that I always wanted to be on God's side, or the good side because of what happens to the evil people.

Attacking others isn't as heroic feeling as defending you own. Some people are raised with a righteous place for voilence in their mind, others are not.


I have played as the bad guys in war games though, but that was usually for multi-player purposes. (sibling rivalry, me vs Bombchu link) XD

The more fake a game is the less I mind being the bad guys or treating the game as something more strategic. (ie, chess pieces really don't seem like people to me. LOL)


Older people can filter what goes through their mind better than children.

When children are young, make the play heroic games, that will instill good values in them. I know that it did to me.

EideticMemory :
Bintsy :

"War is beautiful."  I know how you mean it.  I was in the Marines for six years, from 2000 to 2006, and I've fought and seen all combat has to offer.  Killing another human being, watching what modern day combat arms can do, is the ugliest thing in the world.  Explosions can seem really pretty with the colors and there is something awe inspiring of a military on the move but the result?  It's a butcher shop.

War games are pure entertainment.  Real time strategy games like Close Combat II are educational and hex-based strategy games are for just that, strategy.

For me, the shoot 'em ups and first person shooters are war porn.  They're meant to be fun and entertaining and they don't teach anything.  You can die and it's fine.  Cover, concealment, and surviving are far more important to shooting it out with bad guys.

And there are no 'bad guys' in war.  Each side knows they're right.

Yes there is. It is a lesson that is very deep in there. Teaches you war isnt right. You are killing all these people, you learn its not right.

It really depends on the game, but if there is a lesson to be learned, it is probably something along the lines of, "War is ugly. It is damned near one of the most horrific things that can occur between two opposing parties. However, it is a necessary evil. It is something that cannot simply be brushed off and forgotten. War is something that can and will happen, especially when people's greed gets in the way. It must learn to be accepted, and this game is here to show you just how tragic that lesson can be." At least, that would be my take on it, I guess.