WARNING:  This post will go into a very dark place, so be warned.  You will be disturbed, but such is the truth when one ventures into portraying combat and the residulas.  While I have no experience with war, I have a vivid imagination and want none of it.  I despise those who would encourage others to go to war.  I find no rational connection between any of these wars and making America safe.  For me, this war began for no other reason then to generate profit for private investors.  It was dressed in patriotism, but it really has done nothing to enhance our place in the world, either in respect to our safety, or reputation.  IMHO, if the government really wanted bin Laden, he would have been dead by now.  Seriously, we lack the capacity to find one guy of such enormous reputation?  I firmly believe that if we wanted bin Laden dead, he would be.  Now, to my post, War Gamers.

There was a post yesterday by Deanie Mills titled, "ON BEHALF OF A GRATEFUL NATION", and you can find it here if you have not read it already.

 "http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/deanie_mills/2009/06/on-behalf-of-a-grateful-nation.php?ref=reccafe

I read a single sentence, {Well, I read the whole thing} and it provoked this post, "In other words, that dark blue sedan is never going to pull up to YOUR front door."  Deanie wrote this to the Gamer,  the blue sedan is the vehicle for the military representatives to inform a family of their death of their son/daughter/husband/wife.  The remark took my mind to creating a game with a more realistic portrayal.  So be warned, graphic images are inherent to this post.

The first thought that came to my head, however, was that Deanie was attempting to provoke the Gamer with the idea that death affects the familiy.  It is a worthless endeavor, however.  Gamers check out of reality.  Their families are irrelevant.  The feelings of others mean nothing to them.  It is demented to enjoy a Game of death.  I agree with Deanie, to profit from these games is despicable.  I suspect that if we were to find the relatives of those who died at D-Day, they would be extremely upset by those video games.  While the wounds of the survivors are old and have healed to some degree, I am sure they are appalled.  It also dawned on me that the WWII generation has little appreciation for new technology and probably are little aware of the popularity of these games.  It is a disturbing fact that the War Games are so common and we have lost our disgust to the extent we have. 

Where are the Pro-Lifers now?  Somebody help!  Is there a Christian in the house?!?  Okay, that is a taunt, but anyone with any conscious could raise their voice and object.  Someone could generate a public opinion against these insults to humanity.  Sure, the businesses have the right to make the games, and those merchants of mockery to human life are welcome to our scorn. 

Here are some proposals as to how to make the game more realistic.  First, the Gamer has to sign a contract that they will not play any new games.  This is the last game they can own and play.  All previous purchased games may be played, but only in a very limited time frame, and only when their War Game situation allows.  If they survive the Game, they will be able to purchase new games, but with the possibility that they may have certain limitations with those games as well.  There is no negotiating with these terms.

Second, the Gamer must accept that the Game, once begun, cannot be abandoned to get a sandwich, or relieve oneself, or even answer the phone.  Until the Game allows one to go to sleep, the Gamer must participate.  It is agreed that games may last 2-3 days without rest.  This is unlikely, yet a distinct possibility in certain circumstances.

Finally, in the event the Gamer is wounded, they may be able in the future to purchase new games, but only after devoting a pre-determined number of hours to the Game, after which the Game will advise the Gamer they can once again add to their video entertainment library.  Again, this may be with certain limitations.

My uncle went to Vietnam when he was nineteen.  He was drafted.  He shared few memories of this part of his life, but one that stuck with him and which he has shared on occassion was his arrival in Vietnam.  He stated he was at the back of one of those big planes and when they opened the door, he felt the heat and humidity envelope him immediately.  He shared that there was an awful smell.  The order was given and he marched out onto the tarmac.  Immediately, he knew he was far, far, far from home.  Our Game can begin here, as the door opens to the new environment in which they wish to "play".  Unfortunately, the Gamer cannot experience the heat and the dust.

The Gamer can then be informed that they will be brought to their quarters.  They will then be sitting in their transport, vulnerable to whatever may occur.  Perhaps the TV screen will provide a view of the gun between their legs, with occassional panoramics of the desert.  There is a chance that they will be subject to gunfire, or an IED.  Maybe it will happen to their vehicle, maybe another vehicle with their convoy.  There are so many options.  This is a really BIG GAME!!! 

If they are subject to gunfire, the Gamer can experience the vehicle increase speed and take evasive action with the images flying across the screen .  They can only remain seatedfor the wild ride, and all they can do is grasp their gun helplessly.  Despite having a weapon, they are vulnerable and must remain in the speeding vehicle.  Maybe someone near them is injured or killed.  They may have the blood of that person next to them on their hands or clothes. 

Another possibility is that they are wounded themselves by gunfire.  They might fall to the floor of the vehicle where they have a view only from there of the world around them, the knees of the other soldiers, a view of the sky above the tailgate.  Unfortunately, there is no way to inflict the pain on the Gamer.  The manufacturer might apologize for their inability to realistically portray this aspect of the experience.  Then they might flash in large red letters on the screen, "PAIN!"  They might increase the size of those letters each time the vehicle turn or hits a bump.  The letters may increase with each bump until the screen is filled with the word, "PAIN!!!", or even grow to suggest the word is larger then the screen and still growing.  It might fill the screen with red at some point, depending on the place in which they were attacked.  {The location of the attack will be arrived at by a formula, like some lottery, and the distance to a hospital figured into the length of the journey to medical treatment.}  All along the way, they will hear screaming from their fellow travelers for them to stay with them.  Maybe someone will offer some comfort.  The Game will portray the travel for the entire half-hour, hour, or whatever.  There is no fast forward in this Game, none. 

It could just be a scratch.  Perhaps a pesky flesh wound, or a bullet that passed through their arm and simply broke a bone.  A six week tour of duty on the family couch for the Gamer until the Game finally reveals where they will be living while in the Game.  The Gamer might be handicapped in such a way that he might only see half of the screen, to imitate the loss of vision for some uknown reason.  At the hospital, later in the game, a surgeon might explain why they cannot see [have a half screen] more precisely.  The remainder of the game will be with half a screen. 

Or maybe, it is the guy next to him who takes a fatal bullet, and the gal on the other side who takes a fatal bullet as well.  Maybe the gal slumps over the lap of the Gamer and dies, maybe they slump over the lap of the Gamer and live, but clearly the life is leaving this new neighbor.  Maybe the Gamer has to look into the eyes of that person as they die for the next half hour, or hour. {Again, depending on when the Gaming System and it's algorithm inserted this attack}.  Maybe the Gamer observes that the young woman is beautiful but for the gaping hole aside her forehead.  Perhaps the Gamer watched the pain leave their face, and as the muscles relaxed, the dead only appeared to be sleeping.  Maybe the Gamer wished to be that calm now, but the Game has its rules and the Gamer has no opportunity to leave.  Remember, the contract to buy the game demands he remain at the "controls" until he is allowed to sleep.  There is no Pause, there is no fast forward.   

This may be the end of the game as well.  Their purchase money is not refunded, the terms remain in effect, and no more games, ever.  It may be that the screen simply goes black.  No explanation, no solemn words from a grateful nation.  Those words are not for the Gamer, but the survivors.  The Gamer will be stuck trying to figure out why their Game is not working.  They can check connections, they can smack the screen.  They can call for support.  Support will put them on hold, indefinitely and, having tracked the phone number of origin, every subsequent phone call will be met with the comment, "Please hold", and there is no music, no sales pitch for other games, nothing.  The Game will never work again, ever.  No more games, period.

But the Gamer may be "lucky".  He may make it to a hospital where they can treat him.  Then for days, weeks, or months, the Gamer will have to watch the screen until he achieves sufficient recovery for discharge.  He may be flown to the States where he will enter the VA system.  This will truly be a maze for him to negotiate.  Perhaps the game will respond with his performance increasing or decreasing dependent on the level of care.  Maybe he has some responsibility for this.  He may have ignored one doctor or another. Maybe a nurse told him he needed to see someone else, but he ignored the nurse.  Maybe he followed the advice precisely, but the doctor was wrong.  Maybe he recovers and is just fine, but for the missing leg.  There will be statistical probabilities for so many, many, many scenarios.  Maybe the Gamer can control his fate, maybe he can't.

If the Gamer is unable to return to the fight, he might be allowed to purchase games again, in several months, or years, but he may only be given the ability to play with one hand, or only half a screen.  He may only be able to play games with no sound.

The Gamer may be playing another game, maybe even another War Game, and find out he has just shot and killed his family.  He is being arrested aand taken to prison.  In this event, he may play those other games he had when he bought the original War Game, but maybe not.  Depends on his sentence, I suppose.

The most important feature of this game is that it demands attention.  There is no opting out.  There is no skipping through scenes.  From time to time, some scenes may be replayed regardless of the situation.  Perhaps the Game will state that the Gamer will be allowed to sleep shortly, and then cut to various scenes, over, and over, and over again, before the Gamer is actually dismissed and allowed toactually sleep.

Maybe the convoy gets to his Quarters just fine.  In which case, the actual activities of a new grunt will be portrayed with every intricacy.  No fast forward, no pause.  This is a life they have asked to experience, and in the military there are 24 hours in a day and not every day has "excitement".  It may be days before he actually sees any combat or action.  Rumors can be told.  Stories shared.  Victims observed.  But his responsibilities may be little more then standing guard inside the compound, for days, weeks, months.  We will have to consult the statistical probabilities to know whether he ventures into any combat, or whether he only hears explosions and gunfire from time to time. 

A thought that is stirring in my head is how the War Games might be imitating the comic books of years ago, influencing young people by creating this unreal, heroic image of war.  As a youth, I was intrigued by them.  As I grew older, I read about the Civil War and WWII, and much later, Vietnam.  Last night, I called my father for Father's day and he shared with me that his uncle was in WWII and returned to a mental hospital.  After he was releasede, for decades his uncle was barely functional, and an alcoholic.  He had been in the Third Army, in a tank. 

We forget to note that every war had its casualties.  I suspect that after the Civil War many "pioneers" moved West and left their homes because those were no longer the homes they recognized and they found no comfort there.  Nor would they find comfort in the West, or wherever they might travel, because it was instrinsic in their being after combat.  The experince of war was pervasive in their conscious and inescapable.

Gamers, it would seem, have no conscious, or at least detach to play these games.  But the truth is, the exposure is in their life and in their world, and there is no Pause button to their living.  They participate in these carnivals of death, whether anyone dies or not, whether anyone is wounded, or maimed, or driven to insanity.  I am not advocating the government step in to regulate these games, but maybe we should protest in front of the places where they are sold?  Maybe we could hold up gruesome pictures of what death and dismemberment really look like.  Maybe we could label them Child Killers. 

What can be done about these War Games, I really do not know, but I wanted to write about it and see how others might repond.  It seems there is a corollary here between these games and the abortion issue, in some ways, and it seems there is a corollary between the gaming businesses and the raging right wing talking heads.  TPM has a thoughtful readership and commenting.  I am interested in how a piece such as this effects people and whether we might effect more people to disabuse ourselves of these horrendous games.