Starting this December, video game players may see some changes to the depiction of war in video games due to a partnership between video game developers and the Red Cross. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have been considering whether war games should reflect the reality of war, including the laws of war, for nearly two years due to their mandate to encourage awareness and respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
Even though video games are a form of entertainment and don't always depict realistic scenarios, the ICRC believes they can also be used to raise awareness of war crimes and the laws of war such as the use of torture and attacks civilians. And while no one is suggesting that video games eliminate acts of violence, the ICRC is working with developers to create a way to reward compliance to the rules of war and virtually punish gamers who as part of the game commit what would be considered war crimes in real life.
What do you think? Should video game developers depict more realistic views about war and the treatment of war crimes? Check out this interesting question and answer on the topic on the ICRC website.
Source: Polygon.com
