Down the Line

Last week I cast another game down from my Hall of Shame. This time it was Spec Ops The Line.

Hooooo boy is this a game difficult to talk about: it's not just the spoilers but the repercussions this game has on the player. I went into Spec Ops the Line expecting a big slap in the face of all the shooters that are plaguing gaming at the moment and, needless to say, I wasn't disappointed.

So what did I come away with from this game? Well I found a lot to admire - however much of it comes from the execution than the game itself: I like the setting, I like the writing (THE WRITING!!!), I like the voice acting (was Dubai where Commander Sheridan ended up?!), I like the feeling of unease as the game progresses, I like the use of symbolism, I like the handling of the relationship between player and player character, I like the passages of text that appear during the loading screens, I like the use of emotional depth in a genre not known for it and I like the fact that Yager had the balls to call out on both the shooter genre and the people that play them.
In fact as I played Spec Ops the Line I was reminded of a proposal I once put forth - of course it's doubtful someone at Yager took notice but it's always nice to know that someone else in the world thinks the same as you,.

But therein lies the problem: This game maybe trying to say something about shooter genre but it doesn't seem likely the message will be heeded. I myself enjoyed Spec Ops the Line but I'm not into shooters and therefore not the person this game was made for.
If there is one thing I've learned about gaming culture is that people play games for fun and to unwind - of anyone were to present a game to convey or point and for educational purposes, they will be met with the something resembling absolute contempt. If Yager were trying to raise a mirror to the people who play shooter games, then it's a lost cause. Why? Because based on my experience, the shooter gamers are quite passionate and/or need to kill fifty dudes in order to get it up. So to tell them what they're doing would result in downright hostility. Thus it should not come to any surprise that Spec Ops the Line, apparently, hasn't been that big a seller.

Ranting aside, I enjoyed Spec Ops the Line and the risks it took with the genre and gaming in general. What would be interesting to see if anyone else takes notice and how the genre will be effected by a post-Spec Ops the Line world....