Controversy surrounding military first-person shooter games often involves debate over the balance of historically accurate information and violence-fueled escapism. But tactical shooterSix Days in Fallujahis under a different kind of scrutiny.Six Days in Fallujahwill release in 2021, and concerned members of the public are worried the game might be used as a recruitment tool for the US military. Developer Victura has responded to these worries ensuring that the game is in no way associated with the US government.
Six Days in Fallujahwas originally in development back in 2009, six years after the start of the Iraq War. At the time, it was overseen byKonamiand Atomic Games. Protests concerning the game’s content and release, which many believed to be too soon following the height of the Iraq War, ultimately caused Konami to cease its efforts to publish the game. However, it was recently announced thatSix Days in Fallujahwas back in development under publisher Victura. Despite ten years of time, controversy has continued to surround the game, and Victura wants to set the record straight.
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Victura states thatSix Days in Fallujahis not involved with the US government and “[there are no] plans to use it for recruiting.“Six Days in Fallujahis also “financed independently” and benefits from the private involvement of Marines, US soldiers, and Iraqi civilians. These statements are partially in response to past criticisms of the US Army, who has been accused ofusing Twitch to run fake giveawaysthat lead to recruitment pages.
However, the fake giveaways are not the only controversy the US Army Twitch channel has been involved in. SomeTwitch users were banned from the channel after bringing up war crimesin the channel’s chat during streams of other military shooter games likeCall of Duty: Warzone. Both controversies stirred up discussion last year about the Army’s abuse of gaming communication platforms as recruitment tools, which leads to the continued concern ofSix Days in Fallujah’s emphasis on realism as a means to get gamers excited about joining the military.
Victura does say that part of the game’s profits will go toward “organizations supporting coalition service members who have been most affected by the war on terror.” The Marines, US soldiers, and Iraqi civilians involved in the creation ofSix Days in Fallujahwill also apparently have a say as to where donations are directed.
For those interested in how the game will respect both the fallen and survivors of the Iraq War, Victura ensures that no deaths of real-life soldiers will be recreated, and players will have a chance to play as US soldiers and Iraqi civilians. One of the main goals ofSix Days in Fallujahis to make militaryvideo game combatmore reflective of its real-life counterpart, which may ultimately distinguish the game from today’s crowded market of first-person shooters.
Six Days in Fallujahreleases in 2021 on PC and consoles.
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