Ideology in Video Games

  

I remember long time ago when I use to play Konami MSX video game: The Maze of Galious, which was also my favorite video game at that time. The Star of David can be seen clearly in the background and that was a shock for kids like me and my brothers when we use to play this game. It made us argue about the meaning of this symbol and what does it had to do with this game. We were kids in the Arab world where there is an ongoing conflict with Israel, the Jewish state who has David`s star on its flag!

At that time Ideology in video games was more symbolic. In an article by Saladin Ahmed, a member of The Escapist, Saladin who is an American Muslim, talked about when he use to play the original Prince of Persia in 1989. He said: “it wasn’t until years later that I reflected on the fact that the hero is blonde, while the evil swordsman wore turbans!” Link.

These days Ideology is vivid and straight forward in video games. Especially After 9/11, the war on terror, and the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many military video games show Muslims as the enemies. It`s a very simple reflection of the American attitude towards the Muslim world after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001. In Call of Duty 4, it`s obvious that the game scenario take place in Iraq and some Muslim’s supplication can be heard in the soundtrack while the American soldier is the hero and you know who’s the enemy! Also in Call of Duty is the Broadcast mission where soldiers attack the enemy`s T.V station which look very similar to Al-Jazeera T.V news room, the famous Arab news station that former US president George W. Bush thought of bombing its headquarter. Link.