Gaming Goes Too Far
Last week, the news headlines in the gaming world were focused on a leak of classified information to justify a point made on a gaming forum. Anyone who was around when I was still running NOE remembers that this exact topic of discussion came up. The hyper-realistic simulator had the opportunity to misuse information on several occasions which is why I took the stance of only using publicly defensible data in any argument to justify the in-game statistics of people or equipment. This recent leak is a reminder of how modern games can sometimes be confused with reality.
There may still be remnants of my philosophy on leaked information floating around this site. Especially some of my earlier posts, if they haven’t disappeared already, reference some of the NOE material. Unfortunately, games depend on competitiveness over reality. Sometimes you have to build weaknesses where none might exist in real-life. In fact, modern militaries tend to build machines and tactics that eliminate or greatly reduce flaws. If it worked this way in the gaming world, we would constantly hear players cry out about how unfair it is.
I’m proud to say that I have never crossed a boundary like this. MUD is a great example. Rather than take the easy route and justify the data through classified means, I went through painstaking length to ensure any statistical values I put in the game were justified by publicly defensible information. Moreover, MUD showcases what its like if the real world were placed in a game, where some units are simply more powerful than others and may not have a weakness. For example, real data from Desert Storm shows just how inept a 2nd Generation MBT is against modern tanks and is something MUD demonstrates as well. It makes for difficult countering in-game, but it’s a fairly accurate representation of real-life as a result.
Nevertheless, you can rest assured that any data I use in my mods or mini-games uses public information. If I’m ever asked, I’m always happy to disclose where I got my information.
