VIDEOGAMES

Your Grandfather’s War

In a virtual world of fantasy and science fiction, realistic videogames set in World War II are ever popular. But is this a good way to learn history?

By Matthew Philips | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Dec 28, 2007 | Updated: 2:11  p.m. ET Dec 28, 2007

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  • Posted By: shepp @ 02/14/2008 8:16:45 PM

    anything that raises awareness about the world then, raises awareness of the world now. My 12 yo son freaked when I brought Making History home. maybe we can learn together.

  • Posted By: SteveBallmer @ 01/07/2008 12:12:35 AM

    These games are phenominal and do teach a little about the war.
    http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com

  • Posted By: Giesela @ 12/29/2007 8:20:47 AM

    The war in which we were allied with Joseph Stalin, the biggest butcher of all time.
    Great.

    • Posted By: danaugust @ 12/31/2007 12:00:22 PM

      This is an awakened comment. This historical fact alone should forever remove from the realm of historical truth the idea that WWII was a 'good' war.

  • Posted By: danaugust @ 12/31/2007 11:48:17 AM

    These games like all others are fantasy. There historical value is nill. The most important thing that young people could learn about war would be the sadness and savagery of it, not details and "realistic footage" of equipment and vehicles, this is entertaining, but not of very much historical value. I would interject that the reason that WWII games sell so well is that WWII history is the most fictionalized history that Americans are familiar with. This war was no more black and white, good vs. evil than any other. It was just extremely well propagandized and because the sacrifies made during the war both in raw man power and our collective humanity and morality were so great the propaganda history has never stopped.The "realistic" video games and movies produced today just reiforce the same propaganda from the war years they are just more honest about the gore and pain. It is very sad that young people are taught, actully more like brainwashed, to believe that killing our European cousins in the millions was some sort of holy mission and that wars like Vietman and Iraq are somehow exclusive moral errors. WWI and WWII were they most terrible mistakes in Western History they virtually destroyed almost 1000 yrs of forward evolution in european culture and heritage. They replaced this carefully and slowly developed heritage with crass commercialism and materialism and the world has been darker ever since. Anyone who thinks that WWII was a 'good' war has very little knowledge of history or little human compassion or both. I think some vets have clung to this good war line as comfort in their golden years, but I dought they thought of it as such when they were young men.

  • Posted By: Lopez @ 12/29/2007 1:45:11 PM

    I agree fully with jermo??s remarks.

  • Posted By: Lopez @ 12/29/2007 1:42:49 PM

    I am a foreigner, living not in US and also a 72 years old. I think thath those games are not dangerous.just because you play a game of facts that took place. You don??t enjoy killing or falling down in a combat, you just are a part of a team to make a virtual fight and test your tactidal and stragegical skills .Hearts of Iron, for instance, gave to my son, 19 and myself many lessons about many political events along with combats.
    sidfe.

  • Posted By: HandyAndy @ 12/29/2007 10:00:46 AM

    These games are popular because they are fun and require teamwork . I have seen many teenagers join the group I play online games with . Often they learn teamwork and maturity since they are under the 'command' of older guys like me . My fellow commanders take great pride in this . And since the Boy Scouts are not as popular as they once were , we see this as a small part of filling that void .

  • Posted By: Jermo @ 12/29/2007 9:31:21 AM

    we used to play the same games as kids out in the yard. Whether it was cowboy's and indians or army the game was the same. Kids in this generation don't seem to go outside much so their version of our games are all on the computer. I ultimately believe our society loses some of it's social ability as a result of this trend. Of course we have to acknoledge the world is more deadly for kids than it was back in the day.

  • Posted By: PossumNewsweek @ 12/29/2007 8:38:20 AM

    For these video games based on actual wars, it is more important to me to play in one that is A) Challenging, and B) Backed by the entire country. Fighting in wars where the opponents are defeated within a few days is pointless. It's no fun to be a virtual bully. We want battles where the stakes are high and the level of competition is even higher, such as WWII. The Germans were an amazing foe in WWII. The Vietcong were also a worthy adversary, but who wants to play a game that reminds them of Jane Fonda personally sacrificing our men in POW camps for her own political message? Those were indeed sad times. The "Greatest Generation" is why we enjoy these games. That was one of the last times America stood together for the sake of the country instead of the every-man-for-himself attitude of today.

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