I’ve done more (house+yard)work in the past two weeks than, like, ever:
Reading instruction manuals for carseats, installing carseats, putting together a stroller, repairing a stroller, getting the grass respectable, spraying weeds, actually stepping into the flowerbed, buying flowers, hanging flowers, watering flowers, pressure washing, sanding, spraypainting, removing cobwebs, killing spiders, removing hornets nests, almost killing hornets, killing ants with hippie-and-baby-friendly bugkiller than only uses orange oil or something, setting up surround sound so that baby can have an immersive aural experience playing videogames, moving things there, moving them back, removing them completely (and the more the better), pulling weeds up, kicking weeds down, putting together some weird baby entertainment swing thing . . .
Oh, and writing a novel and making an RPG too. And doing a real job.
Oh, and playing a little Homefront, which is bizarre. In that game, somehow North Korea, which hardly has electricity (see below), takes over the United States in 2027.
Huh?
So why in the world would the developers see fit to portray such an obviously backward, Communism-destroyed country as posing an existential threat to the States? I mean, does anyone at all take this the least bit seriously? The government of the poor North Koreans squeezes them so hard that they can’t even turn lights on at night, and they’re going to occupy the entire US?
Oh, well, in the game, someone might say, they’ve already taken over Japan, etc.
But how’d they do that!??!
It’s absurd, and the only reason that this game exists is that Americans have absolutely no idea how the world works.
The point of this game, emotionally, is to put you in the place of a terrorist. To make that “okay,” they make you an American terrorist throwing off oppressors.
Okay.
But North Korea?
If they wanted to get the good out of the concept, set it in Afghanistan. Have the player play an Afghan.
Ooh, you say.
Well, fine, then. Set it during the 80s. That way you can be an Afghan terrorist fighting the USSR.
Or, perhaps even better, keep the player an American, a good old boy, etc. But have the oppressing force be something that’s reasonable: like the US government.
That situation is 8,092,230 times more reasonable than some kind of North Korean occupation.
You can even make it palatable to liberal sensibilities by, as V for Vendetta did, establishing that the government has become (has become!) fascistic. Perhaps they’ve resurrected Bush II from the grave to lead the state. Whatever.
But, hey, I like the game so far, despite the fatuous premise. I guess simulated violence is pretty much just fun.