Black Ops Slammed by People Who Were 'There'

Game's virtual Castro plot is denounced

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Black Ops Slammed by People Who Were 'There'
Two very different perspectives on the events played out in Black Ops have come to light today. One from the Cuban government and one from Vietnam veteran and East Kildonan resident Ron Parkes.

Possible Spoiler
Cuba's denouncement comes via state-run news outlet, CubaDebate, and centres Black Ops players trying to kill a young Fidel Castro.
End Possible Spoiler

The article states that, "This new video game is doubly perverse. On the one hand, it glorifies the illegal assassination attempts the United States government planned against the Cuban leader ... and on the other, it stimulates sociopathic attitudes in North American children and adolescents."

The article added that psychological studies show that violent video games can create anti-social behaviour in youth due to the activities they have to partake in to win. Violent movies, on the other hand, is less likely to produce similar behaviour due to it being a more passive and less interactive pursuit.

Psychology professor at Texas A&M International University, Christopher J. Ferguson, offered a counter argument to the claims lodged by the Cubadebate. He argued that "There is really a lot of, obviously, rhetoric and politics going on. At this point, there is no evidence that video games, violent or otherwise, cause harm to minors."

Ferguson also added that youth violence in the US was at its lowest level over the last 40 years with studies showing that up to 95% of young men have played violent video games in their youth.

Castro has allegedly had more than 600 assassination attempts on his life to date involving CIA attempts to poison the leader's pen and cigars and hiding a gun in a TV camera. The former leader handed leadership of Cuba over to his brother Raul in 2006.

The next counter-blast to the game comes from Vietnam veteran Ron Parkes. Mr Parkes stated that, "I think it is very tacky to include the distribution of a graphic war-based game like this during a week that we are supposed to be honouring those who have fallen to the conflicts this game depicts.

"Remembrance Day is not a consumer advocate’s day and this company is clearly using the date as a marketing strategy.

"They could release it two weeks before or two weeks after and I wouldn’t have a problem with it," he continued.

Mr Parkes, spent a three-month tour of duty in Vietnam told the Winnipeg Free Press, "
"War is always a miserable experience and the movies or video games depicting these wars never really do catch how bad it really is.

"War is a whole different scenario then regular life. You live and breath it everyday you are there, and sometimes those memories, good and bad, still catch up to you."

Sources:
AP
Winnipegfreepress

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