Well anyway, this weekend I learned all about leaving the cave. Didn't know I was gone, did you? That's just my magic.Īnyways, you all have probably figured out I'm a gamer. They have meanings too, but that's for Saturday. So what of far more complicated and political games with more player agency? Games without fixed objectives, who essentially give the player a world and go from there? This is just the first game, the expansion and second game expand on these themes as well as make a few more claims. This would be destroying dozens of inhabited planets for the UEF, Mind Controlling all other humans for the Aeon, and crashing hyperspace itself(removing the possibility of interplanetary travel) for the Cybrans.įrom this, we can see that even a relatively uncomplicated RTS game makes some pretty sweeping statements about the nature of war and that of power. The UEF won't see cyborgs as human or let the Aeon practice their beliefs the Aeon see the cyborgs as abominations requiring destruction & are dedicated to the belief that all humans must believe as they do and the Cybrans don't understand the vital role cyborgs play in UEF society and won't give the Aeon a reason to not see them as monsters.Ħ) War ends when one side scores a crushing superiority over the other. Thus, no faction is ever truly "right" in war, as all factions have good reasons and bad reasons to fight but have no interest in being honest with themselves about it.Ĥ) States can and will rationalize any action of their own in war - All three factions have missions requiring the unilateral slaughter of civilians.ĥ) War begins when political leaders on both sides are harsh and incapable of compassion. Soldiers are just a means to an end.ģ) During war, States stress their opponent's bad points, and emphasize their own good points. Just look at all those thousands dying for just a few square meters of ground, just a few kilojoules more of electricity or a few ounces of raw materials.Ģ) Nations don't value soldiers at all compared to civilians and military leaders. It is worth noting that during the campaign, non-player factions match the propaganda.įrom this, we can conclude these statements from Supreme Commander:ġ) War is hell. During the campaign, players are treated to an optimistic portrayal of the faction they chose and are fed propaganda about how terrible the other two factions are. If the ACU ever dies, that player instantly loses the battle even if they outnumber the enemy several thousand to one. It is not uncommon to see hundreds of units just going at it in a massive brawl. This ACU creates factories, which spawn engineers who build more factories which spawn tanks, planes, battlemechs, and ships. An ACU(Armored Command Unit) represents the player, and is even named after the profile they are using. In the game, the player controls everything from an RTS perspective. Let us consider the not-exactly-popular-but-still-awesome game known as Supreme Commander. Video Games, like Books, and like Movies, make statements about society and the human condition. Not a popular opinion, eh? Well, they are in an important aspect. Who here thinks video games are like books & movies in some respects?