Memorial Day 2008: Remembering America’s heroes through three great games

Videogames offer the unique chance to not only learn about past generations but the chance to walk in the boots of those who have fought and died for this country.

In the 232 years since the American founding fathers signed the Declarations of Independence, the United States has had no shortage of enemies seeking to destroy this country and its people. Thankfully, brave men and women have answered the call to defend, and if necessary, give their lives for our country. From the American Revolution to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a lot of blood has been spilled so we can maintain a way of life that has become the envy of many other countries.

While there are a lot of shameless war games on the market, more than a few have gone above and beyond offering a more realistic experience (in as much as a videogame can).

Below is a quick look at three war-based video games that have influenced the industry. While there are many more games based on war, it is important to not just see these games as video entertainment but as a digital monument to the deeds of those fallen heroes.

Call of Duty

The Call of Duty series has been the standard for World War II games and shooters since its first release back in 2003 for the PC and later for consoles. Call of Duty turned what was the most horrific era in human history, and transformed it into art. Graphically, very few games past or present have matched the quality that Activision’s Call of Duty has brought to gaming. Most important, Call of Duty shows that war wasn’t just stock footage or stories from our grandparents, but that actual people fought and died for the freedoms we and half the world now enjoys. Most recently, Call of Duty shifted to the modern ear with the 2007 release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. While this game has a fictional story, you can’t ignore the parallels that it runs between the current Iraq and Afghanistan wars. For many, Call of Duty 4 brings the war closer to home than any previous game in gaming history.

Brothers in Arms

While most games create fictional characters and missions, the 2005 release of Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 gave gamers the chance to play real people from the 502nd Infantry Parachute Regiment and their exploits during the D-Day landing in France. Every mission in the game was what the real regiment had gone through, even down to some of the game’s scripted events. This created a surprisingly stronger connection to the lives that were under your command. As far as any of us knew, we could have been commanding our own grandfather’s. August, 2008, gamers will again get the chance to battle their way through Europe in, Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway, which is set during the failed Allied assault called, Operation Market Garden.

Medal of Honor

While Medal of Honor has fallen from grace with some of its more recent releases, it is important to remember that this series was the game franchise that not only introduced first-person shooters to a lot of console fans, but also made the World War II game genre what it is today. Medal of Honor, released first for the Playstation back in 1999, was inspired by the Oscar-nominated film, Saving Private Ryan. Told from the perspective of an OSS officer, the missions might have been fictional, but the events that surrounded the game play were real. Medal of Honor gave a wonderful perspective to the war never before seen and that wars aren’t only fought on the front line.

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