America lost the war, and I love it

For generations, America has been seen as one of the biggest superpowers in the world. We have the strongest military, the most wealth and have been a beacon of hope for many people immigrating onto our shores. In the videogame world, America has been the victor in war or seen as the world’s last hope. But now that is changing. Recent and future games present the United States as defeated, in disarray and at the mercy of another nation. It’s a change of pace that I for one, greatly enjoy.

A History of Defeat

Fallout 3 showed this console generation what it’s like to live in a desecrated United States. Even though we knew the Capital Wasteland included Washington D.C., it never hit home until I saw the White House. This iconic building that is known all over the world, was reduced to a pile of smoldering rubble. This area was also known as one of the most dangerous places to go in the game. You couldn’t get to close to the White House without succumbing to radiation poisoning. I’m also taken back to the underground tunnels under the White House where the President was must likely hurried through while the bombs were dropping. I’m sure such a tunnel exists in real life. The thought of an adversary releasing so much wrath from which the most powerful man on the planet cannot escape, creates a totally new sense of fear. Yet I loved the Capital Wasteland because of its destruction. The memory of what used to be told a stronger narrative than what really happened in the end.

Let’s move on to Modern Warfare 2. The latter half of the game featured your character fighting enemies who had taken over the White House and assumingly – the whole country. If you’ve played the game, you remember the level that started underground. You weren’t too sure where you were. When you emerged from the cavern, you saw a crumbling White House in the distance. The sky was glowing red from fire and tracer bullets flew everywhere. Had we not already known Washington D.C. would be a battleground from preview coverage, this moment would have been one of the most emotional scenes of 2009.

During this stage, I felt compelled to finish the fight no matter how many times I died. I watched as iconic buildings in my country were burned to the ground. I’ve never wanted every bullet to count as much as I did then. Through insurmountable odds and only a handful of squad mates, we fought to take back the White House. Maybe it was anger propelling through the battle, but I know I would not have been so focused had I been fighting in another country.

Future Warfare

The image above is from the 2011 game Homefront. In Homefront, North and South Korea unite under one banner. The nation starts expanding and conquering other countries including the United States. The Greater Korean Republic launches a satellite that releases an electromagnetic pulse that cripples the power supply of the US. Hawaii is conquered as well as San Francisco. The US military has to resort to guerrilla tactics to fight off the invasion. This strategy mirrors the soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War when America was fighting for freedom against Great Britain. This storyline is actually plausible given the current political climate. I never want to see an actual American, Korean war, but in a videogame setting, this fight is one I want to be a part of.

This could be patriotic machismo talking, but the United States being demoted to an underdog in videogames is so much more fun to experience. Fighting for freedom means so much more after it has been taken away.