Video games,
today more than ever before, are influencing mainstream culture at the same
level of the film industry. The ubiquity of game consoles, the extensive
variety of games and online membership, and the natural intersecting of other
media around gaming makes video games powerful agents of cultural change. The Halo series by Bungie Studios is the
flagship of Microsoft’s Xbox, and is an incredible example of the influence
interactive gaming holds over American culture. The Halo series is intimately connected with the US’s recent military
and war culture by both reflecting it and shaping the public’s view.
The current events from pre-9/11 to
present day are intimately connected with the story of the Halo games, particularly in the second game, Halo 2. The first game, Halo:
Combat Evolved was released on Nov. 15, 2001, only two months after 9/11.
Though the creators could have in no way anticipated the rise of military/army
culture in the United States that the terrorist attack created, it did serve as
a media outlet to partially vent frustration at an inability to retaliate to
the attacks, and introduced a way to participate in the new righteous-war
culture. Also, “the power of the first-person shooter in presenting and
constructing a specific identity and morality has not been lost on the US Army,
which has funded a number of military shooters in a drive to improve recruitment”
(Sykes), and Halo is part of, if not
the reason, for the dramatic rise in first-person shooters, and therefore in
recruitment, although less influentially. Halo
supported the righteous violence mentality that the 9/11 terrorist attack
inspired in the majority of Americans as it featured a man of violence saving
the world. It also fed the flare of patriotism and the American glorification
of our military through the heroism of Master Chief, the main character, and an
America-dominant future world government.
The second game, released on Nov. 4, 2004, had ample time to incorporate
and interpret current events into the story and game play as a way of mediating
between the reality of war and terrorism and the fantasy of epic heroism. The
game begins with Master Chief and other UNSC leaders receiving medals for their
actions in the first game, while the commander of the alien forces being
forcibly brought before their leader, branded as a heretic with the sign of a
coward, tortured for failing in the first game. The aliens, known as the
Covenant, are theocracy lead by militant prophets who claim that the righteous
will be saved while the universe is cleansed of all others. Shortly after, the
Covenant make an unexpected attack on the human’s home planet, Earth. Without going
into the intricacies of the game’s story, the Covenant closely resemble the
extremist practices and teachings of groups such as the Al Qaeda. Even at the
end of the game, a speech is given that could have just as easily been given at
Ground Zero:
“For us the storm has passed; the war
is over. But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark and
did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure, sacrifice
and the unshakeable conviction that their fight—our fight—was elsewhere. As we
start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren; a memorial to heroes
fallen. They ennoble all of us and they shall not be forgotten.” (Halo 2)
Though many would argue that Halo games, Halo 2 in this instance, contribute
to the violent delinquencies of adolescents, the story does not paint all of
the Covenant in black and all the humans in white (though the glorification of
violence cannot be denied). In fact, a significant amount of the game is played
as the aforementioned Covenant commander, recognized by the other, less
militant religious leaders as not a heretic and is given the role of Arbiter in
order to regain his honor through a redemptive self-sacrifice. Eventually,
Master Chief and the Arbiter settle their differences and work together to stop
the Prophets from blindly eradicating the universe of all life. Racial
stereotypes are pointedly broken and understanding is formed between this
avidly religious alien and the thoroughly militarized hero.
I’ve been playing these games since
they first came out in 2001, and I can personally attest to their effect on my
outlook on the military and the nature of war. Growing up, I considered joining
the army and most of that motivation came from playing these games. The
emotional effect of the incredibly iconic music, the classic, hero’s journey
archetypal story, and the interactive element had and continues to have a
profound impact on me, allowing it to shape my perceptions. Without getting
into the ethics of first-person shooters and violent video games, the Halo franchise helped shape an entire
generation’s perception of the US armed forces to be heroic, glory-filled, and
violent, but worthwhile.
Works Cited
Halo 2. Bungie Studios, Microsoft Game
Studios. November 9th 2004
Sykes,
David. “9/11, the War on Terror, and ‘Halo’.” E-International Relations. 18 May
2010.
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