http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLBLMDBml5g&feature=player_embedded#at=85

I’m not a gamer. Never have been. But I understand the popularity (I guess). I’ve seen my son play games like Call of Duty. The graphics are astounding. But isn’t the purpose of these games to, you know, shoot bad guys and blow stuff up? Now comes the latest version of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier that gives you the ability to, for instance, switch out the gas system on your AR. Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t this take you a little far into the weeds? Aren’t you cutting back on your bang bang time by hanging back at the FOB working on your carbine? Is there no level of detail gamer geeks think is too much? What’s next, reading material in the latrines? [ED: TTAG on iPhone]

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Well Ghost Recon series usually let you fine tune the gear of your team, this was the next logical step I guess….

    Great blog BTW!

  2. People like customizing their characters. I can see it from a cosmetic standpoint.

    What I dislike about these games is that they introduce differences that affect gameplay. You can have two rifles that fire 5.56 NATO out of the same length barrel, with completely different in-game specs, for example. In the real world, the differences will be very minor, or primarily affect reliability. Which is not even a factor that most of these games use. You never get a malfunction, no matter what weapon you choose, or how much ammo you burn.

    Different weapons and customizations in these games are not there to provide an accurate experience, but to provide balanced gameplay (paper beats rock beats scissors beats paper), and an equipment ladder to climb.

    • This game might be different. I’m a gamer and I watched the E3 gameplay demo, and I have to say that I’m impressed. Toward the end, I noticed that one of the “Ghosts” had a really cool looking SERPA holster on a drop-leg rig with NO GUN IN IT! He was using a rifle at the time, so I can only assume that the pistol fell out, either earlier in the level or maybe in an earlier level and he’s still waiting for his request for a replacement to go through.

      Imagine the realism! Countless Tap-Rack drills for dirty ARs, Barrels exploding after you rise out of the water SEAL style, AK mags that just won’t seat in you AK (because they’re Chinese and you rifle’s Czech).

      I can’t wait. 🙂

      • Americas Army had a failure drill command for the M16 (and probably the other guns as well, it’s been years since I played). IIRC, it was “F” and you’d tap the mag, rack the bolt and look in the chamber, then smack the forward assist.

        They made you do it in basic training, and I never understood the point because I played that game for hoooouuurs and never had a single failure.

        What are they gonna do for Ghost Recon with this gas system deal? Have a dirt/carbon meter in the corner of the screen, and once it fills up your gun starts to jam? I bet they’ll make DI systems jam twice as fast.

  3. If it means said gamers want to own and shoot AR’s when they turn into adults, I’m all for it, as long as they realize that a) Moves that look hyper-cool and neat on a screen will get you shot in the real-world and b) HK’s are cool in a game, but in reality, you suck and they hate you. 🙂

    • “If it means said gamers want to own and shoot AR’s when they turn into adults…”

      An awful lot of us already are adults and already do own ARs 🙂

    • You routinely come here and offer opinions to the effect that if we pass a few more gun control laws we’ll finally find the magic one that keeps criminals in check and we’re the fantasy-loving guys?

      That’s the difference between us. We play at fantasy, you want to make policy based on it.

      • James, Your sarcastic description of what I do is inaccurate. I don’t feel ONE more law will be the MAGIC one. I feel we need proper gun control, which unfortunately would be aimed at you lawful gunowners, in order to lessen the flow of guns into criminal hands. Your resistance to any and all suggestions indicates that you’re less concerned with the problem of gun violence than you are of being inconvenienced. And the really sick part on your end, is that assuming you are a law abiding guy, you’d only be inconvenienced a little if at all. You’d still have all your gun-toys to play with and feel safe with.

  5. As a gun and game nut, I think being able customize my gun in game as much as in real life would be awesome.

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