America's Army is primarily a recruitment tool. It probably wouldn't make much sense for them to include other Armies when they're trying to coax an American audience into joining the marines.
Quest For Glory Fan wrote:it's hard not to see the message when every level has taliban look alikes as the enemy and regardless of what side you're playing your team is the Americans and the other team are "the terrorists" (always wearing turbans of course).
They should make it more realistic! Dishonorable discharge and court marshaling if you dare to shoot an enemy combatant, the ability to pile up the terrorists, Abu Gharib style (you could have contests and bets where the biggest pyramid wins), and a sub-plot involving a cabinet minister who always travels on the wrong side of the border, leading to a climatic showdown with a semi-invisible Alien from outer space with 4 protruding mandibles!
pbpb33 wrote:By the way, at first glance the JFK game looks like nothing but a shock piece.... and one in very bad taste the way it puts the player in the role of a real-life assassin. I don't really buy the argument that the designers only meant to educate.
There are other such historical-based games like
Super Columbine Massacre RPG (which purports to have an anti-violence message by the end of the game) and
V-Tech Rampage (which, conversely, was created with the aim of being purely offensive). As well as non-historical, but still controversial games like
Muslim Massacre. Out of all these, I think I would find the JFK one to have the most historic and educational value, as (if the game's physics are accurate) it would allow players to test the "single bullet" theory and the "second shooter" conspiracy theory. The precise events and number of shots fired (and which targets they hit) are still strongly debated to this day. I've never played the game either, so I don't know how accurately it adheres to the timing of the Zapruder film's frames. (Actually, it doesn't look like it does at all). But I guess if even one person plays it and learns something, then the game has fulfilled it's educational purpose.
(Incidentally, Brookes Brown, the guy who was friends with that nutjob Eric Haris, and narrowly avoided the Columbine massacre, apparently works at LucasArts now. Saw him in a promotional photo for Monkey Island 2 SE).