Blog Post #5

On September 11, 2001 the United States was attacked by terrorists groups intent on instilling fear and chaos into our country. Our nation decided to retaliate immediately, sending air strikes and ground troops to take out terrorist groups in the Middle East. The retaliation seemed like the right choice in the moment but quickly became a controversial issue within the States as Middle Eastern civilians started to die in the cross fire. The game, September 12th, highlights the USA's decision to retaliate and the consequences of their actions.

The game begins with a simple picture. A woman holding her child limp in her arms. Following the opening photo the player is presented with the rules. They clearly state that September 12th is NOT a game and continue to clearly show what their goals are in creating the game. Following the rules page is the game play screen. It is set in the Middle East and you can clearly differentiate the terrorists from the civilians. The players cursor acts as a target and it seems that all you have to do is point at a terrorist and shoot. Once the player has shot the gun, a large missile launches towards the target zone. The player hears an explosion and the subsequent crying of civilians who witnessed innocent individuals die alongside the terrorists. As the gun loads for another shot, the player will notice that the mourners have taken up arms and become terrorists. Having played the game for an hour and testing a string of different strategies, I have found that no matter what, taking a shot will always increase the amount of terrorists in the game. The game designers took a very unique approach to portraying the situation in the Middle East to its players and that is why their game is so profoundly meaningful.