Menu Close

It Was Inevitable: ACIII Spawns Trendy “American Guilt” Sentiments

There are two things I said to myself when I first saw the fully unveiled Assassin's Creed III :

1. This will be fantastic .

2. Somebody somewhere will find a way to bring the trendy, hip, surprisingly condescending, "we're superior because we question" mentality into this.

And so it has happened. It actually took a little longer than I thought, but here it is . Now, as a disclaimer, I can do nothing but agree that Ubisoft has shown only footage of the protagonist, Connor, killing the British. It's true that nobody has really seen the assassin taking out the rebels; i.e., in that case, the first Americans. And I also agree that it'd be perfectly fine – and obviously closer to equal – if the publisher showed Connor slicing into a few colonists. I'd have no issue with that whatsoever.

At the same time, the implications and arising reactions are predictable and annoying. Firstly, the headline, asking if we "can't handle" seeing Americans die, can easily be interpreted as, "Americans have gigantic egos and are too in love with themselves to watch an American die." Secondly, throughout the article, Ubisoft was clearly trying to clarify the situation by reminding everyone that Connor holds no real affiliation, that we really have to play the game to understand, and that indeed, we will be killing off both colonists and Redcoats throughout our adventure.

But obviously, that reality isn't enough.

No, it's not enough that the freedom exhibited in the game (as promised by Ubisoft, which is all we can go on right now) is the reality; this has to be expressed in the promotional media. Otherwise, we're not lecturing to the masses; we can't teach them something. It's not "Avatar," which was essentially one giant history lesson about how ignorant, conquest-minded Europeans came and wiped out the peaceful, nature-loving Natives. When we present something like ACIII, we need to make sure that the citizens of this country don't persist with their swelled heads.

We have to make absolutely certain that it's not a "Yay, rah rah Americans kick ass" story. That's the crux of the issue; let's admit it.

'sigh'

It's just getting tiresome. It really is. They haven't shown Connor killing anyone but the British. True. But not only has Ubisoft explained in great detail about how the game itself is not like that, they also explained the promotional/advertising reason: That the Redcoats were identifiable as enemies to most viewers; having Connor nail a bunch of Colonists (which didn't have uniforms and were mostly unrecognizable) would be confusing. But evidently, that explanation is either glossed over or simply not good enough. The only reason it isn't good enough, however, is because it didn't "remind us" that in fact, Americans aren't Gods.

Well damn, now my whole world is topsy-turvy. I always thought they were. How silly of me. Quick, remind me again so I don't forget.

P.S. The screenshot here is one of the very first that was released. …hard to tell who Connor is in the midst of attacking, isn't it?

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
68 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
matt99
matt99
12 years ago

I actually didn't even notice that it's only british he was killing in the trailer, I was too busy lifting my jaw off the floor.

EDIT: Also the whole rah-rah america theory falls flat when you realize the game is made in Montreal, mostly by french-Canadians…


Last edited by matt99 on 6/16/2012 10:51:35 AM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

yeah I didn't notice either, I was too busy being blown away.

Sir Shak
Sir Shak
12 years ago

Sorry, wrong reply.


Last edited by Sir Shak on 6/17/2012 10:42:33 AM

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

It's from Kotaku. What more can be said? These morons have been a blight on gaming journalism ever since they started.

As for killing my ancestors? Well, I'm Irish, Scottish, German and Mexican. Not sure I have any real colonial ancestry. Either way, I don't care as it's just a game. I find it very annoying that as our generation of gamers get older, they can't help but over analyze anything and everything any time a game like this comes out.

Get over yourself Kotaku. You're not that deep nor are your writers very smart.

"nature-loving Natives"

This should be in quotes. Many of them were at one with nature, while many others nearly burned down the entire west coast when they weren't busy decapitating one another or cutting each others hearts out in service to their sun gods. It's a great myth that most of these natives were peaceful/civil societies. They were a mess and on the fast track to complete self animation before the Europeans came.


Last edited by Jawknee on 6/16/2012 11:42:35 AM

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

*self-annihilation

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

Kotaku is full of hipsters.

P.S. I love self animation 🙂

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

🙂

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

Lol! From the comments.

"Gigus promoted by phunkshun
Sat 16 Jun 2012 5:56 AM
Seriously? We're doing the Resident Evil 5 thing again?"

I think most real gamers get it. It's these overly sensitive, arrogant, egotiscal gaming journalist who are what's wrong with gaming.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

It could also read "We're doing the uncharted thing again?" Remember when Uncharted wasn't cool because we shot a lot of brown people?

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

I don't remember where the controversy started but it managed to make a slight kerfuffle during a time when the anti-PS3 rhetoric was sky high.

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

I missed that one. Was it another article written my these nimrods at Kotaku?

EDIT: I deleted my original reply because of errors incase there is any confusion as to why it looks like you answer my question before I asked it.


Last edited by Jawknee on 6/16/2012 12:31:24 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

Dude I couldn't even possibly count how many Americans I've killed in video games (GTA anybody?). That's saying something too because not that many games actually take place in America. It's just that some writers can't think of their own stories and go with nonsensical outdated themes instead.

The article headline is pretty funny; the Americans in that game aren't our ancestors, they are digital AI components to a video game.

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

Not to mention most of them were from British ancestry. So really, Conner is killing mostly British people. 😉

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
12 years ago

Of course. If we counted, 99% of everyone who I killed in all video games from the 80s on was a white American.

frostface
frostface
12 years ago

Can anyone tell me of a game or series where the Americans are the bad guys? ( I'm sure there'll be a long list produced now to prove me wrong.)

Personally I'm struggling to think of one. So maybe in this industry there is an un-said rule that if Americans are made out to be the bad guy, arms will be thrown up in the air and rattles thrown out of the pram?

(That's just an observation of this industry btw, not a comment on America or Americans.)

But outside of North America there is a perception that you're all Star Spangled Banner, Gung-Ho GI Joes. Agree or disagree, I'm merely pointing out the truth. So maybe with this in mind, the Canadian team working on the game tried to get a balance right. On one side they wanted to make a game respectful of the North American history and on the other side to make a game that wasn't all Team America Hell Yeah!

I'm sure there's plenty of North Americans who can handle being the bad guys from time to time, but I don't think they were in this war? (I'm not really up on my N.American history. The Bluecoats weren't yet Americans right? It was after this war when they became Americans? No offence intended for my ignorance on this subject) So why perceive them as such in the trailers? So I think showing Connor killing more Redcoats over Bluecoats was the right call.

But end of the day, this is a game about North American history, so people need to keep that in mind no matter what their political mindset is.


Last edited by frostface on 6/16/2012 12:56:24 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

I can't think of any that actually make the Americans the bad guys but there have been plenty with Americans who are bad guys.

One of the tragedies of this part of history was that after the war people who had remained loyalists were despised and then displaced from their homes. The whole issue may seem clear cut to people in our day and age but it wasn't at the time. John Adams was the lawyer who got 6 of the Brits charged in the Boston Massacre acquitted.

Ludicrous_Liam
Ludicrous_Liam
12 years ago

CHRRRRIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS!!!

…Anybody?

EDIT: Actually, thinking about it now…I seem to remember an English Accent. Hmm. I'm pretty sure he WAS American though, so keep guessing 😛


Last edited by Ludicrous_Liam on 6/16/2012 4:45:41 PM

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
12 years ago

The only reason that perception exists is because the dominating liberal agenda in this country now is to try to show other countries just how ignorant and egotistical we all are.

And as I said above, basically every bad guy I've ever killed in a video game is white and speaks English. Just because they're not wearing the stars and stripes doesn't mean they're not Americans. As far as I'm concerned, we've been killing what appear to be Americans in games for three decades.

Sir Shak
Sir Shak
12 years ago

But have you killed Americans as groups? As Frost said, I'd be hard pressed to think of a series that has you kill Americans who expressly define themselves as such. Americans and their affiliates have always been on the good side when we see warring factions in a game.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
12 years ago

Outside of the Nazis, what country's people have we been killing in video games?

Sir Shak
Sir Shak
12 years ago

Oh, I don't know, Iraqis, Iranians, Pakistanis, Afghans, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and the good old Russians.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
12 years ago

What are you talking about? They're all essentially from the same two wars.

All the random enemies I've killed, everything from cops to zombies, in GTA and just about everywhere else, have been English-speaking people we are meant to assume come from here.

I suppose we're just pushing those aside for the sake of the SMALL minority of games that involve wars, in which it might be just a TAD silly to market the product with the user playing as Afghans. Seriously.

CH1N00K
CH1N00K
12 years ago

Just took a quick look through my game collection to see what games I had on the PS3 where you actually kill "bad" americans..

This is what I've got so far..Deus EX, Rainbow 6 Vegas, GTA, Red Dead Redemption, and although they don't use actual names of real places, you can tell that Infamous 1&2 are definitely based in New York and New Orleans….I'm sure there are more games, but that's just a start that I can see…

Sir Shak
Sir Shak
12 years ago

You inhumane fiend, how can you kill an innocent zombie? Especially one that's still able to speak and comprehend English. 🙂

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

The "problem" here (if you see this as a problem at all, of course) is that most every game where there are any actual persons in the game, north Americans are in one way or another involved. When you kill Americans, it's cause it's taking place on american soil.

Also, just cause they *speak* english doesn't mean they necessarily are north-Americans per say. *Every* character where you are supposed to understand what are saying, are speaking English no matter where they are from.

Regarding Americans killing people in other countries (excluding ww-themed games), from the top of my head I can think of: Far Cry 2 (Africa), far Cry 3 (Indian/Pacific Oceans), the first Crysis (Philippines), Resident Evil 5 (Africa), Mercenaries 2 (Venezuela), Just Cause 2 (Asia).

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
12 years ago

Hey, Conner only kills Elk & wolves!
I mean why the $&^$&*#^^* is he discriminating against chickenwings & bacon????
(sarcasm)

My advice to all those cry-babies…….
"QuitYerBiatching"

According to Ubisoft, it's what they're intentionally "NOT" showing that will change everybody's mind(but only if they actually play the game instead of doing their usual pre-whine).

They've purposely left out killing of others besides in order not to blow any big surprises.

Killa Tequilla
Killa Tequilla
12 years ago

Sigh, I just want to play the game.

Lord carlos
Lord carlos
12 years ago

I have to say killing american soldiers at the end of MW2 was a nice change from russians,chinese & insurgents ect…
Only fair

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

Only fair? Are you freaking serious?! On what level is it even REMOTELY "fair" to compare American soldiers to the murderous Communist Regimes or the Terrorists who hide behind woman and children who are responsible for more innocent deaths than all of the American wars combined?

This is quite possibly the dumbest comment I have read in 2012.


Last edited by Jawknee on 6/16/2012 2:23:11 PM

Underdog15
Underdog15
12 years ago

Don't worry Jawk. I'm sure the American's you kill in MW2 were the type to throw puppies off cliffs…..

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

And that solider was punished. There are always going to be bad apples in any large group of people. Militaries are made up of men, and men are flawed by their very nature. So no institution is going to be perfect. The goal is to try and be the least flawed that one can possibly be. To accuse American soldiers of being as monstrous and repugnant as the Red Chinese who force abortions on woman who are 8 months pregnant or a regime that rounded up its citizens who practiced dissent and threw then into Gulags or to terrorists who cut off woman's faces for refusing to cover it, by saying it's only fair to gun US soldiers down along with the worlds worst mass murders is a comment completely void of any rational thought. This is what is wrong with people today. This level of moral equivalence is abhorrent and absurd to the max.


Last edited by Jawknee on 6/16/2012 9:46:07 PM

DeusExMachina
DeusExMachina
12 years ago

Sox Jawk but I think Americans have killed the most people in fact, theyve had/hosted/partaked in all of the major/bigger wars in the last 400 odd years, and in the latter wars they had insane numbers of infantry.

The USA has by far killed the most people on earth. All the wars theyve one (even Vietnam which they "lost" but they still did most of the killing) and lets not get to the two A0bombs dropped on Japan. Ye I think it's pretty safe to say that the USA has killed the most people in the world or atleast in the top 5 or something.

I mean nothing against them or anything my countries still fine for now and the USA gives my my fav movies, series and games so I geuss we even for now. Soz for the rant jus that I doeubt any country has killed as much as all the American wars combined.

Underdog15
Underdog15
12 years ago

Aw, I'm just saying, since everyone we kill in video games are fake people, I can come up with any ol' fake justification to make it alright! 🙂

Kingnichendrix
Kingnichendrix
12 years ago

Jawknee pls

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

That article is overly concerned with the marketing tactics of Ubisoft, not at all with what Americans can "handle".

Ubi wants their game to sell well in America, can we really blame them for that? The writer seems to have lost the script and is asking the wrong questions.

Axe99
Axe99
12 years ago

Aye, this – sure, the ads focus on Connor working with the revolutionaries, but this'll surely get more sales in the US, and from a commercial perspective (and AC is most deffo a commercial property).

As for whether they can or can't handle it, many people struggle with their team as the bad guys – the only reason we notice it with the US is its the single largest market for videogames, so kept in mind a little more often. I'd wager if we looked at sales of CoD in Russia and the Middle East, or MoH:Rising Sun in Japan, we'd see it easily enough ;).

bebestorm
bebestorm
12 years ago

ACIII has sparked debate before it was even officially announced Ill simply play it for what it is another awesome entry in a fantastic series.

Ludicrous_Liam
Ludicrous_Liam
12 years ago

The Brits are usually depicted as being the baddies in games. I don't mind personally, as long as we're in the game – and not drinking tea & eating scones, while saying 'Jolly good show chaps' every five seconds – then I'm happy. xD

Plus, it's good to have one distinguished enemy; you're always gunna want to fight one-on-one with the bad guy at the end. But if it's set how it is in Ac3, with two opposing sides as your enemys…that's kinda difficult I guess.

It's similar in MGS4, when you have the rebels and the militia as your opposing enemys. In this case I thought it did quite well with the 'Beasts' as your boss fights – where you'd fight them at the end of every Act, almost resembling the 'goal' of the act, if you will – but I'm not sure how Ac3 will manage the boss fights.


Last edited by Ludicrous_Liam on 6/16/2012 4:36:26 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

There's a good number of British pals in American-centric games too like the Resistance series.

Sir Shak
Sir Shak
12 years ago

Actually, the militia are far more forgiving than the PMC troops in MGS4. PMCs will kill you, no questions asked, but the militia can be befriended by a little gift or some help in killing off the PMC forces.


Last edited by Sir Shak on 6/16/2012 11:48:07 PM

Ludicrous_Liam
Ludicrous_Liam
12 years ago

Yeah, that's true Shak. But if you were to play it the true 'MGS' way, you'd never be seen by either side 😛

Dreno
Dreno
12 years ago

You know…
If I pay AC 3 like I've played the other AC games, than more than some colonists are gonna die.
See when I play,I lie to get surrounded by the enemy, I forget which AC it was but there was 2 trophies, fight for 25 minutes without being hit, Andi think one for fighting something like 30 or so enemies without being hit. I got both of those in the same battle. And its fair to say that more than a few civilians lost their lives in that battle. Findings they just get in the way.

So I think its fair to say that these people who are getting butt hurt that the trailers only show red costs dying, are forgetting that you can kill stone in the AC games.

Oyashiro
Oyashiro
12 years ago

I swear people are to sensitive. So what if they are Americans in the revolutionary war. I just don't see what the big dea..Uhrg!

*Falls to one knee*

That was… weird…Ahhh!

*Begins fading out of existence*

No! My Ancestors! We are all DOOMED! Doooooooomed…… dooooooooooooooooooooomd…

*Gets ripped apart by the fabric of space/time*

Killa Tequilla
Killa Tequilla
12 years ago

*but was still able to submit comment*

PC_Max
PC_Max
12 years ago

Well the analysis that the reason they only show Connor killing Brits, most of the colonists were Brits if not Brits descent too, is because of the red coats identifying them as the enemy I think is a bit lame. There were uniforms in the Colonial times but no armies until the Rev was in full swing. Just a militia which would later be organized.

That said come on… honestly, they chose the Brits because their biggest SALES are and will be in the US. So of course that would be the focus. Its about sales and money.

I am still not convinced about the game, even with the ship battle which seemed simple in the demo. I'll wait for the launch of the game and wait for the reviews to come in and more footage revealed.

Keep Playing!

wackazoa
wackazoa
12 years ago

My wonder is will we ever be able to go rampage on the frenchies…..

With Ubisoft a french company, do you think they are gonna let us kill their ancestors ? Or do you think they will have them surrender to our assassin instead ?


Last edited by wackazoa on 6/18/2012 9:49:40 AM

Temjin001
Temjin001
12 years ago

I still can't get over all of the animal cruelty in Super Mario Bros. Its just not fair. For every level of game play there NEEDS to be a level of playing as a turtle jumping on Italian plumbers!

=p

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

I can't believe there are suicide dog bombers in CoD that you need to murder.

Temjin001
Temjin001
12 years ago

I'm also offended that Mario is always saving a female princess. Because really, Mario and Luigi are probably gay for each other and sexuality needs equal representation!

(sarcasm)

Underdog15
Underdog15
12 years ago

Ew, they're brothers.

68
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x