How are the narrative roles of hero/villain constructed in popular video games such as the 'Call of Duty' and why are they more complicated than in earlier texts in the war genre?

http://lass.calumet.purdue.edu/cca/gmj/fa08/gmj-fa08-kavoori.htm

Gaming as Narrative
Galloway suggests that a key element in discussing gaming narratives is to see the relationship between the gaming world and the real world. He explains that historically the theories of visual culture refer to such relationship as the problematics of representation.

http://www.karsten-wenzlaff.de/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/wenzlaff-game-theory-and-terrorism.pdf

Difficulties of modelling terrorism in game theory
If we assume rationality of the terrorists, we can use game theory to identify the strategic interactions, such as dominant strategies and the issue of threats. Most ‘irrational’ notions of terrorism can be incorporated in the framework of game theory by adjusting strategies and pay-offs in the game. Game theory also allows uncertainty and behaviour under risk. And finally, it explains changes of behaviour when the rules of the game are changed.23 Modelling terrorism in game theory is complicated.

Terrorism is a complex social phenomenon, which makes it hard to identify the set-up the game. The political and economical implications are difficult to measure and therefore the pay-offs are difficult to state. The terrorism game involves decisions by different kinds of actors on multiple stages of the game, therefore the strategies are also difficult to assess. To come to terms with these difficulties, it is reasonable to look at the each sub-game of the whole game separately, identifying the different sub-games by the different participating players.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/ll3rvgmn5u7301d8/

Storytelling, people, computers, and digital communications are becoming increasingly interwoven. The idea of using procedural techniques to involve people in stories is enormously attractive, yet actually finding a way to create interactive fiction that achieves both artistic and commercial success remains elusive.


http://muslimreverie.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/whats-wrong-with-this-picture/

This was an ideal opportunity to shatter some stereotypes about Arab and Muslim villains. When I spoke to Jeffrey Katzenberg – a visionary producer – I asked him to include some reference to Arabs or Arab culture. He didn’t seem surprised that I mentioned it, which presumably means that it was discussed early on in the development of the game.

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=4342804

A theory for role-playing simulation games intended to support analysts (and trainees) with generating and testing alternative competing hypotheses on how to influence world conflict situations. Simulated leaders and followers capable of playing these games are implemented in a cognitive modeling framework, called the Performance Moderator Function Server (PMFserv), which covers value systems, personality and cultural factors, emotions, relationships, perception, stress/coping style, and decision making. Of direct interest, as Section I-A explains, is codification and synthesis of best-of-breed social-science models within PMFserv to improve the internal validity of agent implementations. Sections II and III present this for leader profiling instruments and group-membership decision making, respectively. Section IV then offers two real-world case studies (The Third Crusade and SE Asia Today) where agent models are subjected to Turing and correspondence tests under each case study. In sum, substantial effort on game realism, best-of-breed social-science models, and agent validation efforts is essential if analysis and training tools are to help explore cultural issues and alternative ways to influence outcomes. Such exercises, in turn, are likely to improve the state of the science as well.

http://faculty.fordham.edu/andersen/andersen_WarAndVideo.pdf

This paper explores the collaboration between the Pentagon and the entertainment industries at the site of the popular interactive format, the war-themed video game. The commercial media industry is heavily invested in the research and development of digital technologies used to create simulations, graphics, and virtual worlds, which are also essential to the networked protocols of military training and weapons system.

With advances in digital computer-based technologies, war themed games make increasing claims to realism, authenticity and historical accuracy. Real war footage is frequently inserted into narratives and battlefield sequences. We compare the narratives of the experiences of gamers to narratives of recruits and soldier’s experiences of war. Though war themed interactive games are taking simulated battlefields to higher levels of realism, including more intense graphic violence, the thrilling excitement of entertainment replaces the emotional truth of war, a trend with highly negative consequences.

http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/~bogost/courses/spring07/lcc3710/readings/jenkins_game-design.pdf

"Interactivity is almost the opposite of narrative; narrative flows under the direction of the author, while interactivity depends on the player for motive power”

"There is a direct, immediate conflict between the demands of a story and the demands of a game. Divergence from a story's path is likely to make for a less satisfying story; restricting a player's freedom of action is likely to make for a less satisfying game."

"Computer games are Not narratives....Rather the narrative tends to be isolated from or even work against the computer-gameness of the game."