Six Days in Fallujahlaunched via early access yesterday, revealing that it has historical loading screens framed like documentaries. These feature real pictures of soldiers with accompanying quotes. For example, one screen shows Corporal Thompson who said, “Fear is contagious. You can’t show fear because it destroys your unit’s morale.”
The game has more than a troubled history. It was initially announced in 2009, only years after the Fallujah conflict, aiming to tell the story of an actual Iraq War battle. Publisher Konami dropped the game due to mounting backlash, but over a decade later, it has returned, and with it, brought back that same outcry. Much of this comes from its positioning, as we follow US troops in what an Arab advocacy group call an"Arab murder simulator that will only normalize violence against Muslims".
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America had been launching sporadic air strikes against Fallujah following the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s government, but in 2003, US troops occupied the city. This led to what is known as the Fallujah Killings, in which hundreds of citizens ignored the US curfew and peacefully marched in the streets to protest outside of a local school where the US military was based. Locals say that US troops opened fire on the unarmed crowd after failed attempts to make them disperse, killing 17 and wounding over 70. Later, the US would request 1,500 troops to help counter Fallujah resistance; they then allegedly confiscated motorcycles, blew up a mosque (which they blamed on insurgents), and got into regular shoot-outs with locals, before finally withdrawing.
Since the game puts us into the shoes of American soldiers, many see it as another shooter with US military propaganda, and these loading screens don’t help.
The examples shared so far focus on the impact the occupation had on US soldiers, unravelling their trauma and fear. This is something indie developerRami Ismail called out back in 2021when he tweeted that “Allahu akbar” were the first words spoken by an Iraqi in the game. “The trailer has anonymised Iraqi civilians, blaming Iraqi civilians' staying behind in Fallujah solely on ‘Iraqi stubbornness’ with absolutely no mention of the documented and self-admitted context of the US military denying escape to military-age men.”
Developer Victura president Peter Tamte claims that the studio is"not trying to make a political statement", but in tackling an incredibly controversial modern event, it can’t avoid politics. It remains to be seen how much of the game platforms the voices of the Iraqi civilians whose town was under occupation, with the devs previouslypromisinga mission where players will assume the role of an unarmed man fleeing with his son. However, the quotes in these loading screens have left a poor taste, with many once again viewing Six Days in Fallujah as another game embroiled in US propaganda.
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