Throttle Back on the FPS Criticism

You Real Soldiers: Take a Breath for a Minute About Us FPS Gamers!

by Spawn of Shooter

I wanna take a minute to tell hard core real world combat veterans to throttle back on laying hate on FPS gamers. Here's why - not all of us think BF3 and MW3 is "real combat." In fact, MW3 is the furthest thing from it. You can't assume all of us think that way any more than off-base civilians should assume all military personnel are crusty warriors or for that matter that all infantry guys and doorkickers deserve awards for valor. There are douches everywhere. I think we should keep things in perspective.

This poster appeared a while back on Gruntworks - I know, because I think Gruntworks is awesome. Go read some of the comments from people on this poster though. It's like they believe we're all complete morons without a clue.

Listen to this for a minute: some of us have grown up our entire lives with a country at war. There are guys enlisting now who were in 1st and 2nd grade when those planes hit. You think we're all clueless? What's really funny is that some of you were just like us before you signed your contract (insert lisping guy with braces voice)  "GUYS I WANNA BE A SNIPERRRR!"

My dad took me to see that movie Restrepo when it first came out. I went with my uncle again later. I was going to watch it a third time later, but I'd just gotten back from Kody and Wyatt's dad's funeral. He was killed in Afghanistan last year.  I'm not stupid and my friends aren't either. We know that real combat is the closest thing to real combat. We get that it's a game and we play it that way.

Maybe you should ask yourselves if some of your frustrations about what you think gamers think is based on your own frustration. And also, you should make it clear what your background is. If you were a grunt, as my "Uncle Bulldog" was, you have a right to talk down to us. If you spent your whole time over there directing airplanes in a control tower on an airfield in Kuwait or working on the engines of an aircraft carrier, you prolly don't have much more of an idea about real combat than we do. That isn't disrespect for any military people but an Air Force band player doesn't need to get all dramatic with us about what it's like to have richochets go by your head and to have to burn poop.

Stop to wonder the background of the teenagers you're talking to before you cuss at them on X-Box Live. A lot of them are toolbags. Some of them are missing their dads (or moms) and have seen their friend's dads come home missing an arm or a leg or maybe in a box with a flag on it. If you want to make a difference, put some influence on the kids you can influence so they can understand. Make them take a minute to watch Restrepo or the Battle for Marjah, or just help them understand the difference, but remember they're not stupid. They know driving a car isn't the same thing as Simpsons Road Rage or Grand Theft Auto.

It's a game. You have to keep it in perspective just like they do.

Also, if you don't like Gruntworks you're probably a dope smoking hippie yourself. Oh and it's not our fault that a lot of you guys suck and we can kill you so easy. YOU GUYS should realize it's just a game and change your tactics to fit in (talking to you Josh).

Anyways, this video is prolly not what it was like in Sadr City, but it's funny to watch, and it doesn't make us worry about you guys over there any less.

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Tango Victor Mike for reading.

Spawn of Shooter

Spawn of Shooter is a military dependent and a gamer. His great-grandfathers, grandfathers, dad, uncles and the other arguably suitable role models in his life present a wide mix of military (some now LE) personnel from all four branches. These include a grunt CSM, a gunner’s mate, a retired Gunny from JSOTF-P, one green-side corpsman, a couple of MSGTs, a STA Marine, one FO, a couple MPs…you get the point. He likes first person shooters, gets his dork on in WoW and Skyrim and can competently shoot basic qual courses with a shotgun (20ga. not 12, yet) and pistol (still working on the rifle). He understands the advantages and disadvantages of living in the fishbowl that is base housing, loves Anthony’s Pizza and thinks the brassards on the base Courtesy Patrols are kinda jumping the shark. He’s on Facebook at https://​www​.facebook​.com/​S​p​a​w​n​o​f​S​h​o​o​ter