A Geek's Way of Celebrating Veteran's Day
Seeing plenty of Twitter posts on Veteran's Day put a thought into my head: what media (shows, movies, videogames, ect.) is most appropriate for this day.
On the gaming end, it's easy just to point to the WWII shooters. Call of Duty seems to be the pinnacle of those games, taking the player directly into the environment of combat. Most of the time, WWII shooters try to mix patriotic feelings with horrors that are inherent with war. Some go one end, some go the other way.
But the game that comes to mind for me on this day is Half Life 2. Specifically, late in the game there is a chapter in which you, as Gordan Freeman, is part of a rebellion against the Combine. In that rebellion, you know what costs you have to endure, and why you and everyone else is fighting. The only critique of the game as a whole is that chapter was the best, and probably should have ended there.
Then with movies, there's of course the Private Ryans and such. But here, I think Serenity has a note in it that's appropriate. Again, rebellion is key, as rebellion fights for a truly better world. If you haven't yet seen Serenity yet, stop reading right now, and you'll see why I mention it here.
A series I would have down is Battlestar Galactica. The entire series is based around what happens in times of war, and more over the price people have to pay during that time. BSG: Razor especially asks what a person on a individual level have to become in a time of war.
Anime has plenty of series that has war and fighting as a major topic. Pretty much anything Gundam has war in mind, often to a negative tone. The fist series I saw, the spinoff Gundam Wing, tries to ask why war happens, why people fight, and how to stop that.
But the one series that I say is best for this day: Gurren Laggan. It just aired on SciFi, and is one of the best anime series out there. It might be consider spoilers, but much of the series deals with what they call "fighting spirit." While Gundam and such had a different opinion on why nations fight, this series shows why veterans volenteered to fight. Again, if you haven't seen this, go do it now.
So, for anyone reading this: what's your show, movie, game or otherwise for this Veteran's Day?
On the gaming end, it's easy just to point to the WWII shooters. Call of Duty seems to be the pinnacle of those games, taking the player directly into the environment of combat. Most of the time, WWII shooters try to mix patriotic feelings with horrors that are inherent with war. Some go one end, some go the other way.
But the game that comes to mind for me on this day is Half Life 2. Specifically, late in the game there is a chapter in which you, as Gordan Freeman, is part of a rebellion against the Combine. In that rebellion, you know what costs you have to endure, and why you and everyone else is fighting. The only critique of the game as a whole is that chapter was the best, and probably should have ended there.
Then with movies, there's of course the Private Ryans and such. But here, I think Serenity has a note in it that's appropriate. Again, rebellion is key, as rebellion fights for a truly better world. If you haven't yet seen Serenity yet, stop reading right now, and you'll see why I mention it here.
A series I would have down is Battlestar Galactica. The entire series is based around what happens in times of war, and more over the price people have to pay during that time. BSG: Razor especially asks what a person on a individual level have to become in a time of war.
Anime has plenty of series that has war and fighting as a major topic. Pretty much anything Gundam has war in mind, often to a negative tone. The fist series I saw, the spinoff Gundam Wing, tries to ask why war happens, why people fight, and how to stop that.
But the one series that I say is best for this day: Gurren Laggan. It just aired on SciFi, and is one of the best anime series out there. It might be consider spoilers, but much of the series deals with what they call "fighting spirit." While Gundam and such had a different opinion on why nations fight, this series shows why veterans volenteered to fight. Again, if you haven't seen this, go do it now.
So, for anyone reading this: what's your show, movie, game or otherwise for this Veteran's Day?
posted by SeanM at 3:40 PM
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