Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Linked to Russian Airport Bombing

Gaming… fun for most, but a target for others. In the case of the horrible bombing that occurred at the Domodedovo International airport in Moscow earlier this week, the Russian media are blaming video games, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in the hotseat. This brings us back once again to the not-so-uncommon question… can games create madmen?

The reason Modern Warfare 2 has been targeted is that it features a level called “No Russian” where a group of thugs, and yourself, go through an airport in Russia and kill everyone in sight. For those with a conscience, it’s a very difficult level to watch. Personally, I didn’t shoot my gun once while playing through. It’s one thing to kill enemies, but another to kill innocents.

There’s no question that the level is graphic, though, and despite the terrorist from last week’s bombing not carrying out the exact same acts as in the game, the similarity is actually rather apparent. But, that to me doesn’t mean there’s a literal connection, but rather an unfortunate one.

This is such a sensitive subject, but I’m interested in knowing what you guys think about this? I am not opposed to the idea that games can influence people, but to be honest, I feel other sources of media can do just as good a job, if not better. Music, for one, or movies, which actually do look entirely realistic. Of course, with gaming putting you in control, it’s hard to explain that to anyone who “just doesn’t understand”.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has become a shocking reality … with so many people seemingly downloading, playing or watching this game, you have to consider whether or not anybody actually thought this game could so closely resemble reality,” said a Russia Today news presenter in the report. It also included comments from US terrorism expert Walid Phares, who said it was possible that computer games might influence the strategies employed by terrorists.