Computer Games and War on Terror by Michal Okaj Institute of Information and Media Studies University of Aarhus, Denmark

Index

Introduction

We are living in times of fear from the terrorism . The terrorist are using wide accessible knowledge and instruments to fight, including CYBERSPACE. When I talk about cyberspace I mean every kind of activity related with cyber-technology (computer age technology). They using it in many ways – most known is of course Internet as powerful propaganda media, recruiting centre and training data base. But one of the special, underestimate kind of cyber activity is a computer gaming.

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate:

• 
  the ways of using computer games by terrorists.
  
• 
  how the computer games can be used by them?
  
• 
  what can be the profits of using it?
  

Definitions

Terror¹ is a pronounced state of fear, an overwhelming sense of imminent danger. It is often characterized by a lack of knowing what to do next.

Terrorism² is a term used to describe certain violent or otherwise harmful acts or threats of such acts. Most definitions of terrorism include only those acts which are: intended to create fear or "terror", are perpetrated for a political goals (as opposed to a hate crime or "madman" attack), deliberately target "non-combatants", and are not conducted by a "legitimate" government. However, some definitions include state terrorism, and in many cases the determination of "legitimate" targets and the definition of "combatant" is disputed (especially by partisans to the conflict in question).

As a form of unconventional warfare, terrorism is sometimes used in attempting to force political change by: convincing a government or population to agree to demands to avoid future harm or fear of harm, destabilization of an existing government, motivating a disgruntled population to join an uprising, escalating a conflict in the hopes of disrupting the status quo, expressing the severity of a grievance, or drawing attention to a neglected cause.

Terrorism has been used by a broad array of political organizations in furthering their objectives; both right-wing and left-wing political parties, nationalistic, and religious groups, revolutionaries and ruling governments

Because of development of terrorism, there are several definitions of it.. In 2004 Weinberg has proposed a definition which is now called as “new academic consensus definition”. In my opinion it fits right and it is so far the best available:

“Terrorism is a politically motivated tactic involving the threat or use of force or violence in which the pursuit of publicity plays a significant role.”³

State terrorism⁴ is a controversial term, which means violence against civilians perpetrated by a national government or proxy state. Whether a particular act is described as "terrorism" may depend on whether the international community considers the action justified or necessary, or whether the described act is carried out as part of an armed conflict. It has to be mentioned, that the opinion of the International community cannot be defined and determined with universal agreement. State terrorism, where applicable, may be directed toward the population or infrastructure of the state in question or towards the population of other states. Although attacks on non-combatant civilians may occur during a time of war, they are not usually considered terrorism, especially if these are attacks on the enemy's war fighting capacity (for example an industrial port). The terrorism may be carried out by the state's own forces, such as an army, police, state supported militias, or other organizations, where it is more usually called state sponsored terrorism

State-sponsored terrorism (SST)⁵ is a political term used to refer to finance/bounties, equipment and intelligence material given across international boundaries to terrorist organizations and the families of deceased militants for the purpose of conducting or rewarding attacks on civilians. States that sponsor terrorism may also provide a "safe-haven" for persons accused of terrorism and refuse to extradite them. As any form of terrorism, SST is used because it is believed to produce strategic results where the use of conventional armed forces is not practical or effective.

Cybercrime⁶ is a term used broadly to describe criminal activity in which computers or networks are a tool, a target, or a place of criminal activity. These categories are not exclusive and many activities can be characterized as falling in one or more categories.

Although the term cybercrime is usually restricted to describing criminal activity in which the computer or network is an essential part of the crime. This term is also used to include traditional crimes in which computers or networks are used to enable the illicit activity.

Examples of cybercrime in which the computer or network is a tool of the criminal activity include spamming and certain intellectual property and criminal copyright crimes, particularly those facilitated through peer-to-peer networks.

Examples of cybercrime in which the computer or network is a target of criminal activity include unauthorized access (i.e, defeating access controls), malicious code, and denial-of-service attacks.

Examples of cybercrime in which the computer or network is a place of criminal activity include theft of service (in particular, telecom fraud) and certain financial frauds.

Cybercrime in the context of national security may involve hacktivism (online activity intended to influence policy), traditional espionage, or information warfare and related activities.

Another way to define cybercrime is simply as criminal activity involving the information technology infrastructure, including illegal access (unauthorized access), illegal interception (by technical means of non-public transmissions of computer data to, from or within a computer system), data interference (unauthorized damaging, deletion, deterioration, alteration or suppression of computer data), systems interference (interfering with the functioning of a computer system by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating, altering or suppressing computer data), misuse of devices, forgery (ID theft), and electronic fraud.

Cyber-terrorism⁷ is the leveraging of a target's computers and information technology, particularly via the Internet, to cause physical, real-world harm or severe disruption with the aim of advancing the attacker's own political or religious goals.

A distinction is made between terrorists that use available technology and the pure cyberterrorists.

As the Internet becomes more pervasive in all areas of human endeavor. Individuals or groups can use the anonymity afforded by cyberspace to threaten citizens, certain specific groups (i.e. members of an ethnic group or belief), communities and entire countries, without inherent chance of being captured, injured, or killed to the attacker that being physically present at a terrorist event presents.

As the Internet continues to expand, and computer systems continue to be assigned more responsibility while becoming more and more complex and interdependent, sabotage or terrorism via cyberspace may become a more serious threat.

Propaganda⁸ is a type of message aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of people. Instead of impartially providing information, propaganda is often deliberately misleading, using logical fallacies, that, while sometimes convincing, are not necessarily valid. Propaganda techniques include: patriotic flag-waving, glittering generalities, intentional vagueness, oversimplification of complex issues, rationalization, introducing unrelated red herring issues, using appealing, simple slogans, stereotyping, testimonials from authority figures or celebrities, unstated assumptions, and encouraging readers or viewers to "jump on the bandwagon" of a particular point of view.

Propaganda has become more common in political contexts, in particular to refer to certain efforts sponsored by governments, political groups, but also often covert interests.

Manipulation⁹ in a psychological context, means to influence a person or a group of people in such a way that the manipulator tries to get what he or she wants or makes a person believe something in a calculating, indirect and somewhat dishonest way. Like indoctrination, it is a form of psychological abuse.

For example, a manipulator will

• 
  use arguments that the manipulator does not believe in himself
  
• 
  use of false reasoning as with fallacies and paralogisms
  
• 
  withhold or distort relevant information,
  
• 
  provide false information (disinformation)
  
• 
  "play" on the emotions (fear, hope, love...) of the person.
  
• 
  physically move the person, like a puppet
  

A serious game may be a simulation which has the look and feel of a game, but corresponds to non-game events or processes, including business operations and military operations. The games are intended to provide an engaging, self-reinforcing context in which to motivate and educate the players. Other purposes for such games include marketing and advertisement. The largest users of SGs are the US government and medical professionals.

Gonzalo Frasca in "Videogames of the Oppressed" examines how games are able to raise social and political issues (2004).¹³ As a game designer Frasca is also interested in the genre he calls "news gaming," that is, games based on actual news events. His game September 12th, A Toy World (2003) deals with the war on terrorism, albeit using the somewhat unrealistic visual idiom of a cartoon-drawn, web-based bombing game. Other games such as 911 Survivor (2003) or Waco Resurrection (2003) directly reference current geopolitical events. The game company Kuma refers to this genre as "reality games" and offers their own Kuma\War (2004) game with episodes ripped directly from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Islamic games overview – propaganda¹⁴

Almost all of the Islamic games has an propaganda factor. Most of them do not have so good graphics and

The Stone Thrower

In the game’s official website¹⁵ we can read the mission briefing:

“Al-Aqsa Mosque is always in great danger as long as there is Israeli occupation in Palestine. You have heard recently that a group of Israeli terrorists will try to infiltrate the holy place. The people of Palestine have prepared to ambush them at the moment they try to enter the mosque. But you just can't wait... Something inside you tells you to go out to the mosque grounds and face the enemy with your bare hands(As all Palestinians do). Go on and fight for freedom”

The game begins with a photo of what appears to be a dead child held in a woman's arms, with text reading (in English)

"Dedicated to the ones...who gave their lives...for their Homeland."

In the simple game a figure representing a Palestinian youth must punch, kick, and throw rocks at the waves of Israeli riot police who menace him. As he kills off the cops, his score increases at the top of the screen, superimposed upon a skull decorated with the Star of David. The action takes place in front of a digital rendering of the monumental Al-Aqsa Mosque. Players can choose between three poetically named levels of difficulty:

1) The Stone Child,

2) I Fear No Enemy,

3) I Fear Not Death.

But, like old-style agitprop films, The Stone Throwers makes no other attempts at subtlety in conveying its message. At the conclusion, the game announces:

"Game Over: Well maybe you have killed some Israeli soldiers...in the Computer

world...But..."

then switches to a photo of a crowd carrying a young man in a casket, draped with the Palestinian flag, reading "...THIS IS THE REAL WORLD. Stop the killing of the Innocents in Palestine...Before the game is really over."

Of course on the game’s official website there is a notice “This game does not try to propagate hate or violence against anybody or any people. It is some kind of support to the Palestinian people in their continuous struggle for liberty, independence and peace. It also aims at proving that Arabs are able to respond against Israeli and western-made computer games that convey a distorted image about Arabs.”

This game has no graphics effects and does not give a great fun – but gives very clear message.

Islam Games – the company with headquarters in United States – is one of the main producers of game in which is apocalyptic vision of fight between Islam defenders and their enemies. In 2005 Wall Street Journal informed, that terrorists responsible for 7/7 attacks in London where supplied with this kind of games.

Ummah Defense I, Ummah Defense II, Maze of Destiny

These games were developed by Islam Games.

Ummah Defense I presents players with a world "finally united under the banner of Islam in 2114, until a revolt by disbelievers. The player's goal is to seek out and destroy the unbelievers." (The Arabic word umma denotes the community of believers.) Thomas Friedman suggests publicizing both hatemongers and moderate voices of Islam, to force hate out into the open where it tends not to shine. In this Friedman echoes the famous dictum of Justice Louis Brandeis: "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."

Here, from the vendor's website, is the goal of Islamgames:

“At Islamgames.com, our goal is to provide you with quality, Islamic entertainment for you as well as your children. Due to high levels of interaction, video games are actually a great learning tool, but unfortunately, many of the games available teach things contrary to the teachings of Islam, At Islamgames.com, we also recognize that fun and games are an important part of a childs upbringing. While it is essential to teach our children the facts of religion, sometimes kids just want to have fun. This has resulted in a dichotomy between what we choose to teach our children, and how our children choose to entertain themselves. The result, our children tend to identify with secular values and concepts more than with those of Islam. By providing an alternative to mainstream video games, we can help our children, in a subtle way, learn to identify with Islamic values, and thereby become more closely attuned to the teachings of Islam.” Umma Defense II takes on space aliens trying to destroy Islam.

Maze of Destiny has players freeing from a dungeon the teachers of the Qu'ran. Introduction to the game on the vendor’s website says that, “there was a land filled with Justice and Love, where men and women worshipped Allah, the one God, and feared Him only. This is because they used to read the Quran, the Book of Allah, and obey its teachings. But one day, an evil wizard named Darlak, the Deceiver tried to destroy the Book of Allah, but he couldn't do it. So he tried to hide it from the people, but they wouldn't let him. (…) Darlak imprisoned the people who knew the teachings of the Quran and understood its message. (…) after years of struggle, you have found out where Darlak imprisoned the teachers of the Quran. Hoping that you might gain the knowledge of the Quran, you have set out to free the wise teachers whom Darlak has imprisoned. (…) only with your wits, and your faith in Allah, you must dare the depths of Darlak's dungeon. Can you recover the missing letters of Surah Fatiha, rescue the teachers of the Quran, and re-establish the true worship of Allah on Earth?”¹⁶

In this case it is also clear about given message.

In this game “You're an anonymous boy in a white turban and blue tunic whose goal is to rescue the opening chapter of the Quran from the clutches of Darlak the Deceiver. Players must gather giant keys to open doors, set bombs to open secret passageways, and endure a soundtrack that sounds like a prefab mix from an old Casio keyboard. Along the way, you are instructed in the ways in which the evil Darlak departs from Islamic teaching.”¹⁷

The Resistance

The next game I wanted to present is “The Resistance” developed by Innovative Minds, British game designing studio. In this game, main character is represented by little kid that become make-believe members of Hezbollah’s Islamic Resistance in Southern Lebanon. There is a faith-based history quiz ( of course Islamic ). For the right answers players gets ammo for shooting. Israeli tanks are the target.

There is a discussion according the message given by this game the developing company:

“It seems that the media is silent when they, the Zionists, use their tanks to slaughter our children," the company's website retorts, "but when our children play a shoot-em-up game [...] we are accused of training terrorists and instilling hatred towards Jews! On the contrary, the questions in the game educate children not to fall for the Zionist lie that Zionism, Jewishness, and Judaism are synonymous but to understand that Zionism, a racist ideology, has nothing to do with Judaism.”¹⁸

It have to be noticed that the game is included in FunPack Games – package with educational games for small kids.

Special Force

The conflict between Israel and Lebanon within the latter country's southern regions from the 1980s to 2000 provides the basis for another game that makes no bones about its ideological position. Developed by the Hezbollah Central Internet Bureau “Special Force” was the first 3D first-person shooter produced for Middle Eastern gamers, and it arrived with an explicit political agenda. Like many Western games at the time, Special Force touted its historical realism: its scenarios are based on the actual battles Hezbollah fought in 2000 that helped convince Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon and end the occupation. This game was an answer for developed by U.S. Army – America’s Army: Special Forces ( I will write something more about this game later). After viewing an animated title sequence of an exploding Israeli tank, players train at a Lebanese war college, firing guns and lobbing grenades at images of former Prime Minster Ariel Sharon and other Israeli leaders, and are awarded medals from real-life Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah upon completion. When battling Israeli forces in South Lebanon, players can honor photos of actual "martyrs" at spots of their real-life death. Israeli bad guys shout "You killed me" in Hebrew when felled. Environments in the game are decorated with Hezbollah's martial insignia, or a blue Star of David with a hissing snake at its center. "The military posts that are attacked in the game by the player are the exact replicas of the posts used by the 'Israelis' during their brutal occupation," the Special Force website reads. "In the game the player has to attack the military post and liberate it as [...] the Lebanese actually did. The player attacks military personal [sic] and not civilians; the attack also takes place on Lebanese soil. [....] In the game you will also find pictures of all the martyrs that died during their struggle to liberate their land so that our children may live in freedom. Special Force game will render you a partner of the resistance."¹⁹

“The goal is to create an alternative to similar Western games where Arabs and Muslims are portrayed as terrorists,” – Hezbollah spokesman Bilal az-Zein told to the reporter. However, an 8-year old player said that he liked this game "because it kills Israelis.... I can be a resistance fighter, even though in real life I don't want to do that."

Due some observers, games carries a deliberate and specific political message, that is pro-Islamic and anti-Israel. On the cover of the game's box, a message to users says "the designers of Special Force are very proud to provide you with this special product, which embodies objectively the defeat of the Israeli enemy and the heroic actions taken by heroes of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon." It adds: "Be a partner in the victory. Fight, resist and destroy your enemy in the game of force and victory."

The most proper comment is given by Mahmoud Rayya, an official from the Hezbollah bureau. He said "This game is resisting the Israeli occupation through the media. [...] In a way, Special Force offers a mental and personal training for those who play it, allowing them to feel that they are in the shoes of the resistance fighters."²⁰

UnderAsh

One of the most known Islamic game is shooter – “UnderAsh”, developed by Syrian Afkar Media. In the game's opening chapter, Ahmad, the main character runs through his village, throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. Later in the game, Ahmad moves from stones to guns, and shoots at Israeli settlers attempting to push out the Palestinian villagers. In a dramatic trailer for UnderAsh, a bulldozer destroys a Palestinian home and Israeli police stomp and kick a Palestinian villager.

UnderSiege

“UnderSiege” – the sequel of “UnderAsh” is more elaborate. It is set in 200 during the second intifada. Its narrative draws from true events experienced by Palestinian families during this time. Short teaser videos for UnderSiege have the air of a brutal documentary. In one, after a child is gunned down in the street, an Israeli soldier jumps from his tank, apparently to rescue him. When he arrives by the child's side, the soldier appears to finish him off by pounding him with a cement block. In another teaser, a Palestinian religious service is interrupted by an Orthodox Jewish gunman, who mows down the congregation with a machine gun.²¹

Al Quraysh

Presented games are full of violence, the main aim is to kill and destroy. But there are some projects that are more ambitious. Like “Al Quraysh” an Islamic version of civilization. On the official website we can read “Hold your horses! it is not a religion game, the concept of this game is build upon characters whom are eye witness to this new bloom, a Byzantine officer, a Persian monk and an old tribe chief, and each character will say his point of view about this new phenomena called ISLAM!”²²

The makers hope "Al-Quraysh," named after the prophet Muhammad's tribe, will help to correct the image of Islam, alleviate tensions with the West, and stoke pride among young Muslims.²³

"Al-Quraysh is going to help people in the West better understand the people who are living in the East," says Radwan Kasmiya, an avid gamer and the executive manager of Afkar Media. "We want to show that this civilization was a sort of practical and almost heavenly civilization." The game also holds lessons for Muslims, says Mr. Kasmiya.²⁴

Kuma\War – American response

Kuma\War (first released in 2004) is a tactical first and third-person shooter created by the new American company Kuma Reality Games. Kuma\War is an episodic game that re-creates real-world conflicts in video game format using information culled from news accounts, military experts, Department of Defense records and original research. Episodes consist of a playable mission, extensive background text, and often include interviews with military experts, soldiers and other actual participants in the events described. Kuma\War was created as a consumer product, but is now also used by the US Military as a training and communications tool.²⁵

Kuma\War has become the subject of much controversy, taking criticism for supporting the war, its speed of release – many of its missions recreate battles which are just days or weeks old – its close relationship with the military, and for its coverage of a number of divisive issues including the potential for military action in Iran and a positive depiction of John Kerry’s military service. Unlike other games created with the assistance of the US Military, such as America's Army, Full Spectrum Warrior and SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs, the main distinguishing feature in Kuma\War is its extensive background information for each mission, which includes satellite photos, original articles and a multimedia library.

The presentation is dated and drab, and the vaguely realistic military trappings can't disguise what is at heart a weak, simplistic shooter. Kuma\War has some of the essentials for a good military shooter. Player control a fire team of four soldiers armed with real-world weapons. Gamer play from a first- or third-person view and switch between directly controlling any of the soldiers at any time to issuing simple orders, like "hold fire" or "fire at will" to his team. Via a Web-based front end, can also follow links to mainstream media reports, images, and videos relating to the real-world missions that have inspired the game's action. Even can download Kuma's own CNN-style broadcasts for each mission. These broadcasts mix real-world footage with in-game images and offer background information, expert analysis, and tips relating to the game's virtual versions of the battles

In July 2006, Kuma\War 2 was released, featuring improved graphics (based on the Source engine) and an expanded online multiplayer environment. The first mission re-creates the assassination of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and further missions have been promised.

This game do not provide a real-simulation. It is a pure propaganda – player can play as victorious American soldiers in the most important battles. With a subscription, there could be downloaded latest triumphal American missions in the War on Terror.

Conclusions

All games presented above does not have great graphic, they perceived cultural insensitivity, combined with fairly poor standards of game design. They cannot compete with western multimillionaire productions. But it is not the aim. This games was developed to provide a message about Islamic world.

Those games, played by children can affect on their understanding of surrounding world. Game became a medium for propaganda. It is a tool that helps to recruit new supporters to the ideology.

"We don't see them as games but as part of an educational process which is preventing any chance of real peace," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Ron Prosor told The Associated Press in Jerusalem when asked about "Special Force."²⁶

Of course there has to be noticed that those games was a response for “propaganda” games developed in Israel and in the Western world. For example, a computer game about the Israeli air force that features the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and bombing of Iraq was banned several years ago in Lebanon after it surfaced briefly in stores. This was also a sign o appropriating new technologies for terrorism and war propaganda.

Simulations – training tools

“When the history of late 20th-century cyber-technology is written, the evolution of military simulation will be a fascinating chapter. What historian could resist such a mix: virtual worlds, networked environments, societal impacts of game design and culture, the revamping of military technology and training?”²⁷

After 9/11 attack there were unconfirmed information, that terrorists used a Microsoft Flight Simulator for fly training. Even if this was not the true, because during play Flight Simulator it was possible to fly in and between World Trade Center towers, it has been noticed that computer games can be used as a training tool for terrorists (and not only for terrorists). Of course the idea of simulation was more old but, in the previous there was thinking about training simulator only in cost billions, military projects.

In this part of my paper, I will try to find examples of the games that can be used for training.

America’s Army

America's Army is one of the five most popular PC action games played online. It provides players with the most authentic military experience available, from exploring the development of soldiers in individual and collective training to their deployment in simulated missions in the War on Terror.²⁸

America's Army (also known as AA or Army Game Project) is a tactical multiplayer first-person shooter owned by the United States Government and released as a global public relations initiative to help with U.S. Army recruitment. The PC version, subtitled Recon, was first released on July 4, 2002. Subsequently Operations was first released on July 12, 2002. The most current version Coalition debuted Dec 21, 2006 and has had many upgrades since Recon. It is financed through U.S. tax dollars and distributed for free. It was originally developed by the MOVES Institute at the Naval Postgraduate School and continues to use the Unreal Engine.²⁹ There also has been developed versions for Xbox and Sony Playstation.

The main aim of developing this game was to interest young American people with the U.S. Army, the recruitment. At the United States Military Academy, 19 percent of 2003's freshman class stated they had played the game. Enlistment quotas were met in the two years directly following the game's release.³⁰

To play the game, first of all we have go through the military training course, the same course is a part of real U.S. army trainings. After regular training course, player have to choose his military specialty – then of course have to pass special training. After that player can start serve as U.S. soldier.

This could be the source of knowledge for everybody (including enemies and terrorists) about U.S. military routine trainings and soldiers skill’s that have to be achieved by them:

• Basic Training – Must be completed before can play any mission online.

• Advanced Marksmanship –complete the Marksmanship component of Basic Training to a high level (i.e. hit 36 or more out of 40 targets) will qualify to enter the Advanced Marksmanship training course, which is basically Sniper school.

• Airborne Course – Completing this course allows to play on the Airborne-based maps, which have the Airborne icon next to them on the server browser screen.

• Medic Training – Completing this course allows to take the role of combat medic within the game.

• Special Forces Training – Completing this course allows to play on the Special Forces (SF) maps as a Special Forces soldier. Player must also have an honor of 15 or above to play as an SF soldier.

• Advanced Individual Training - Completing this training course allows to drive HMMWVs, operate the CROWS gun and use the Javelin Missile system
In game there could be find weapons, vehicles and other equipment that exist in real world. Their parameters are the same. This could bring a practical knowledge about American soldiers equipment. Of course in Internet anyone can find information about it, but in game there is opportunity to simulate usage. It provide possibility of comparing.

Missions are based on the real missions. This game is not only a regular shooter. In this game player has to strictly follow the orders. If player will try to shoot to everybody, the mission will be over. Playing the missions will give knowledge about U.S. Army tactics on the battlefield. It could be very helpful for enemies – they can find weak points and use them during planning their tactics.

As of version 2.8, America's Army now includes a Mission Editor which allows users to create custom maps for the game. The editor will take some work to use, however once you've created a custom map you can submit it to AA Mission Depot and if approved will be available for all players to download and use. It gives a opportunity to create a maps of real places to planning and training the possible attack scenarios.

Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike, commonly abbreviated to CS, or CS:S for Counter-Strike: Source, is a team-based, tactical first-person shooter game which originated with a total conversion mod created by Minh "gooseman" Le and Jess Cliffe, of Valve Software's first-person shooter, Half-Life. The game has been expanded into a series since its original release, which currently includes Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Counter-Strike: Source. Counter-Strike pits a team of counter-terrorists against a team of terrorists in rounds of competition won by completing an objective or eliminating the opposing force.

Counter-Strike is meant to be more realistic than futuristic first-person shooters such as Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament, but is also built to keep the action flowing faster than more realistic tactical shooters such as the Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon series. For example, relatively few shots will kill a player, and shots to different parts of the body inflict varying amounts of damage, but damage has no permanent bearing on ability to run or jump, allowing a player with just a few hit points remaining to keep fighting just as well as any other player. Movement, however, is restricted while taking damage from gunfire, and a player cannot run at full speed whilst taking damage.³¹

The way of using this game by terrorists is tactical training. This game like non other requires team coordination and support. In this game it is also possibility to create own maps. There is a opportunity of creating and using external mods (with for example another kind of weapons or equipment). With all this possibilities, it could be a great tool for plan and training different attack scenarios (different equipment, numbers of team-members),

Military Vehicle, Warplanes and Naval Simulators

Another kind of games that can be used by terrorists are simulators. They can be used to get knowledge about operating vehicles (tank, trucks, artillery, missile launchers), planes (civilian and military) and ships. There is a number of titles.

Planes simulators can use special kind of manipulators that imitates joystick in the plane. The main advantages of using this kind of games is opportunity to get familiarize with all equipment in the plane or vehicle. Exact reproductions of insides, with all devices and controls gives an opportunity to learn what for are they and how to use them.

In different mission player can train different possible scenarios and learn fast decision making.

One of the biggest advantage is very carefully reproduced environment – like in MS Flight Simulator series for example.

Of course the possibility of use a battleship, for example by terrorist is very small. Even, if they will try to hijack one of them, but there has to be noticed that before 9/11 the possibility of kind attack that has been performed was also very small. Specialist in Federal Bureau of Investigation marked this scenario as almost impossible. And it happened. So, we cannot exclude them.

Uplink Hacker Elite

In the 21^st century there is another kind of possible terrorist attack – cyber-terrorism. The possibility of cyber-attack on logical network infrastructures (hacking) is very high. Imagine what could happen if terrorists took control of, for example, the airport control-system. In this age, computers are everywhere they manage everything from traffic to the pricing of goods at the local department store. And they are all linked via networks – so attacks can be conducted from any location and on any computer that is connected. It is only matter of time, resources and knowledge. ³²

In the game, the player assumes the role of a hacker in the year 2010, working for the mysterious "Uplink Corporation". Gamers take on the role of an Uplink agent, working for large corporations and hacking into rival computer systems, stealing research data, sabotaging other companies, laundering money, erasing evidence, and framing innocent people. Stock markets can be influenced, personal records can be altered, and money can be transferred…sometimes into the wrong hands.³³

Uplink has a strong modding community, with themes, gateways, new sound and image packs, and other additions being made. In mid-2003 Introversion began selling the source code for the game, along with other tools on the Uplink Developer CD. This has led to a large number of gameplay modifications including new skins and graphics, new sounds and music, mission types, new entities to hack such as the FBI Mod, which adds an FBI server to the game, along with new security systems and missions, and total conversions such as Uplink: The Mod and Onlink.³⁴

This game is a simulation of real global network, gives an opportunity to familiarize with possible network protections. It provide knowledge about existing tools, hardware and software, that can be used to break them. In combination with “know-how” knowledge, that could be easily find on the Internet, it is great “educational” tool for potential cyber-aggressors.

Conclusions

Simulation games provide a knowledge of using weapons, vehicles, equipment and tools in a real world. They are giving a chance to plan and try different scenarios of possible attack. Also provide knowledge about response from defenders. With smart usage it could be a great training tool.

General conclusions

“The severe discrepancy in the scale of consequence makes the

comparison of war and gaming nearly obscene, the analogy either trivializing

the one or, conversely, attributing to the other a weight of motive and

consequence it cannot bear.”³⁵

In the 21^st-century, technology allows terrorists to forward their ideology, tactics and state of fear worldwide . Now we can see that the war with terrorism has been transferred also into a cyber-space. Among us, there are terrorists using everyday technologies and inventions like computer gaming against us to spread fear and destruction.

This new kind of terrorism uses all available tools and knowledge – not only a weapons and specific explosives

Most of people consider games as strict entertainment only, but that is not all the truth.
“Citizens. Countries. Video Games. The US Army keeps them all free.”

• 
  America’s Army video game advertising slogan, 2003
  

After appearing of “Amercia’s Army” released by U.S.Army Hezbollah Central Internet Bureau developed a shooter FPP called “Special Force” and Syrian Afkar Media produced “UnderAsh” the appear sequel called “UnderSiege”. But now it’s not only about directed violence – Islamic world realized that world of computer games have very big influence on the Young people minds.

“The only aspect of modern age, that is interesting for terrorists – is technology.

They see in it a weapon, which they can use against the developers of that technology.”

Salman Rushdi³⁶ for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung³⁷
His claim is interesting due to the “identity-involvement-dilemma” pointed out by several Western observers. The dilemma is presented as follows: Islamist terrorists criticize the West for its ‘decadent’ and imperialist life style, reigned by capitalism and technology. Technology is viewed as part of the materialism of Western culture, and interaction with technology — so goes the Islamist criticism — will per se involve one into Western materialism. The consistent reaction of Islamists should thus be to stay away from technology and retain the pre-industrial, pre-technological culture of Islamic societies in their pure fashion. The more Islamists involve themselves with Western technology, the more they endanger the identity of the Islam. Terrorists have become members of Western culture, one could argue, in so far as they use Western propaganda tools and techniques…

The above conclusions lead to the question: Should access to technology and knowledge be controlled and limited? Free access to knowledge and information is one of the fundamental requirements of democracy. Technology is part and parcel of a culture that believes in free public access to knowledge. Thus, the employment of methods to safeguard technology against terrorist abuse would alter its democratic identity.

Moreover, I think that is impossible to control Internet – the main way of providing the knowledge (information, data).

We have to deal with fact that that we all are influenced by propaganda even in computer gaming.

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism

3 Mats Fridlund, State of Fear – Aarhus Seminar in the History of Ideas

4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_terrorism

5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State-sponsored_terrorism

6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybercrime

7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber-terrorism

8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda

9 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipulation

10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_game

11 Based on:

http://www.gamestudies.org/0401/galloway/

12 See Patrick Crogan (2003) for more on the intersection of gaming and the military information society. Julian Stallabrass's early essay "Just Gaming" (1993) is also methodologically instructive for how to think about games as allegories.

13 See also Shuen-shing Lee's (2003) "I Lose, Therefore I Think" A Search for Contemplation amid Wars of Push-Button Glare. Game Studies, 3.

14 This chapter is based on:

“Islamogaming” - http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3153332

http://religiapokoju.blox.pl/2006/09/Islamogranie-gry-ze-swiata-islamu-gry-komputerowe.html

“ISLAM: VIDEOPLAY & WORDPLAY” - http://wohlstetter.typepad.com/letterfromthecapitol/2005/07/freedom_to_subv.html

http://www.slate.com/id/2124363

15 http://www.damascus-online.com/stonethrowers/

16 http://www.simplyislam.com/iteminfo.asp?item=54854

17 http://www.slate.com/id/2124363

18 http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3153332

19 http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3153332

20 http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31323

21 http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=2&cId=3153332

22 http://www.quraishgame.com/qe_index.htm

23 http://www.subzeroblue.com/archives/2006/06/alquraysh_the_muslim.html

24 http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0605/p07s02-wome.html

25 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuma%5CWar

26 http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2003/05/25/export16774.prt

27 Henry Lowood, Ph.D - curator of History of Science and Technology Collections

at Stanford University

28 http://www.americasarmy.com/intel/features.php

29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas_army

30 http://www.notinourname.net/resources_links/video-game-7nov03.htm

31 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-strike

32 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uplink:_Hacker_Elite

33 http://pc.gamezone.com/gamesell/p19555.htm

34 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uplink:_Hacker_Elite

35 Elaine Scarry, The Body in Pain, 1985:83

36 Salman Rushdi – British prosaic with Iranian roots, author of “The Satanic Verses”

37 http://www.rmf.pl/fakty/?id=31455 ,

Download 81.56 Kb.

Share with your friends: