First-person massacre

It begins in an elevator. The screen is black, but you hear guns loading and men speaking with heavy Russian accents.

The doors open. You and a small group of terror-hungry men exit with fully automatic machine guns, assault rifles with grenade launchers and several frag and stun grenades.

You're the last one out and within seconds, bullets fly and bodies drop as you and the terrorists slaughter everyone in sight and begin a slow, homicidal walk through a Russian airport.

Horrified civilians run for safety. Some scream violently while others hide behind benches to no effect, as the terrorists gun them down without mercy. Thousands of bloody, lifeless bodies, bullet casings and abandoned suitcases are left behind.

This scene is a playable level in the recently released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

I've been a gamer for years and have played hundreds of different war games, and I've never come across anything as violent and coldhearted as this.

Gamers play in a first person point of view. The only thing on your TV is the barrel of a gun and objects in front of you, making for a very realistic experience while playing the game – which is quite disturbing in this case.

Yes, it is a war game and violence is expected. The game is rated 'Mature' for blood, intense violence, language and drug references, which is equivalent to an 'R' rating in a movie.

Intense violence is nothing new to video games. But the first time I witnessed this game, my stomach turned, and I couldn't believe what was happening on my roommate's TV.

I play video games to relieve some stress and have fun. Playing through this level was not in any way entertaining. It was upsetting. I get no thrill from gunning down helpless civilians.

Sorry, Activision.

I've always been a fan of first person shooters, and over the years, the blood and violence in games has increased and has become much more realistic – especially when the camera is focused down the sights of an assault rifle.

The publisher of the game released a statement that they included that to add to the story of the game and that it was 'designed to evoke the atrocities of terrorism.'

I've beaten the game. The level did have an impact on the story, but I feel the level was unnecessary and the scene could have been cut or briefly mentioned in a video.

Adding this level in a first person shooter is overkill.

The game does allow players to skip the level, providing two warnings at the beginning of the game that some players may find the level disturbing and can skip it at any time, with no penalty.

In addition, the player does not have to kill anyone. Just walking through the level will allow you to continue, but you still have to witness four psychotic gunmen mow down an airport full of people.

The warning and the option to not participate do not excuse the content of the level. Nothing does.

I sincerely hope this doesn't become a trend in future video games. Developers have the tools and the power to create anything they want, but that is not a license to showcase the gruesome murders of innocent civilians.

E-mail: matt.mosher@ubspectrum.com