Men Of Valor Takes On Vietnam Gaming Experience

Thanks to Eurogamer for its two-part interview with the creators of Xbox/PC FPS Men Of Valor, another of the raft of current/forthcoming titles based on the Vietnam War. The interviewer pointedly notes: "2015 is determined to try and avoid making a political statement or offending anybody. Yet, at the same time, they've chosen an African-American man for the lead and aim to touch on some of the delicate racial issues that were unfolding at the time... There are certainly some aspects of the equation that don't quite add up." A hands-on Xbox preview from Eurogamer also delves deeper into gameplay for this September-due title, praising what looks like "a solid first-person shooter with some thoughtful ideas behind it", although cautioning: "we'd argue there's certainly some cynicism in the Vietnam game idea."

Comments

Give yourself a break

[hambonewilkins]

Something to ponder:

"African Americans often did supply a disproportionate number of combat troops, a high percentage of whom had voluntarily enlisted. Although they made up less than 10 percent of American men in arms and about 13 percent of the U.S. population between 1961 and 1966, they accounted for almost 20 percent of all combat-related deaths in Vietnam during that period. In 1965 alone African Americans represented almost one-fourth of the Army's killed in action. In 1968 African Americans, who made up roughly 12 percent of Army and Marine total strengths, frequently contributed half the men in front-line combat units, especially in rifle squads and fire teams. Under heavy criticism, Army and Marine commanders worked to lessen black casualties after 1966, and by the end of the conflict, African American combat deaths amounted to approximately 12 percent--more in line with national population figures."

From: Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History

Of course more blacks aren't going to die than whites in Vietnam, percentage wise that would be very difficult (as whites are far more common). However, they were disproportionately sent over, as this makes clear.
So, I guess I'm saying it's not a MYTH and that you're wrong.