Originally published September 17, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified September 17, 2007 at 9:51 AM
Brier Dudley
"Halo 3" promos troubling
Microsoft is saying its upcoming "Halo 3" video game "will make entertainment history. " I wonder, though, if the company will make another...
![]() |
Seattle Times staff columnist
Microsoft is saying its upcoming "Halo 3" video game "will make entertainment history."
I wonder, though, if the company will make another kind of history by releasing a provocatively themed war game in the throes of a horrible, divisive, real-life war. In the game, you play the part of Master Chief, a Marine saving the world by blasting away at alien zealots.
I don't want to be a spoilsport or a hypocrite. "Halo" is a great game that millions of people, including me, will be playing for years.
But the overt symbolism Microsoft is using to sell "Halo 3" is unsettling. Maybe I've lived in Seattle too long. You've got to wonder, though, whether Microsoft is pushing it in this case.
Consider the "Halo 3" ads that Microsoft unveiled last week, before the game's Sept. 25 launch.
They're a series of mock documentaries, some featuring a scarred old soldier recalling battles fought with Master Chief, "the man who gave the world faith" and made humanity "believe again."
Is that M.C. or J.C.?
The ads zoom in on anguished faces of soldiers in a battlefield diorama.
Frank O'Connor thinks I should loosen up. He's a lead writer at Bungie Studios, the Microsoft unit that created "Halo 3."
"Honestly, we just want people to get away from that when they're playing our game and shoot laser guns and fly Banshees and drive around in vehicles and have fun," he said last week.
O'Connor said people drew comparisons between Islamic fundamentalists and the alien "Covenant" when "Halo 2" was released in 2004, but the game undercut assumptions by having characters change sides.
"Halo 3" concludes an epic trilogy, and the ads tell fans "the stuff you lived through in 'Halo 1' and 'Halo 2' has importance and consequence," he said.
![]()
"We are the latest in a long line of people exploring the same themes. It's just that we didn't stop doing it because there was a conflict in Iraq; we didn't stop doing it because there was a war in Bosnia — those things are external to what we're doing," he said.
Provocation and a little controversy may be part of the marketing plan. That's old hat in the game business.
I don't think Microsoft is trying to send any subliminal, pro-war message. It's reflecting popular culture, like a 21st-century GI Joe, dressed up with big themes to make it seem weighty and build Star Trek-like enthusiasm.
But it seems risky for a global company to even lightheartedly link spirituality and military themes during a U.S. war in the Middle East that has outraged much of the world.
Especially a company that's trying to stay tight with the Bush administration while building its presence in developing countries.
O'Connor said Microsoft gave Bungie autonomy with "Halo." Nothing was censored, though Bungie asked for input about an African word, from an Islamic country, it had used. To be safe, the word was changed.
"That's the only time I can think of any guidance coming from on high about anything," he said.
The "Halo 3" story was influenced by science fiction, all the way back to H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, and fictional themes that are "prototypical and archetypical — conflict, resolution, heroism, sacrifice," O'Connor said.
The game also draws on heroes "from World War II and heroes from Thermopoli and great historical and mythical conflicts," he said.
"Of course these things are going to ring true because history's repeating itself, and it always does."
Brier Dudley's column appears Mondays. Reach him at 206-515-5687 or bdudley@seattletimes.com.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
bdudley@seattletimes.com | 206-515-5687
Washington state wines make annual best-of list
Cool yule buzz on the latest in gift gear for your nerd
BofA moves to take control of Mastro building in Fremont
Nonprofits get creative using Twitter and Facebook to make donation easier
Busy week of IPOs sets stage for strong year ahead

LA Galaxy's David Beckham
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham talks about the upcoming MLS Cup final during after a team practice.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- Monfort fired after excellent worker turned unreliable
- Sentence request for US woman in Italy murder case
- 31 years for man who killed girlfriend, then lit cigarette and waited for police
- Boeing facility death was suicide
- Mariners Blog | A Mariners-Tigers swap makes a whole lot of sense for both teams
- Swedish threatens to end Regence BlueShield's contract
- Man falls 8 stories, suffers minor injuries
- Man shot in chest on E. Union Street in Capitol Hill
- Italian lead prosecutor argues Knox motive was hatred
- Mariners Blog | Dustin Ackley to move to second base; Mariners add six to 40-man roster
- First key vote today on Senate health bill
162 - Mariners add six to 40-man roster
103 - Boeing breaks ground for historic SC plant
97 - Lynnwood is reinventing itself — again
78 - Man shot in Capitol Hill
71 - Italian lead prosecutor argues Knox motive was hatred
67 - Senate vote clears hurdle
47 - Bye week answers, volume four
46 - Case of accused "Street Mobb" pimp goes to jury
45 - Saturday links
43
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Swedish threatens to end Regence BlueShield's contract
- Recipes: Sesame Pork Roast, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce and more
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Nonprofits get creative using Twitter and Facebook to make donation easier
- Restaurant review | Artisanal at The Bravern shows French flair in delicious style
- Peruvian police: Gang killed people for their fat
- Seattle industrial artist Rusty Oliver is the man behind 'Smash Putt'
- Great places to cross-country ski for free (or almost) in the Methow
- $335 million in education grants






