Editorial: Video games are not important right now

I realize this is a wild time to be talking about video games. The United States of America is in a state of chaos that continues to bewilder many of us. Because of this, many gaming companies have decided to postpone announcements and releases scheduled for this week.

In case you’re out of the loop, let me quickly catch you up to speed. EA Sports planned to debut a first proper look at Madden NFL 21, Sony was slated to finally properly unveil the PS5 and its line-up of games, and Call of Duty was meant to release its fourth season of content for Modern Warfare.

All of these video game related things were pushed back to unspecified dates in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests going on across the country. While America is only a portion of our world, it’s a large portion and what’s happening has spread globally. There are protests in Canada, Europe, and likely more, it’s not just an isolated discussion or movement. The world is watching and social media platforms like Twitter have gone from jokes, video game talk, and more to exclusively focusing on the current climate of the world. You’d be hard-pressed to find something on your feed that’s not at least somewhat connected to what’s going on.

You can not escape it and you shouldn’t be able to. It’s important to talk about, support, but most of all understand. To get you to understand, many companies like the ones mentioned above have ensured that the attention will not be on them and their products but instead on the injustices in our world. You may think “Hey Cade, is this something that even needs to be said? It seems obvious.”

Yeah, I thought so too but apparently not to everyone. The comments sections in response to the posts made on these delays from Call of Duty, Sony, and EA Sports were pretty ignorant. There were a lot of “UGH, why’d you have to get political?” type comments or some annoyance about having to wait for video games.

There’s a certain level of irony in getting mad about Call of Duty getting political. You know, the video games about war. Modern Warfare opens with a terrorist attack in London, features waterboarding, and trying to eliminate terrorism by any means necessary, no matter where your morals fall. But hey, that’s not political at all, right?

Is it a bit upsetting that we’re going to have to wait a little longer to learn more about/play with our new toys? Yes, we like to have fun! I understand that and that’s why I have the job that I do. Do you know what’s more upsetting? A system that murders and restricts people from living happily and freely.

Understand the privilege you have to be able to play your $60 video game on your $400 (or more) machine. Understand that you’re able to sit at home and run from the cops in GTA for fun while people do that in real life in terror and horror.

It’s more than ok to enjoy video games right now but do not act like a victim or crybaby because you’re not getting what you want. There are people who have wanted change, equality, and peace for decades and they haven’t gotten it. If you have to wait a few weeks to see some PlayStation 5 games, you’re not going to suffer.

So, if you think now isn’t the time for politics, your ignorance shows. The world doesn’t just turn on and off for when you’re comfortable and ready. The world needs action and it needs it now. So respectfully, if you’re genuinely angry you can’t play as Captain Price in Call of Duty: Warzone this week or see some CG trailers: please recognize there are greater issues in our world that need our attention.