Hardest. Game. Ever.

February 2, 2007 11:36 AM

Peacmaker - a new Israeli/Palestinian RPG: "The goal of the player as the leader is to establish a stable resolution to the conflict and win the Nobel Prize before his or her term in office ends."

Oh. Is that all?
posted by ericbop (37 comments total)

You know, I thought RPGs were part of the problem in the Middle East.
posted by eriko at 11:43 AM on February 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

Insert soon-to-be-standard joke about camping the +3 Suicide Vest of Allah here.
posted by frogan at 11:46 AM on February 2, 2007

There's an interesting article on Gamasutra about this, too.
posted by freebird at 11:47 AM on February 2, 2007

"The goal of the player as the leader is to establish a stable resolution to the conflict and win the Nobel Prize before his or her term in office ends."

So it's a High Fantasy RPG, then.
posted by kid ichorous at 11:48 AM on February 2, 2007

It's really too bad that the game costs money and doesn't have a playable demo. I'd like to check it out very casually, but I'm not likely to plunk down $20 for it; I bet there are plenty of people thinking similar thoughts.
posted by gurple at 11:49 AM on February 2, 2007

Achieving the maximum score of 100 will make one a "Nobel Prize Winner" level...

Sooo...best case scenario, you're these guys?
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:49 AM on February 2, 2007

Ah. Role Playing Game. I see. Like Eriko (I suspect), I immediately thought Rocket Propelled Grenade.
posted by IndigoJones at 11:52 AM on February 2, 2007

wow. the only computer game where you can't win?
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 11:59 AM on February 2, 2007

This is a great idea. I wonder if you try to reform things too quickly if you'll get assassinated by one of your own. And that's not a snark; it seems to be one of the biggest obstacles to peace in the region.
posted by 2sheets at 12:01 PM on February 2, 2007

I've seen these guys a couple times at various Serious Games-type events, there work looked interesting but I am annoyed that there is no demo, however.

Also, the ultimate Middle East political simulator is still Conflict from 1990 - you can download it here and its plenty of fun.
posted by blahblahblah at 12:09 PM on February 2, 2007

What a neat idea... but yeah, I'll stick with Takeshi no Chousenjou.
Less frustrating.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 12:11 PM on February 2, 2007

Green Eyed Monster said "wow. the only computer game where you can't win?"

There's defcon, where the goal is to be the least losing player...
posted by symbioid at 12:15 PM on February 2, 2007

It seems more like a turn-based strategy game than RPG. Or can you lure random politicans like Jimmy Carter and Henry Kissinger into your party just for fun?
posted by mrgrimm at 12:17 PM on February 2, 2007

In the strictest sense, it looks more like an turn-based strategy than it does an RPG.

Aside from that, it looks okay, but I'd much rather play a close analog of the Israel/Palestine conflict in a fantasy setting than I would one based directly on current events. First, it would be more fun; and, second, I'm a bit leery as to what the end-game "resolution" a $20 videogame would propose for the I/P conflict. But that's just my initial impression: perhaps they did a good job with it.
posted by The God Complex at 12:19 PM on February 2, 2007

"I'm a bit leery as to what the end-game "resolution" a $20 videogame would propose for the I/P conflict."
Convert them all to christianity?

Although even if we did that they would probably still go all Northern Ireland on us.
posted by 2sheets at 12:22 PM on February 2, 2007

The Kobayashi Maru of RPGs..
posted by tadellin at 12:24 PM on February 2, 2007

Bought it. $20 US isn't much. And I think these types of games that encourage understanding should be supported, lord* knows there is already enough support for efforts that just simply perpetuate the conflict.
posted by bhouston at 12:25 PM on February 2, 2007

* the word "lord" above is used in a completely non-religious way.
posted by bhouston at 12:26 PM on February 2, 2007

Get out of our community blog, bhouston, MetaFilter loves Jesus and we aren't ashamed to admit it.
posted by baphomet at 12:32 PM on February 2, 2007

I hope they have an option to use the Swiss Guard from the Vatican to patrol Jerusalem.
posted by smackfu at 12:33 PM on February 2, 2007

I would just clunk their heads together whenever they tried to commit atrocities (the Moe Howard technique).
posted by Mister_A at 12:35 PM on February 2, 2007

My strategy is simple: instruct the computer to play tic-tac-toe against itself until it realizes that best possible outcome is a tense, nervous stalemate, with the occasional bloody skirmish inflicted by either side.

Then, I'll take the day off of school and marry Sarah Jessica Parker.
posted by malocchio at 12:40 PM on February 2, 2007

smackfu, I always liked that Tom Clancy suggestion from SOAF
posted by ericbop at 12:41 PM on February 2, 2007

septermber 12 is an interesting game you can't win
posted by subtle_squid at 12:41 PM on February 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

malocchio:
My strategy is simple: instruct the computer to play tic-tac-toe against itself until it realizes that best possible outcome is a tense, nervous stalemate, with the occasional bloody skirmish inflicted by either side.

Heh. Just watched that movie yesterday for the first time. Not as bad as I thought it would be given it was from 1983.
posted by bhouston at 12:48 PM on February 2, 2007

Then, I'll take the day off of school and marry Sarah Jessica Parker.

Ally Sheedy might have something to say about that.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 12:53 PM on February 2, 2007

I recall once seeing a Hypercard game that simulated the Arab/Israel conflict using game theory. I think it was called Ramses.
posted by rschram at 12:54 PM on February 2, 2007

Bah. I just realized what you were getting at, Malocchio. Nevermind.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 12:54 PM on February 2, 2007

thanks, eric, I knew that sounded damn familiar! You saved me having to ask :)
posted by cell divide at 12:57 PM on February 2, 2007

The Kobayashi Maru of RPGs.

How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn't you say?
posted by Kirklander at 1:25 PM on February 2, 2007

Done! It was easier than I expected.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:49 PM on February 2, 2007

Alert Jack Thompson!
posted by EatTheWeek at 4:51 PM on February 2, 2007

About the Game
Genre: PeaceMaker is a role-playing game with a high level view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is not a first-person shooter.

Do they bring this sense of humour to the game?
posted by dreamsign at 7:28 PM on February 2, 2007

I've been playing this over the weekend, except it's called Medieval Total War II on my computer for some reason.
posted by oxford blue at 8:33 PM on February 2, 2007

Yes! As a war-gamer, I've wanted this game for a while, and obviously everyone needs to play, as long as the point isn't to bore you with the "seriousness" of the israel-palestine issue.

However, a problem--even the ad for this game clearly shows its elitist, liberal-interventionist bias.

(not that all strategy games don't pander to the monarchist in all of us, if not the totalitarian. Few die of old age in Medieval II.)

Notice, as an elite, you can support "anti-violent" resistance, or "pro-violent" resistance, and not non-violent resistance: which is always a move into a grey area, if it is at all effective as a political move.

Also, The interaction diagram shows that the israeli and palestinean populations don't interact, much less interact positively, without mediation from elites and foreign governments, when this seems central to any peacemaking effort or study i've ever heard of.

Why can't the goal of the game be justice 4 all and an end 2 poverty? nobel prizes? yawnfest.

Jeff Halper should design a peace-game based on his "matrix of control." at least the maps would be aweseom.
posted by eustatic at 8:24 AM on February 3, 2007

my comments seem trite after reading the gamasutra article.

this looks very good, even tho i'm disappointed that it doesn't look like it includes the problem of israeli settlements in the west bank or gaza. I'm definitely being too hard to please.
posted by eustatic at 8:52 AM on February 3, 2007

Like eriko, when I read RPG near the words "Middle East", my first association is not with role-playing. Or games.
posted by Skeptic at 10:19 AM on February 3, 2007