Video games have glorified war, but there is one exception that doesn’t get the credit it really deserves…
It is Armistice Day here in the UK, a day in which services take place across the country to remember the sacrifices of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and other service personnel in wars, conflicts, and attacks.
I wanted to look at the one war-related game that I feel offers the right balance of violence and respect. I realise this may not be for every reader, but as the grandson of a veteran (who sadly died in 1996), one who lost most of his battalion — young men with no offspring, so essentially lost and all but forgotten — I think it is important to be realistic about war, what it means, and that the sacrifices made are bigger than we can ever comprehend.
For me, the one game that takes this seriously — while darkly demonstrating the futility — is Cannon Fodder.
Remembering those who fell, the right way
Recent family events have put me in mind of a trip to Blackpool, I’m guessing 1991/1992, where I found myself in the shopping mall after a trip to the amusement arcades.
There, I found a copy of Universal Military Simulator, for the Amiga, emblazoned with “UMS” on the cover. I was entranced by the idea of a collection of historical battles that I could re-enact — an uncle had some military miniatures, so I was aware of the depth of play these projects had — and bought the game, from around £15.
Of course, I couldn’t play the game until I got home, and inevitably, the damned thing didn’t work. To this day, I’ve never played UMS.
But I have played Cannon Fodder.
That’s a game that I found challenging, strategic, and ultimately, sad. It’s tough going, and you become fond of the troops as you guide them around the mission maps, attempting to overcome a similarly-equipped enemy. That aspect — every character on the screen is equally matched, and will die from a single shot — is far more realistic than, say, Wolfenstein 3D (or its remake/sequels).
Sensible Software’s Cannon Fodder
An honest appraisal of the game, I think, mixes its inherent silliness with the stark realities of war. This isn’t new ground, of course — the Monty Python team covered this several times, not least in their final movie The Meaning of Life. You’ve got the cosy-but-all-too-real moments of Dad’s Army (and many actual veterans were involved with the making of that show), too.
Even the theme tune of the game, “War Has Never Been So Much Fun,” is sung to a reggae beat that is carefully balanced between jaunty and mournful. satire on Nazism.
Any slower and it would be funereal.
I recall there being a bit of a controversy around the game’s release in December 1993, with a publicity campaign that ran through Armistice Day several weeks earlier. Looking back, I’ve reminded myself of a few things, such as the game’s promotion relied on a poppy, which upset the Royal British Legion; newspapers got wind of the game, and it was criticised by politicians and notable veterans.
But I think they missed the point, and I know other more recent reappraisals share this sentiment.
There is a sombre tone to this game; yes, it’s silly, there is a surreal juxtaposition between nonsense and war, but compare and contrast with the all-guns approach of Call of Duty: WWII. That’s a movie-scale production that adds modern nuances and a hero quest to war.
But war is no heroic quest. The journey inevitably ends with death. Any other approach is glorification.
Cannon Fodder doesn’t do that, it’s far more honest.
Your men (with art by Stoo Cambridge) die, and you don’t get to use them again.
Speaking to Amiga Action in 1993, Sensible Software’s Jon Hare said: “The graves show that people died and their names mean they’re not just faceless sacrifices. I’m only happy with this one because it makes you think ‘Yes, people really die’. We’re not glamourising anything, I don’t think.”
The game about war, for all the right reasons
We’d have forgotten about Cannon Fodder had it been rubbish, but it wasn’t. It was brilliant, and unless you were brain-dead, it unlocked a realisation about what war is not…
…and what war really is.
As far as I’m concerned, Cannon Fodder is an anti-war war game.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
