You Can't Shoot Civilians in Battlefield 3, and Here's Why

Battlefield 3 falls on the more realistic end of the spectrum when it comes to depicting what it's like to be a in war. Of course, it's not going to be anywhere near an exact simulation of what that experience is like, and one thing that is physically possible in real life but won't be an option in BF3 is the ability to shoot innocent civilians.

Speaking with Rock, Paper, Shotgun, executive producer Patrick Bach said he thinks games are "on the verge" of being able to be political or make a point about the moral aspects of war, comparing it to "where movies were in the 30s or 40s."

At the same time, he's concerned about giving players the freedom to do absolutely anything, as he thinks "if you put the player in front of a choice where they can do good things or bad things, they will do bad things, go dark side -- because people think it's cool to be naughty, they won't be caught...

"In a game where it's more authentic, when you have a gun in your hand and a child in front of you what would happen? Well the player would probably shoot that child."

Assuming that to be true, it won't be the players that take the blame in the media. He says it'll be DICE, and that's why it has "to build our experiences so we don't put the player in experiences where they can do bad things."

In light of what happened with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, it's easy to see why this concern would arise. RPS notes that Bach never specifically referenced it, but it's hard to talk about this subject and not think about MW2's infamous "No Russian" level (pictured above) where players assumed the role of an undercover agent who goes through an airport with terrorists gunning down countless unarmed civilians. The scene can be skipped altogether; alternatively, players can go through it with or without shooting at civilians, as it plays out the same way regardless.

This led to attempts to ban the game in Australia, while others attempted to draw a connection between the level and a tragic terrorist attack in a Russian airport earlier this year. (The latter despite the attack involving a suicide bombing, not terrorists shooting at people.)

"Me personally, I'm trying to stay away from civilians in games like BF because I think people will do bad," Bach continued. "I don't want to see videos on the internet where people shoot civilians. That's something I will sanitize by removing that feature from the game."

"That doesn't mean that I don't want people to feel that war is not good," he added. "...We are trying to do something that is more mature. Mature not being gore -- some people confuse the two. That's childish actually, to want more blood."

It was one thing to be upset about Ninja Gaiden 3 ditching the ability to behead and or dismember opponents because those are bad guys you're attacking in a much different context. It's a different argument when it involves shooting innocent people in a game, though some would say it's not a big deal because it's just a videogame. Which side of the argument do you fall on? Are you disappointed with this restriction in Battlefield 3, or will you never give it a second thought? Let us know in the comments below.