As the war in the Middle East spreads, the White House has posted a clip from Call of Duty Modern Warfare III spliced with images of the strikes in Iran.
‘Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,’ the post read, showing a video of a player entering a code to release guided bombs as sirens wailed in the background.
The video then switched to unclassified footage of missiles being fired from aircraft carriers and precision strikes in Iran.
The post has sparked anger among many, who accused Donald Trump’s administration of treating war like ‘content for engagement’.
One X user replied: ‘Life is not a video game. F*** you for trying to pretend that it is. This is not what the people voted for.’
One expert has suggested that the White House is trying to cater to more ‘toxic masculine’ views with the bizarre clip.
Jason Pack, host of the Disorder Podcast, told Metro that the video shows Trump is playing to his base, who love the ‘toxic masculinity’ aspect of not just the war in Iran, but any conflict.
‘A video clip gamifying war is just another tactic to capture the news cycle. While some people oppose it and others debate it, the key is that they are no longer talking about Epstein,’ he argued.
Ian Garner, Assistant Professor at the center for Totalitarian Studies in Warsaw, told Metro the video released by the White House is less about detaching violence from war and more about creating an impression that war and violence is ‘enjoyable, or even cool’.
‘It’s something that appeals to a lot of the electorate who might align with what we would call some toxic masculine views. It also reduces the human impact of war,’ he explained.
The war has killed more than 1,230 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials.
Another X user observed: ‘I am not political and only focus on market impact, but making memes while you openly kill tons of civilians is insanely out of touch and dystopian.’
That user appears to be referencing hundreds of young girls killed in southern Iran when a school was struck, but it remains unclear if the US or Israel was behind the strike.
US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said he was ‘aware of reports’ that a girls’ school was struck and that officials were looking into them.
Still, as casualties mount in Iran and neighboring countries, Dr Garner has warned against rendering war as something that ‘doesn’t affect real people’.
‘It makes it seem like it doesn’t matter what really happens in the war,’ he explained.
‘Whether that be international law or the rules of conduct, it becomes immaterial for the conduct of war,’ he said.
‘All that matters is it’s something that’s fun, it’s something that’s viral, something that’s engaging, something that people can almost feel like they can play along with at home.’
Jason Pack added: ‘This strategy hits his base, tries to make the situation seem “fun,” and demonstrates an understanding of how to dominate the media cycle.
”Civility is gone. Of course, Trump is going to cheer while people are being killed; that’s who he is. This is all part of his effort to constantly own the media space.’
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