Killing Is Harmless

Killing is Harmless is a rather poignant look at a game that attempts something that very few games out there have done before, commenting on the motivations and factors that drive us as games to slaughter countless virtual people and never question ourselves. It's an interesting look at how Spec Ops: The Line attempts to address these issues throughout the course of its plot.

Whether or not you agree with the author it makes for an engrossing read. It's well written and presents some interesting observations and is definitely worth a read whether or not you've played the game and especially if you're interested in the gaming medium being taking seriously and addressing issues that it far too often overlooks.

Finally finished this one up! I enjoyed it, although I think it structurally suffers from the sheer length of it; filling a whole book on a reading Spec Ops was an interesting challenge but the games' themes are so consistently repeating that a close read dragged a little, mostly in the early goings for the game's set up. Plus, such a focus on Spec Ops left me craving some more analysis on other games, as the book is speaking to how Spec Ops comments on the shooter genre so often.

But I enjoyed it a bunch, it was a nice fast read, and I'm glad I finally finished it.