ArmA 2 Clip Mistaken For Actual Combat Footage

In a somewhat flattering turn of events for Bohemia Interactive, Escapist Magazine is reporting that UK Broadcaster ITV mistook footage from ArmA II for the real deal.

The clip features an in-game “re-enactment” of a 1988 conflict where the Irish Republican Army managed to take down a British helicopter. Pretty impressive game footage, really, though most of it has to do with the augmentation added to the footage itself. The shakycam and the lens filters could probably keep you from asking “Hey, don’t the edges of that jeep look kind of… jagged?” That’s a tip for anyone trying to tell the difference between real life activity and in game activity: Real life tends not to have anti-aliasing issues.

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All the same, Bohemia Interactive’s CEO did give his reaction to it all. From the link:

Bohemia Interactive CEO Marek Spanel described the whole thing as “very weird” and said that he didn’t know anything about it prior to the documentary’s debut. “At the moment we are gathering further information about the matter but I already had chance to see the documentary and so far I am not sure how could they make such [an] obvious mistake,” he told Spong. “On a somewhat more positive note, we consider this as a bizarre appreciation of the level of realism incorporated into our games.”

Honestly, I’m surprised he wasn’t more upbeat about the whole thing. Making a realistic combat game and having youtube footage of it mistaken for the real deal? Now that’s good press! On the other hand, this is the sort of “realism” that leads to news stories like “Are your children being trained to be irish insurgents – inside your own home? Find out after this commercial message!”

Either way, it’s either a testament to the graphical punch in modern PC gaming, or a statement about how sloppy some people can get. Take your pick!

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