A first person shooter video game with photorealistic graphics has caused controversy for being too close to the real thing. Earlier this week developers shared a preview clip of 'Unrecord' on Twitter which has since garnered 77.9M views.
The video which is just over two minutes, was tweeted by lead programmer and co-director of the game Alex Spindler who described it as a 'bodycam FPS' which is a reference to the cameras that police in the USA wear. The gameplay trailer shows the user as a tactical officer traversing a derelict building which has been created using the popular game development software Unreal Engine.
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The surroundings look extremely lifelike with graffiti adorned on the battered walls, true-to-life lighting, smashed windows, abandoned book shelves and debris littered about. In the gameplay the character can be seen making their way through the environment as they shoot and protect themselves from assailants.
Most first person shooters are filmed from the perspective of the in-game character's eyes, however, in the gameplay for Unrecorded it shows that the gamer will be relying on a bodycam strapped to the character to see.
Many replies to the trailer have been very complimentary with commenters amazed at the graphic fidelity, but some also voiced their concerns at the hyperrealism, arguing that it can negatively influence younger players by skewing their perception of what is real and what isn't.
Replying to the video, on Twitter user said: "I’m going to get a lot of hate for this - but this level of realism in video games should be heavily moderated in *shooters* for anyone *under a certain age*, I hope parents do their job.
"This level of realism for shooting & killing makes *me* feel uncomfortable as if I’m watching a real leak from a military or police operation. The clear distinction between real & fake is necessary, but this level of realism, in my opinion, gives real credibility to the nonsense politicians have been spewing for years about video games conditioning young people to lose a sense of empathy toward violent tendencies or situations."
Another Twitter user who agreed said: "As a former vet, I agree with this. Unreal engine 5.1 will be great but should be moderated heavily. This could be too "inspiring" for the wrong type of person in the wrong headspace."
Another user who was impressed with the graphics also said: "Give me some monsters to shoot, this sort of realistic rendering is really impressive but makes shooting human targets uncomfortable."
A release date for the game is yet to be announced but it is currently available for wishlist on Steam. A description of the game reads: "Unrecord is a tactical shooter where players can expect an immersive and narrative experience. Unrecord features complex dialogues, innovative gameplay mechanics, tough moral dilemmas, and a unique shooting system.
"The storyline in Unrecord can be compared to a detective novel or a thriller. The player will have to investigate several criminal cases and confront a diverse cast of characters.
"The game's plot and presentation will be central to the gameplay experience, and players can anticipate a range of gameplay sequences as well as numerous plot twists."
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