Although this is a positive thing for Bohemia Interactive (as it shows that the game is realistic enough), it is a double-edged sword that many people are using the studio’s game as disinformation…

In addition to the Russian-Ukrainian war, Hamas-Israeli battles are now in the news, and Arma 3 has been in the news more than once. And Bohemia Interactive has not let the fact that their game is once again misleading social media, and in a blog post they have said that they have had enough of fake news and have also written some tips on how to identify footage that appears to be their game or authentic footage.

“The developers of the independent Czech game development studio Bohemia Interactive would like to address the recent circulation of videos originally taken from their game Arma 3 and falsely used as footage from real-life conflicts, mainly from the current war in Ukraine or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These user-created videos have the potential to go viral, and are massively shared by social media users; sometimes even by various mainstream media or official government institutions worldwide. The Arma 3 development team would like to take this opportunity to point out how the general public can distinguish such in-game videos from real-world footage.

More than just a military simulation game, Arma 3 is a unique open sandbox platform. The original game is set in a futuristic, fictional conflict in the year 2035. A pillar of the Arma series, however, is how open the games are to user customization and user-generated content (modding). Modders can create entirely new terrains, ground vehicles, aircraft, weapons, uniforms, equipment, and scenarios. They can then share their creations with a community of players. To date, there are more than 20,000 Arma 3 mods available for download through the Steam Workshop. This means that Arma 3 players can recreate and simulate any historical, current, or future conflict in great detail (thanks to its advanced game engine). This unique freedom of the Arma 3 platform comes with a downside: videos taken from Arma 3, especially when the game is modified, are quite capable of spreading fake news,” the studio wrote.

“While we’re flattered that Arma 3 simulates modern warfare in such a realistic way, we’re certainly not pleased that it can be mistaken for real combat footage and used as war propaganda. This has happened in the past (Arma 3 videos have allegedly depicted conflicts in Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, and even between India and Pakistan), but recently this content has gained traction in relation to the current conflict in Ukraine. We’ve tried to fight this content by flagging these videos to the platform providers (FB, YT, TW, IG, etc.), but it’s very ineffective. For every video taken down, ten more are uploaded every day. We have found that the best way to tackle this problem is to actively cooperate with leading media and fact-checkers (such as AFP, Reuters and others), who have a better reach and the ability to effectively fight the spread of fake news footage,” says Pavel Křižka, PR manager at Bohemia Interactive.

A few tips from the developers: low resolution, no sound, shaky camera, often evening or night shots, no people in motion, some elements of the game’s HUD visible, particle effects that don’t look real, and not very realistic vehicles, uniforms, equipment – these are the things Bohemia Interactive listed as worth watching. Again, the studio has the floor: “Finally, we would like to ask Arma 3 players and content creators to be responsible with their in-game footage. When sharing such material, please refrain from using “clickbait” video titles and always clearly state that the video is from a video game and does not depict real-life events. We’ve seen many Arma players point out misidentified footage, which helps viewers understand what they’re seeing.

Shayan Sardarizadeh, writing for the BBC, has identified several shots as fake on Twitter. We have posted some screenshots of them. It’s sad we’re still here.

Source: PCGamer