Arma 3 – both the developer and the game’s community have diligently tried to debunk any fake footage (Picture: Bohemia Interactive)

If you’ve seen videos of the Israel-Hamas conflict , be careful because it may have just been gameplay from Arma 3.

While it was initially praised for its sense of realism, when it launched 10 years ago, that level of detail is now a double-edged sword for military simulator Arma 3 .

It’s become almost routine for regular people, and even news outlets, to be tricked into thinking gameplay footage of Arma 3 is from an actual real-world warzone.

For the latest updates on the Israel-Hamas conflict, check out our live blog.

It happened just last year, with people using the game to spread misinformation about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine , and now the exact same thing is happening with the conflict between Israel and Hamas – a detail that naturally doesn’t sit well with Arma 3’s developer Bohemia Interactive.

Hundreds of Hamas militants crossed the border into Israel on Sunday , killing over a thousand civilians and taking hundreds hostage. Although the conflict between Israel and Palestine stretches back decades, this is by far the most violent incident this century and many fear it could lead to all-out war in the Middle East.

As such, Bohemia Interactive has published a blog post to alert people to the Arma 3 ‘fake news’ videos and to explain how they can distinguish them from real footage of the conflict.

For instance, fake videos are generally of much lower quality and depict blurry and pixelated footage, which is to intentionally obfuscate things. Plus, they often lack sounds, since including sound effects from the game would make it obvious that the footage isn’t real.




Dear Arma community, With the tragic events currently unfolding in the Middle East, we feel it is vital to share once again our statement concerning the use of #Arma3 as a source of fake news footage: https://t.co/nA8bbuehTX It’s disheartening for us to see the game we all… pic.twitter.com/9Ha4uNnR2a — Arma Platform (@ArmaPlatform) October 10, 2023




‘It’s disheartening for us to see the game we all love being used in this way. While we have found ways to tackle this issue somewhat effectively by closely cooperating with leading fact-checking agencies, sadly we can’t mitigate it entirely,’ says Bohemia Interactive.

The studio also thanks members of its community that have actively helped debunk such fake videos whenever they’ve popped up.

More: Trending Gaza devastation laid bare in apocalyptic photos after relentless Israeli airstrikes Horrifying text messages by Hamas using abducted man's phone to his friends Palestinians flee Gaza after being given 24 hours to evacuate - live

‘While it’s flattering that Arma 3 simulates modern war conflicts in such a realistic way, we are certainly not pleased that it can be mistaken for real-life combat footage and used as war propaganda,’ reads a statement from PR manager Pavel Křižka.

‘We’ve been trying to fight against such content by flagging these videos to platform providers but it’s very ineffective. With every video taken down, ten more are uploaded each day.

‘We found the best way to tackle this is to actively cooperate with leading media outlets and fact-checkers (such as AFP, Reuters, and others), who have better reach and the capacity to fight the spreading of fake news footage effectively.’





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MORE : Fake news spreads like wildfire after Israel attacks





MORE : British-Palestinians ‘terrified’ for family members living in Gaza





MORE : Jewish BBC reporter resigns over broadcaster’s refusal to call Hamas ‘terrorists’



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