Why is there war? It is a simple question, to the point of being naïve. Yet, the answer is nonexistent. Of course, people will tell you the answer in their own subjective terms, but as we all know, there are wars, and the answer is just as naïve as the question.

Armchair philosophy aside, like most rational people, I’m not a fan of war. So why is it that games like “Call of Duty 4” are so appealing? I’d just as much pick up a gun and kill a terrorist, as I would fly to Mars. Maybe therein lies the appeal. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t uncomfortable playing a game that mimicked real-world conflicts that are so painfully entwined within this generation of America.

As the single-player part of the game progressed, my apprehension waned and I allowed myself to become immersed in the story. By the end, I was as emotional as one can get while playing a game. I had just been through a nerve-wracking episode where the fate of the United States rested at my fingertips. The game ended with a gut-wrenching finale that made me glad I was only playing at my computer.

The story drove the game. It could have easily taken place 1,000 years ago. But, the fact the setting was in modern times gave it relevance, which made it a much more powerful experience.

I know there are people who are disgusted with this kind of entertainment. I don’t disagree with their logic. This is a game that makes a horrible, painful and ugly side of humanity a source of entertainment. Human beings are brutal animals, there’s no disputing it.

I think that’s why playing games like ‘Call of Duty 4’ are so entertaining. The games are safe and familiar, yet immersive enough to feel real. They whet your appetite for the dangerous, deadly or immoral things that are unconscionable in life. Is it wrong? That’s for the player to decide.

War for the common man is often like a sporting event. Supporting your country is nothing more than cheerleading in many aspects. Want to fight a war? Go enlist. See how fun it is then. Yet, here I am, playing soldier, having fun and trying to rationalize how it is OK to pretend to kill people. I haven’t enlisted and never will. Should I feel guilty about playing a war game? I do at times.

I don’t speak out much on either side of the current war issue. I don’t find it’s my place. Yes, I want to feel like I “support the troops.” But how much of that is me making myself feel good for doing something that’s supposedly patriotic? I also want to condemn the war. Why the hell is my country fighting in Iraq? But, again, how much of that am me making myself feel good for doing something that’s supposedly patriotic?

I’ve never been to Iraq. I don’t know what it’s like there. Why the hell should I say anything that would be detrimental to our efforts? How would I feel if I was a soldier or Marine and knew that people had no faith in what I was doing?

All these questions, but where are the answers? I know I won’t find them playing “Call of Duty.” The only thing that I will find is more questions. That’s what makes games like this so fun. It takes the ugliest act mankind suffers upon itself, and makes it entertainment.