How Gaming Has Changed Since 9/11
3. Using The Middle-East As A Setting In EVERYTHING
It came to something when even Beyond: Two Souls featured Ellen Page as a soldier, sleuthing her way through bombed out buildings with her paranormal pal.
Because post 9/11, middle-eastern settings were everywhere.
Army of Two, Call of Duty, Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon - Splinter Cell got in on the action in Conviction, where flashbacks to a younger version of Sam Fisher had him trading bullets on an Iraqi highway. Even Metal Gear Solid 4 pivoted away from America to the middle-east, throwing off fan expectations as it left the cliffhanger from the close of MGS 2 wide open.
Chances are if you've played any action game after 2001, you've played more than your share of middle-eastern locales, replete with the same dusty roads, tattered flags and crumbling buildings.