Is it now forbidden to feature a real US government agency in your video game?

[Andromada]

I first noticed this in GTA IV and V. I always wondered why R* decided to replace the SWAT, the FBI and the CIA with their own versions of these agencies by altering their names. Now I see an other developer doing the exact same thing by calling NERO this organization that's obviously supposed to be FEMA.

This doesn't look like the Red Cross thing, since as far as I've heard the US government never came down on a developer for showing the FBI, the SWAT or any other of their agencies in a game. This looks more like self-censorship, and I'm just wondering why these devs do that.

Yeah, it's kind of a nitpick, but that sort of stuff makes it really difficult for me get immersed in a world.

[OAN]

Rockstar doesn't use real names for anything. Aside from some early top-down games that featured "real" cities and such, all of their vehicles, cities, celebrities, weapons, companies, and yes, government agencies are fictional... parodies even.

As to why this game doesn't use a real government agency, I think NERO is supposed to be an all-encompassing federal agency. Part CIA (testing on citizens) Part NSA (National Security) and part FEMA (Emergency Response)... If the Zombie apocalypse were to really happen, I don't think FEMA would be the agency that survives it.

[Andromada]

The thing is, R* used to use the real names for these agencies up until fairly recently (GTA SA). I know Rockstar pretty much always used fake names for most things, but when it comes to gov agencies specifically, they only started to change the names with GTA IV.
Why did they change their mind on this?
And why is Bend using a fake organization when they could have easily used a real one, which would have made it much more relatable.

I can see now that NERO is supposed to represent the whole of the government and not just FEMA, but then why didn't they just portrayed it that way? By making the yellow grunts just being the National Guard instead and having the survivors refer to them as just "the government".

[Quarex]

No. They basically do not care, or it might be more accurate to say they love it whenever there is a chance to be pro-government, like how Top Gun was basically a military recruitment video packaged as a real movie, given the functional billions of dollars of equipment the military let the filmmakers use in exchange for positive propaganda purposes.

Though Law & Order really has to work on how they still refer to INS even though that agency has not existed for almost 20 years

Red Cross is unique in that their logo is the kind of intellectual property they voraciously go after people for using, including game developers in the past (I forgot which game it was that got sued and had to change the medkit design). International organizations might actually be more likely than the U.S. Government to care about things like this in games.

[Aethrys]

Deus Ex has used FEMA as themselves

[Andromada]

Quarex lähetti viestin:

No. They basically do not care, or it might be more accurate to say they love it whenever there is a chance to be pro-government, like how Top Gun was basically a military recruitment video packaged as a real movie, given the functional billions of dollars of equipment the military let the filmmakers use in exchange for positive propaganda purposes.

Ok, but if they don't care why do some developers feel the need to switch up names?

Aethrys lähetti viestin:

Deus Ex has used FEMA as themselves

Yeah, although the FEMA acronym in the Deus Ex universe doesn't mean the same thing as its real life counterpart.

[RageMojo]

They made NERO out to be villains, so of course they changed the name.

[Bohemian Rap City]

I think it is all about possible future litigation. The United States Government has unlimited time and money to prosecute anyone (ask General Flynn) while forcing them to spend everything they have to defend themselves, so that even if they win, they lose. It is much simpler to create an alternate universe, than to create a fictional model of the real one. If you look at all the vehicles, businesses, cities, people, organizations, etc. you should notice that nothing matches real trademarks and logos.

[RageMojo]

General Flynn is a convicted criminal for traitorous activity, so pretty bad example choice.

[Bohemian Rap City]

potato potato...so you believe that no innocent people have ever been convicted of a crime?

Gen Flynn was forced to take a plea deal when he started running out of money for his defense and the DoJ told him if he did not take a plea deal, they would expand their prosecution to include his children.

Which traitorous activity did he commit? You realize that every single National Security Advisor in US History actually had conversations with counterparts in other governments. Believe what you will and feel free to block me if you don't believe in free speech.

[Andromada]

RageMojo lähetti viestin:

They made NERO out to be villains, so of course they changed the name.

Bohemian Rap City lähetti viestin:

I think it is all about possible future litigation. The United States Government has unlimited time and money to prosecute anyone (ask General Flynn) while forcing them to spend everything they have to defend themselves, so that even if they win, they lose.

So they are just afraid of what might happen? Cause as far as I know there aren't any laws or anything that that say it's illegal to portray the government as villains in a work of fiction.

Bohemian Rap City lähetti viestin:

It is much simpler to create an alternate universe, than to create a fictional model of the real one. If you look at all the vehicles, businesses, cities, people, organizations, etc. you should notice that nothing matches real trademarks and logos.

I get that, when it comes to brands and people. But when it comes to organization such as federal agencies there is theoretically nothing that should prevent them from using the real names. Unless it really is a purely artistic choice, which I would find rather strange.

[Bohemian Rap City]

What you have to ask yourself, is whether it is worth the risk just to use actual government agencies rather than create one that everyone will still know who is being depicted.

[simon.pete15]

Bohemian Rap City lähetti viestin:

What you have to ask yourself, is whether it is worth the risk just to use actual government agencies rather than create one that everyone will still know who is being depicted.

That was my thought too.
I'm a UK citizen. I know the USA has countless Government Agencies, known by their initials. FBI, NSA, CIA and so on. When this game came up with NERO, I didn't even blink.
I also noticed that all the cars, trucks, etc didn't feature Chevrolet, Ford, Mack logos, etc, just a generic set of initials. I kinda lumped the 2 things together. If they don't use actual logos, they won't have to pay royalties / get sued for using something unauthorised. You might have to pay, to use NSA or whatever, in a game/film, I don't know.
Why take a chance on it? Just make something believable up instead.

[Paranoia_Inc]

I mean it's a fictional story so not so difficult to fathom up a fictional response and just rationalizing it as portions of various government agencies being thrown together and slapping NERO on them. Before 9/11, there was no such thing as the Dept. of Homeland Security. Yet it was created putting all sorts of law enforcement agencies under an umbrella to combat anti-terrorism. I can easily rationalize this as NERO being created in two weeks, taking parts of FEMA and the CDC and the units of the armed forces that deal with biological and biohazard threats and telling them to deal.

[thegazbeard]

Paranoia_Inc lähetti viestin:

I mean it's a fictional story so not so difficult to fathom up a fictional response and just rationalizing it as portions of various government agencies being thrown together and slapping NERO on them. Before 9/11, there was no such thing as the Dept. of Homeland Security. Yet it was created putting all sorts of law enforcement agencies under an umbrella to combat anti-terrorism. I can easily rationalize this as NERO being created in two weeks, taking parts of FEMA and the CDC and the units of the armed forces that deal with biological and biohazard threats and telling them to deal.

Soooo ... the Dept of Homeland Security combats anti-terrorism?
CIA must be crappin' house bricks.
LOL

[Apsephion]

It's easier to make up your own agency/branch of government based on a real group than it is to adapt and rationalise the actions of something that exists in real life into your game.

Plus you then avoid unfairly mocking or criticising a real agency, some people might take issue with how you present FEMA and/or the CDC, but you can present you're totally fictional, 100% legally distinct NEMA or ADC however you like.