War is hell and it brings out the worst in people, that’s a universal truth. Just look at the images of the current conflict in Ukraine, in which Russia has already committed heinous war crimes. However, there are certain rules of war that most countries have agreed to abide by (even Russia, even if they don’t follow them), and now the International Red Cross believes players should abide by them as well in order to be better people. .
Now they have launched a new campaign called Play by the Rules. It’s basically a the code of honor of how you should treat people in real conflict translated into video games, although it’s something you’re sure to lose online:
Fishing : When an enemy is down and cannot respond, you cannot continue shooting at them.
Do not attack non-violent NPCs: Robots that do not fire unprovoked are considered civilians and you cannot attack or damage them.
Do not target civilian buildings: On any game map, houses, schools, or hospitals are considered safe areas that you cannot damage. When fighting in these spaces, you must do everything possible to avoid damage.
Use first aid kits in all: If you have an unused medkit that works on others, you should give it to those who need it, whether friend or foe.
We think it’s a good idea to remind players of these rules, even though they’re 100% useless in video games, even though very few of us (hopefully) will have to face a real war.