Earlier this year, a video clip of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was released Viewed by over 110,000 people (opens in new tab), and shared 25,000 times before going offline. Instead, they were gameplay videos taken from Bohemia Interactive’s military simulation Arma 3. Actual item.
âWhile we are pleased that Arma 3 simulates modern warfare conflicts in a realistic way, we are certainly not pleased that it could be mistaken for actual combat footage and used as war propaganda. No,â said PR Manager Pavel KĆiĆŸka. Said (opens in new tab)“It’s happened in the past (Arma 3 videos are said to depict conflicts between Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, and even India and Pakistan), but these days, this content is The current conflict in Ukraine is drawing attention.
âWe have been trying to combat such content by reporting these videos to our platform providers (FB, YT, TW, IG, etc.), but it has been extremely ineffective. All videos have been removed. With more than 10 videos being uploaded each day, the best way to tackle this is to reach out to major media outlets and facts that have better reach and ability to effectively combat the spread of fake news footage. It is to actively cooperate with checkers (AFP, Reuters, etc.).
Since February, we have seen more videos masquerading as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For example, in October Ukrainian missile attack on Russian tanks (opens in new tab) It also turned out to be Arma 3 footage. But as Krishka said, it’s been happening for a long time. For example, in September 2021, an Indian news channel will use Arma 3 footage to Pakistan bombed Afghanistan (opens in new tab)and in May of that year, Israeli air defense (opens in new tab) In September 2018, Russian state media aired clips from Arma 3 that claimed to show a Russian Su-25 aircraft. Carrying out attacks on military convoys (opens in new tab)This phenomenon is so common that Arma 3 has an entire section dedicated to it. Wikipedia page (opens in new tab).
One of the most moddable games in the genre, Arma may be one of the culprits for this tampered footage issue. Arma 3’s Steam Workshop section is packed with Ukrainian and Russian cosmetics, models, and conflict scenarios, all available for free download. Of course, that player-created material sits alongside everything from unofficial Star Wars his assets and his importable T-Rexes to Warhammer Fantasy mods.
So how can excited news directors and Facebook users tell Arma 3 videos from actual combat footage? Bohemia has some tips.
- very low resolution – Even outdated smartphones can deliver video in HD quality. Fake videos are usually much lower quality and intentionally pixelated and blurry to hide the fact that they’re from a video game.
- shake camera – These videos are often not captured in-game for added dramatic effect. The creators say the game runs in low quality and shoots the computer screen with exaggerated camera shake.
- Often occurs in the dark/night – Footage is often darkened to hide the insufficient level of detail in video game scenes.
- almost silent – In-game sound effects can often be distinguished from reality.
- Moving people do not appear – While the game can simulate the movement of military vehicles relatively realistically, capturing a natural-looking human in motion is still very difficult, even for modern games.
- Displays Heads-Up Display (HUD) elements – The game’s user interface may be displayed, such as weapon selection, ammo counter, vehicle status, and in-game messages. These usually appear on the edges or corners of your footage.
- unnatural particle effects – Even the latest games have problems naturally rendering the effects of explosions, smoke, fire, dust, and environmental conditions. In particular, look for oddly isolated cloudlets.
- Unreal vehicles, uniforms and equipment – Those with advanced military equipment knowledge can recognize the use of unrealistic military assets in certain conflicts. For example, in one widely circulated fake video, the US air defense system C-RAM shot down her US A-10 ground attack plane. Units can also display non-genuine insignia, camouflage, etc.
Dear Community, We are fully aware that fake videos titled #Arma3 are circulating around the internet under the guise of original videos of various armed conflicts. .com/zGoTBGR8NINovember 28, 2022
The studio also called on Arma 3 players to combat misinformation by using Arma 3 footage “responsibly.”
“When sharing such material, refrain from using ‘clickbait’ video titles and always clearly state that the video is derived from a video game and does not depict real-life events. Please,” said the studio. “I’ve seen many Arma players point to incorrectly identified footage, which helps viewers understand what they’re seeing.”
