by bowen
There is a Confederate flag topic in the non-game forum, but my interest here is specific: the use of the Confederate flag in game art. (And no, not really interested in this context in the ins-and-outs of the various flags used by the Confederacy.)In my game "The Guns of Gettysburg", I did use the Confederate flag, in the same way I have used a variety of other flags in games, as an element in graphic design intended for historical atmosphere. (And, of course, I am far from the only designer to do so: it is in fact common.)
However, as the recent shootings in Charleston have reminded us, that flag is not just a historical relic, but a living political symbol as well. Given this, I'm not sure I would use it again, if I had it all to do over. There are, after all, other graphics I could have used for atmosphere: there was nothing forcing me to use that one. Even if I didn't intend the flag's current political meaning, my intentions alone can't remove that meaning from it. Perhaps its use, even in a game historical context, is simply unwise.
What do other people think? Is it a generally bad idea to use the Confederate flag in a historical game and something better avoided?