Sometimes being a game developer can be a dangerous job. Beyond the papercuts, the carpal tunnel from the keyboard, the back problems from sitting in a chair for too long, the strained eyesight and headache from the glow of your monitor, there is always the risk of being arrested for being a spy. Yes, you read that right, there is always a chance that while doing research for an upcoming title, that you could be arrested for being a spy. That is exactly what happened to two Czech citizens in Greece recently, when they were caught with photographs and video from a military installation on the Greek island of Lemnos.
Greek officials have charged them with the ominous crime of espionage for the unauthorized photographs and videos taken at the military installation. What exactly were they doing? Well, they weren’t international spies, terrorists or affiliated with any government, they were actually a part of the team developing the upcoming uber-realistic title, ArmA III, Bohemia Interactive. As ridiculous as it sounds, the ArmA titles have been known for being as realistic as they could possibly be, with substantial amounts of time, resources and money being put into making the little details count. If you head over to YouTube right now and search for ArmA II videos, you’ll be treated to watching tense, long videos that lack the fireworks and cinematics that you see in a lot of modern shooting games that go for flash over substance.
Mark Spaniel of Bohemia Interactive has apparently confirmed that the story is indeed true, but does not wish to discuss what is without a doubt a very delicate matter on their public forums. Hopefully the developers have learned their lesson and will be let off easy. In the future, call ahead and ask for permissions, alright guys?
[Source: Kotaku]
