The Arma 3: Laws of War DLC that debuted last year promised "a different perspective on the battlefield," by kitting out players not as soldiers but as members of the International Development and Aid Projection. Instead of shooting guys, the job is deactivating mines left behind by the war, and uncovering what are presumably pretty horrific events that took place during the conflict in the town of Oreokastro.
It doesn't sound like the most action-packed DLC of all time but even so it's become the highest-rated Arma 3 on Steam, and as promised by developer Bohemia Interactive when it was announced, it's also resulted in a donation of $176,667 to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"We knew this DLC's theme might seem a bit unusual, but we also felt that it has a rightful place in a game like Arma 3. At the same time, our community normally expects more traditional content you'd see in a military game, such as new weapons, tanks, and helicopters. That has made it even more amazing to see the immense level of player support for the Laws of War DLC, which really shows again how both games and the gaming audience have matured," Bohemia CEO Marek Spanel said.
"If you also consider that some of our players are in the military or might pursue a military career in the future, then we're glad this DLC has been able to increase awareness for this important topic."
The studio acknowledged that the DLC "only scratches the surface" of a very difficult subject. "On the one hand, we strongly believe that, even during conflict, we should all make great efforts to hold onto our humanity - while on the other hand we also acknowledge that armed forces sometimes face impossible dilemmas in life-or-death situations," the team said. "Whatever your viewpoint on all of this is, we hope the DLC offers a balanced introduction to the topic, gives you something to think about, and perhaps even stimulates you to discuss IHL [International Humanitarian Law] further."
The Arma 3: Laws of War DLC is available on Steam for $12/£9/€10. We've got a closer look at what it's all about here.