In a statement that shows both an ignorance of source material and a lack of critical thinking, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Andrei Kartapolov stated during a parliamentary roundtable that the Metal Gear series of games is an example of United States Intelligence services seeking to manipulate “public consciousness and especially young people” against the Russian government.
To clarify the problems with such a statement, first we need to recall that Hideo Kojima is the creator of the series, and he was born and raised in Japan. Second, the games were produced in Japan by Konami, a Japanese entertainment and gaming conglomerate. Third, the first game in the series was released in 1987 and the story remains largely the same. Fourth, examining the content of the games, such as Metal Gear Solid, reveals an overall critique of the stockpiling of nuclear arms, and is highly critical of the United States in this regard.
Take for example this clip from Metal Gear Solid, where the protagonist and another character are discussing the existence of a massive weapon known as Metal Gear.
The existence of such a weapon in this story is to deter other superpowers, namely China and Russia, from gaining too much power with their nuclear program, so the United States built a top-secret weapon capable of launching nuclear weapons undetected, making it the most powerful nation in the world. More than anything, the themes of Metal Gear Solid are simply phantom whispers of the Cold War, where stocking piling and creating a bigger weapon is all that matters.
The Moscow Times adds that Kartapolov continued in his statement by adding that these projects were “aimed at encouraging active protest activity and dissatisfaction with the country's authorities among young people.” In the broadest possible sense, this is not incorrect, but the dissatisfaction in these games is aimed at all governments who abuse their power with the goal of creating weapons of mass destruction.
The same criticism could thus be levied against The Hunger Games series or Harry Potter for going against the Ministry of Magic after it has been usurped by the corrupting influence of Voldemort.
Still, politicians and government officials rattling their sabers at the video game industry is old hat. It is a viewpoint taken when there is no sound argument to be made, empty of any critical thought, and done to appease others who are equally as clueless about a video game's story that has been around for over three decades.