In real life, war is messy. Mistakes get made, civilians get hurt, families are shattered and once-thriving countries are bombed back to the Stone Age, often because of the misguided actions of their politicians. Wars in videogames, by contrast, are a hell of a lot more convenient and clean. Because they#8217;re (usually) fictitious, the justifications are clear, the goals relatively simple and the opposing forces completely, irredeemably evil.

But that#8217;s not always the case. Whether by design or through slapdash writing, some of gaming#8217;s most notable conflicts - when examined objectively - are completely meaningless, stupid exercises in futility for all involved. Here are some of our favorites...