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Controversy Arises Over Taliban Option In Medal of Honor

eldavojohn writes "CVG is covering the controversy surrounding players' ability to play as a member of the Taliban in EA's Medal of Honor multiplayer. Fox News hopped on the wagon, interviewing a Gold Star mom whose son died in Iraq. She said, 'My son didn't get to start over when he was killed. His life was over and I had to deal with that every day. There's 1200 families from Afghanistan that have to live with this every day. And we live it — it's not a game... EA is very cavalier about it: "Well, it's just a game." But it isn't a game to the people who are suffering from the loss of the children and loved ones.' EA's response to this criticism of giving players the objective to 'gun down American troops' was this: 'Medal Of Honor is set in today's war, putting players in the boots of today's soldier... We give gamers the opportunity to play both sides. Most of us have been doing this since we were seven. If someone's the cop, someone's got to be the robber, someone's got to be the pirate, somebody's got to be the alien. In Medal Of Honor multiplayer, someone has to be the Taliban.' Of course the story recalls Six Days in Fallujah, which was dropped by Konami following similar controversy. It's clear at least a few people take issue with games surrounding modern conflicts."

4 of 671 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Hypocrisy Isn't Free by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

    Way to miss the fucking point!

  2. Re:Firest a ground zero mosque now this whats next by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 0, Redundant

    You forgot the tag for the idiot moderators.

  3. Seriously by drej · · Score: 0, Redundant

    It's a game, shut the fuck up.

  4. Re:Hypocrisy Isn't Free by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

    We should only fight against the good guys in OLD wars, not new wars?

    Does fighting in new wars make the war seem like a game, and fighting in old wars makes the new war seem real?

    I can understand how you don't want to have a game be a training program to kill our soldiers, but boys will always play pretend shooting, no matter what is available. I had a friend who wouldn't let her son touch a toy gun, ever. So he and his buddies used sticks as toy guns. Drove her nuts, until the psychiatrist said boys will do that, no matter what you do. I think some of it comes from the stuff in movies and on TV. Many older guys are proud of the killing they did as young men, if they saw it as a just war. Movies were made to glorify their efforts, parades are held to honor those who fought. Boys see those movies, go to those parades, and want to be a part of it. When was the last time you heard of a parade to honor those who refused to fight in a war, who refused to kill their fellow man? It'll probably never happen, as society needs soldiers to fight wars. And young boys won't go to those parades, as they don't exist. Imagine if August 1st was a national War Resistors Day, with big celebrations, parades, and speeches about how much good those who refused to fight did for the social fabric of the country. Young boys going to those might choose something other than guns to fight with, but probably not. One of the reasons why Star Wars was so popular was the time it came out was just at the end of the Viet Nam war, when lots of young folks in the US questioned how good war was. But they still had the same basic urge for a fight, and fighting aliens wasn't politically incorrect.