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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."

9 of 671 comments (clear)

  1. Re:These people are idiots by mewsenews · · Score: 0, Troll

    Unless they started naming people and having you kill real people, the issue is moot.

    Are you implying Pwnz0r~[KLANWIKKID]~~ is not a real person???

  2. Re:Hypocrisy Isn't Free by clarkkent09 · · Score: 0, Troll

    I guess it does if the goal is to simulate the war as realistically as possible. But there is a big difference. All the things I mentioned Taliban did deliberately as a matter of policy, not because of a lack of discipline among some soldiers (for which they are punished when caught).

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    Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
  3. Re:Hypocrisy Isn't Free by clarkkent09 · · Score: 1, Troll

    No, I don't really expect to be able to do those things but that's not the point. The point is is there a line where one side in a war is so evil that it is plain wrong to be able to play as that side in a game? Maybe not but my biggest problem with that is the insensitivity to the feelings of the soldiers' families. I know you can play as Germans in many WWII games but that was a long time ago while this war is still going on.

    By the way if you mean to equate the water boarding of a few terrorists in order to get information with what Taliban did to the people of Afghanistan then you have a lot of reading to do.

    --
    Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
  4. Re:Hypocrisy Isn't Free by Torodung · · Score: 0, Troll

    Both sides do not stone teenage girls to death, nor bury homosexuals, nor blow up artwork for the express purpose of destroying it.

    So how you get from "torturing people in Gitmo" to "everything both sides do" is madness. And to put torturing a terrorist for information that will protect an innocent life on par in the ethical scale with burying people alive because "God" told you to? That's just wrong.

    Get some perspective.

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    Toro

  5. Re:What the fuck ever by Bigjeff5 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Wake me up when a game contains the following plot:

    Why would I bother waking you up for anything? I don't know you, and I don't care who you are, either. I'm certainly never going to wake you up.

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    Security is mostly a superstition... Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. - Helen Keller
  6. WTF. Just WTF. by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 0, Troll

    The US is the one that has no reason to be over there. The US is the one interfering with foreign sovereign nations.

    You are invaders. No different from Atila, except for the fact that Atila was in a time when conquering other nations was the norm, and the US is a barbaric nation from the past in more modern and civilized times.

    And the country that is getting invaded is somehow the 'bad guy'?

    Come on.

    All I can say is: The rest of the world rejoices every time one of your soldiers die.

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    WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
  7. Re:Hypocrisy Isn't Free by couchslug · · Score: 0, Troll

    Not a word from you about what their ideology produces, just that you met some nice people.

    Albert Speer was a nice fellow too, but the society he enabled was not so nice. It doesn't matter that he wasn't a zealot.

    Muslims support Islam by being Muslim. I've seen the finest Islamic societies in history. They are theocratic, oppressive, and deserve to perish, along with the "nice" Muslims who MAKE THEM FUNCTION.

    Fuck religion, secular societies don't need Muslims. When "Muslims" renounce their religion and regain their humanity, then they might be worthy of my respect. I literally regard the only good Muslim to be one that isn't breathing.

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    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  8. Re:Hypocrisy Isn't Free by flyneye · · Score: 0, Troll

    So when was it O.K. to disrespect someone laying his life down for you moron? Can you process that point without your smartass cliche about freedom of expression? Probably not since you're safe and sound in front of your video game mommy and daddy got you to play on daddys 'puter.
    Go be a man and pick up a weapon, shriveldick! Better yet go join the taliban. You have the freedom to. You are all practiced up with your game, so you are ready. Oooooooo, what? You mean you don't have some stupid rational to regurgitate? Go on say something stupid....

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    *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
  9. Re:Hypocrisy Isn't Free by lgw · · Score: 0, Troll

    "Hate-filled" is crashing airplanes into things you don't like. Sanity is pointing out that things you don't like (and many people don't like) are in bad taste. Perhaps the difference is lost on you. That stuff in your head? It's not sanity, but bong resin. Just so you know.

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    Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.