The Medal of Honor Controversey [13 comments]
Brittney
Posted in Gaming.
Alright guys—
There has been a decent amount of videogame controversy as of late. Specifically, I’m referring to the debate over used videogame sales and the more sensitive dispute regarding EA’s Medal of Honor.
This post is going to be dedicated to the latter.
Medal of Honor takes place in amidst the conflict in Afghanistan. The issue people are having with Medal of Honor is its subject matter as a whole, but more specifically the multiplayer where players will have the opportunity to assume the role of the Taliban in order to defeat coalition soldiers.
In fact, UK Defense Secretary Liam Fox is so disgusted that he has called for a retail ban.
Fox said: “It’s shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban. At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands.”
“I am disgusted and angry. It’s hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to buy such a thoroughly un-British game. I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product.”
Since Fox’s comment, it has been confirmed that there are no British troops in the game, and Fox was speaking on behalf of his own personal views and not the government.
Fox News recently interviewed Karen Meredith, a Gold Star mom who lost her son in Iraq, regarding the recent controversy.
“War is not a game, period and the fact that they’ve already done games about World War II, that’s far removed from our current history,” Karen said, “People aren’t dying in World War II anymore.”
“I just don’t see that a videogame based on a current war makes any sense at all. It’s disrespectful.”
EA is firing back at the coments, telling Develop “At EA we passionately believe games are an art form, and I don’t know why films and books set in Afghanistan don’t get flack, yet [games] do. Whether it’s Red Badge Of Courage or The Hurt Locker, the media of its time can be a platform for the people who wish to tell their stories. Games are becoming that platform.”
“Games have been set in Afghanistan before. We anticipated this when we decided on the concept of the game—this is about being a special forces solider. What’s really important for us is that we partnered with the US military, and the Medal of Honor Society as well. We’ve gone out of our way to produce the best story for the game.”
I think this pretty much sums everything up.
Thoughts?
Tags: Controversey, Danger Close, DICE, EA, Medal of Honor
Does anyone remember the contraversy behind “6 Days in Faluja” based on the current war in Iraq.
This almost seems like a set up. Like the church goers protesting “Dante’s Inferno” before E3 last year.
I’m sorry but if I’m capable of playing Nazi’s, who were much worse then the Taliban, and still be able to comprehend that they were the bad guys, I’ll be able to comprehend that the Taliban are the bad guys too.
Some will say it’s too soon to be putting this stuff into a game. Guess what the keyword in that sentence is? GAME.
Politicians just don’t seem to be able to understand games as art. They still hold on to the concepts from the 80′s and early 90′s that video gaming is mainly for children, that’s just no longer the case. Video Gaming is one of the most effective and immersive ways to tell a story with our current level of technology, and I’m glad people are making games about current events, just as I’m glad people are making film that deals with these issues.
What’s the difference of us playing as nazis in past WWII games what the did was just as bad if not worse and no one seems to have a problem with it. to me, its people not with not enough things to do with their time and want to be in the spotlight
What’s the difference between killing wearing a US soldier’s uniform, a UK one or a Taliban one? Will he be saying the same if you could kill civilians with your UK character? Because that happens in real life, and a lot. How many civilians (innocent) die at NATO soldier’s hands? I can assume that inocent civilians lost family members too in Irak, Afghanistan and other places at NATO’s soldier’s hands. I know it’s not the whole point but c’mon.. at least EA game has got quite some spotlight =)
Surely we shouldn’t make games about WW2 either…incase we discover time travel.
i got one for you. do you remember how Fox said “At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands.”? well, this is gonna be point blank, he’s a dick. At the hands of the Americans, or any force fighting the Taliban, they have lost sons and husbands as well.
To me it seems that people really shouldn’t criticize the game, unless they look at it from the other sides’ point of view. how do they think the Taliban feels? probably honored to be in a game.
And my closing statement is that Ea has partnered up with the US Military, and the MOHS. they want to get an accurate feel of the enemy, and depict him accordingly, then they turn the tables and make you fight yourself from your enemies point of view. what is so fricking complicated about that? not many games allow you to see both sides of the situation.
anyways, no british troops in the game? shut the **** up, Fox. i got a friend in the uk who will probably buy it anyway.
Look, I understand all of the above debate. But honestly, most of the above points are moot if you consider the root of the problem: That we should be allowed to produce, market, and buy that which we please. Don’t like it? Protest. Or deal with it. We’re not forcing you to see it our way, we just want to play/produce/sell a game. We have that right.
No one is asking you buy the game and play it. No one is saying ” make a game to disrespect”. It is Medal of Honor. As in Honor those who are in the war and who are dying so we can sleep well at night. Through the game we can better understand what our soldiers are doing over seas. This helps us respect them better. Regarding Multiplayer they are not real life situations, nor are they real people being shot at. It is not encouraging anything.If you take offence to playing as a Taliban then you don’t have an open mind. I am buying this game, and also I am enlisting in the Marines, and I take no offence.
Some people are just not happy in life unless they have something to bitch about. It’s the sad truth.
I think it that since the Spec Op soldiers helped make the game it isn’t that big of a deal. They are probably excited to have their own video game like and pro sports players with Madden or MLB are.
All this and yet Medal of Honor: Rising sun got no shit from the gamers in Japan?
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/11/26/
People have been playing Cops and Robbers for how long? How about Cowboys and Indians? The multi-player in all these FPSs revolves around the same basic thing. Excuse me while I head out to LazerQuest since my PaintBall gun is busted.