Taliban computer game should be banned, says defence secretary

Medal of Honour, which allows players to kill British soldiers, leaves Liam Fox 'disgusted'

[aceofspades]

us and them, and afterall were only ordinary men-pink floyd.

[NinjaAssassin]

Controversy sells games. I guess that is what they were hoping for with Medal of Honour.

[nix]

wow.. all these times it was ok to portray Russians as villians, muslims as terrorists but hey... who am i kidding?

[Shuklar]

Yeah...and zombies...yet no one stands up for zombies...

[Kerrby]

Isn't it only in multiplayer where you play as the taliban?

What about games like counter strike where you're the terrorists, or even COD.

Some people...

[weazel]

In this case, rather cynically, I believe that Knee-Jerk sensationalism has been fostered to hopefully distract the populace from the economic slash and burn initiatives that are being laid out.

*edit: the media love to paint Zeitgeist movements as being modern day Bogey-men (Or at least gateways for paedophiles, murderers, and rapists, allowing children to be influenced and corrupted, rather than taking a long hard look at familial accountability.) Before Games, it was video-nasties, Rock-and Roll, Books, etc, etc, ad infinitum....

[nix]

lol.. yeah what about Zombies???

[r1sh12]

I love it when the media jumps on the bandwagon like politicians.
Why not ban all the movies that depict terrorists killing Allied soldiers.
Or the films that show hitler.
Or even why not ban the actors who play the terrorists?

[FragGen]

I think I'm going to have to preorder this on principle just to support the devs' right to make whatever kinf od game they want and let the market decide whether it's desirable/appropriate or not.

[mastiffchild]

Isn't the freedom our troops supposedly fight FOR exactly so we can have freedom of expression and make media, films, games and books about whatever we damn well please, whatever we think etc? I WOULD expect this kind of stance FROM the Taliban themselves but from a free speech promoting western, democratic government? It's not their place to go against, in the US, the constitution and in the UK our right to free expression-they aren't there to tell us what we can and cannot think or do as long as it hurts nobody and soldiers would be bright enough to understand that in MP someone HAS to be the enemy.

Just five minutes ago I shot three US Rangers through the chops but, I guess, as I wasn't playing as the Taliban that's just dandy? At least be consistent with your game hating you fools. Why is fine for the Japanese, Germans and Russkis to suck it up and then be used to shoot our boys by our gamers but not these fellas? I highly doubt that the inclusion of playable Taliban characters in MoH MP is going to change ANYONE'S ideology or make them more sympathetic to the plight of the former Afghan leaders. This is pointless vote hunting by people who don't get how many of us are gamers these days0not everyone is a Daily Mail reader who has stoically conservative views over every little thing-don't they know this yet?

If they want to know how gamers look on the Afghan campaign, where their loyalties lie why not ask us? I think they would probably find, as a group, that we're just as sympathetic towards our soldiers as any other consumer group would be-maybe more.

[Quagmire]

"The format of the new Medal of Honour game merely reflects the fact that every conflict has two sides.

"We give gamers the opportunity to play both sides. Most of us have been doing this since we were seven: someone plays the cop, someone must be robber."

This here perfectly sums it up.^^^

Its quite ignorant and hypocritical to allow games which lets you kill nazi's and terrorists and russians, but when it comes to british or american troops getting shot and killed, people want it banned. Yes I can tell the diff between a US soldier and a taliban, but this is JUST A GAME FFS. Not Real life.

[Natsu X FairyTail]

What about US soldiers killing Talibans? aint that Disgusting? They might be heroes to you but they're the enemy to them. Goes both ways. We dont give a flying eff about all this. We just wanna play games without having to discuss these types of subjects.

[No Way]

Exactly. Play games to get away from all this nonsense..

[squallheart]

Yes very well said i am still surprised this argument is still going on. Wonder if fox news is adding more fuel to the fire cant really tell since if i watch tv its mostly discovery channel. Im thinking of buying the game but still up in the air because im worried its going to be like modern warfare and i hate that game.

[Sarcasm]

Right, but US Soldiers aren't cutting off Taliban's peoples head on video to make a point.

[Quagmire]

Oh no of course not. Just US soldiers simply using advanced technology to destroy taliaban militants and their families with armoured tanks, high-powered rpg's and missiles, and ammunition enough for an entire army. Not to mention the lives of innocent people who unfortunately get in the way between the two rivalling factions. I personally dont support either side, War is better in games than it is IRL, and it should stay that way.

[Speed-Racer]

Yet when we blow up russians, germans and so on in Call of Duty and other games... it's not a problem. Cant expect to get stuff resolved in the real world if you're serving the exact bad treatment their way.

[xYLeinen]

Tbh, this is starting to get EA some very good good attention. If you act on all attention is good attention.

Not sure what I feel about the whole Taliban killing US and british soldiers tho. I've not lost any family members in the war so I guess that's why I'm not reacting at least.

[the-show-stopper]

Just to let you know there arent any British Soldiers in this game

[The Meerkat]

From 1982 until 2004 most British soldiers were killed by AMERICAN soldiers or Irish 'Freedom fighters' (Terrorists).

The Taliban have only recently overtaken them.

[JohnApocalypse]

WTF? I thought all the troops were US?

[Jack-Pyro]

You mustive been living under a rock.....unless your being sarcastic that is....

[Optical_Matrix]

Ridiculous. Yet it was ok for me to kill Afghans, civilians and Russians in that poor excuse for a game, Modern Warfare 2. US is the most judgemental and voiced nation in the world. It's rather annnoying. Wish they would pipe down for once instead of having their nose and opinion in everybloody situation that comes up. They're no better than anyone else.

EDIT: So that I don't offend too many Americans here, I'd also say the same for my country, the UK. People seem happy to kill people from any nation apart from their own. It works both ways. But freedom of expression is an important part of the 21st century. Don't embrace it when it only suits you. Defeats the point of freedom of expression. Let the guys working on MoH do what they want because no one is holding you at gunpoint and forcing you to buy this game.

[NinjaAssassin]

Erm...in this case this is coming from the British Defense secretary, not Americans.

I'm sure there are Americans against this as well. I'm just saying get your facts straight and try not to be so judgmental yourself.

[Optical_Matrix]

That's why I edited what I said. But no doubt the US will be opposed to it too.

[SephireX]

The US isn't really a country anyway. They've no real culture. Americans are mainly British descendants mixed with people of other nationalities. Though this article involves the British secretary of defense who has basically stated that he is a retard because he wants to deny game companies the right to express themselves. I wish EA put him in the game so I can blow his head off.

[mastiffchild]

The irony, to me, is that both governments(UK and US) hated the Taliban for many abuses of freedom not least freedom of expression and are now trying to USE the Taliban to curb expression in their own nations! They're abusing one of the freedoms our boys are out there fighting to GIVE back to the Afghan people if our foreign policy documents are telling the truth and all the warring in the region isn't really about oil and heroin distribution and control and whether it all gets sold in dollars or Euros.

[Calm Down Sunshine]

"Gamers are apparently instructed to stop the coalition "at all costs", and receive points for every allied soldier they kill."

That's the best bit of the article.

"It's shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban," said Fox

And the British and American troops don't do that every day?

What IS shocking, is that someone could be such a twazzack.

[ChronoJoe]

This was just on GMTV in England. Yep... morning news. They even showed MoH footage, I thought the game was M for mature? probably shouldn't show footage at 9am.

Anyway, it's all quite pathetic. Even the hosts of GMTV and the guy they brought in to discuss it (some high ranking military guy) didn't have a problem with it.

[Shuklar]

I want a game where I get to slit the throat of the defense secretary. Smoke on that Liam

[Atlas-1983]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Nihilism]

Double standards ftl

[yakuzakazuya]

It's a game about military confrontation. I hate religious fanatics (Taliban) but I see it as armed troop vs armed troop (US/UK soldiers vs Taliban soldiers). I wouldn't mind playing as a german Nazi soldier, as long as it's soldiers against soldiers. Playing a Nazi villain torturing POWs in a game however, would be wrong and something I am against. Sorry for my bad english :)

BTW, I did not shoot those civilians in "Speak No Russian".

[mastiffchild]

Well, why would you have done? As soon as I knew that 1, you couldn't just kill your Russian "buddies" and 2, you didn't NEED it even for the story i knew it was just a headline grab and well below what I thought IW's standards should be, Pure gratuitous violence for the papers.

[No Way]

You're English is fine, lol.
But, I only shot the wounded. :)

[Atlas-1983]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[SephireX]

Well I'm disgusted that this idiot wants a game banned, just because you play as the Taliban in multiplayer. Isn't England meant to be a country of liberty? This fool doesn't think so! I want to play MOH so he can go screw himself!

[Huarle]

Wait a minute..
"The defence secretary, Liam Fox, has urged shops to ban a computer game where players can act as the Taliban and kill British troops."

I haven't play the MoH Beta, but isn't it US Marines vs Taliban?

[the-show-stopper]

yes it is

[No Way]

Unless the 'Us Marines' are actually an 'allied force.'
o.O

[Atlas-1983]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Rashonality]

how many morons you think will buy this game cuz all of this jibba jabba ?

[jhani]

i guess he is only happy when his kids are killing Taliban along with a bunch of innocent civilians while he is having an affair with his secretary. What morality my god?! At least Taliban dont screw their secretary;)

[pixelsword]

No, the ACTUAL WAR should be banned.

[PSjesus]

Poor Germans,Russian,Muslims guys should be banned too
Srsly politics should stay away from our pure^^ industry.....

[ChickeyCantor]

Its because of censorship like these why we never learn or evolve intellectually.
We are being put a cap on everything.

[Psychotica]

I hope EA doesn't get pressured to change the game...

[the-show-stopper]

they wont
they invested too much time and effort into the game

[pcz]

so all those other times in games where the italians, russians, french, spanish etc were killed in droves it was not a problem? but you kill a british soldier (made of polygons) and its 'disgusting' ? the only thing disgusting is his ignorance.