Video game lets players be Taliban, kill Americans

[scarface]

EA's Newest Medal of Honor Game Lets You Play as Taliban


New Video Game Will Let You Play as the Taliban



(Aug. 13) -- It's a standard feature of World War II-themed video games like Electronic Arts' best-selling "Medal of Honor" series: In multiplayer sessions, while some players take the roles of Allied troops, the other half wind up playing as soldiers of the Third Reich. Now EA's next "Medal of Honor" release is set to up the discomfort factor that comes with such an option. Set in modern-day Afghanistan, it will allow users to play as the Taliban.

Developer DICE has emphasized that it isn't trying to make any grand political statements with the game. Along with publisher EA, it says it's not possible to make a game about a contemporary war without including this kind of feature -- and facing the controversy that comes with it.

"Most of us having been doing this since we were 7 -- if someone's the cop, someone's gotta be the robber, someone's gotta be the pirate and someone's gotta be the alien," Amanda Taggart, senior PR manager for EA, told AOL News. "In 'Medal of Honor' multiplayer, someone's gotta be the Taliban."

The new version of "Medal Of Honor" will allow players to play as the Taliban in multiplayer gaming. "It's a game," explained the title's producer.

While the Nazis in the old "Medal of Honor" came at the safe remove of history, having U.S. children portray Taliban insurgents trying to gun down U.S. forces via the game is indisputably more in-your-face. The game is also set to launch amid the deadliest stretch of the Afghan war for the American military, which has lost more than 1,200 soldiers in the conflict so far. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" caused a stir when it allowed the player to take part in a terrorist attack on a Russian airport, and that wasn't connected to a real American war.

One gamer who got to play an early version of the game couldn't help but feel conflicted. "Watching virtual coalition troops gunned down by insurgents in the ruins of Kabul, I felt more than a little weird, especially since a friend lost his brother in Afghanistan only a few weeks ago," Dan Whitehead wrote at eurogamer.net. "This is a real war that is happening right now, real blood is being shed, and simulating that for fragfest fun while being rewarded for kill streaks. ... Well, there's just something a bit icky about that."

But Joseph Olin, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, argues that depictions of war shouldn't be pretty to start with. He also feels that a role of the arts in wartime should be facilitating empathy for the enemy.

"In all combat simulations that we've entertained ourselves with, from pen and paper to movies and literature, you've always been able to experience combat from the enemy's perspective," he told AOL News. "That's always been a draw about some of the best films that have been done about World War II."

At the end of the day, "It's a game," the title's producer, Patrick Liu, told PSM3 magazine, adding that DICA and EA had no intention of provoking a reaction.

American Legion spokesman Marty Callaghan seemed to agree about the place the new "Medal of Honor" has in political discourse.

"The content of video games is not a concern of the American Legion," he told AOL News. "We are concerned with the real world, and the troops who are fighting overseas, and the veterans who have served their countries with honors. We're concerned with that reality."

Game Developers have tread dangerous waters before when Konami planned to publish "Six Days in Fallujah," a planned Iraq war game that the company claimed was even developed with input from insurgents. That game, however, was ultimately scrapped due to political considerations.

The new "Medal of Honor" is slated for release in October.

[Lamb_of_God]

Kind of want.

[Alchemist]

Not only Americans play this game u know.. so I think it's fair like that..

[scarface]

Not only Americans play this game u know.. so I think it's fair like that..

ya but you're forgetting America is better than all the other shitty countries so that makes this video game gay

[George]

Hm, I always get more kills when i'm a terrorist.

[Lamb_of_God]

I don't think Russians are to happy with the fact that they are terrorists in tons of games but the every James Bond movie/video game ever made. Its cool to play an American and kill other people but god forbid other people kill Americans. Not only that Americans always portray other people as the bad guys. So it only make sense thats who kills the Americans. JS.

[scarface]

I don't think Russians are to happy with the fact that they are terrorists in tons of games but the every James Bond movie/video game ever made. Its cool to play an American and kill other people but god forbid other people kill Americans. Not only that Americans always portray other people as the bad guys. So it only make sense thats who kills the Americans. JS.

so James Bond making up fictional characters who happen to be Russian and make them look bad is on the same level as creating a video game where the Taliban get to shoot Americans is the same?

[mtndewme]

In MW2's multiplayer you play as terrorists half the time so why is this such a big deal?

[Lamb_of_God]

I was using that as an example. Along with "tons of games." Which includes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1 & 2. Which both have non-Russian playable terrorists I don't care that people can play as a terrorist and neither should anyone else. People have to remember that video game creators are marketing to what is popular and that is realism. And that fact is terrorism is a real thing. So why not cash in on it?

[mohaas05]

It's like CSS. Nobody really cares if they're playing as terrorists or ct's. This whole issue is overblown.

[scarface]

I was using that as an example. Along with "tons of games." Which includes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1 & 2. Which both have non-Russian playable terrorists I don't care that people can play as a terrorist and neither should anyone else. People have to remember that video game creators are marketing to what is popular and that is realism. And that fact is terrorism is a real thing. So why not cash in on it?

Alright yesterday i went to a Russian store that sells movies,books, etc with some older family that came from out of town that wanted to look at some stuff to buy. The movies they sell in Russia do the same thing we do here in reference to who is made to look bad .The problem is a video game is being created and intended to be sold in the United States that portrays the taliban killing American soldiers, WHILE the war is still going on. In my opinion that's being insensitive to those people who have loved ones fighting in Afghanistan, and to those people who just recently lost someone.

It's like CSS. Nobody really cares if they're playing as terrorists or ct's. This whole issue is overblown.

yeah but terrorist and counter-terrorist is vague anyone can be a terrorist...this is more specific

[mohaas05]

Perhaps it is a good thing. The reason there are so many WWII games is that today's generations are completely detached from the war itself. Having a game that takes place in a war that people can connect with their own accounts helps to bring a new perspective to it than just the videos and reports seen in the media.


Another reason too why there are so many WWII games is that that was the last war that we technically won. Both Korea and Vietnam would have produced a game with a cloudy outcome.

[Lamb_of_God]

Like I said its all about making money. Company's don't care how people feel they care about being rich. Quite frankly I don't blame the video game company's for cashing on the things that may be considered taboo by others. Shock value can easily add to revenue. That being said the game company may sell a low number of copies of the game. It really comes down to the consumer demands. And the consumer demands realism and actuality.

Also, like what was said earlier there ARE playable Middle-Eastern most likely Taliban-based terrorist in Call of Duty. And it bothers no one who plays it at all. If you don't like whats portrayed in the game don't buy it.

[scarface]

Perhaps it is a good thing. The reason there are so many WWII games is that today's generations are completely detached from the war itself. Having a game that takes place in a war that people can connect with their own accounts helps to bring a new perspective to it than just the videos and reports seen in the media.


Another reason too why there are so many WWII games is that that was the last war that we technically won. Both Korea and Vietnam would have produced a game with a cloudy outcome.

Nobody cares about WW2 games because the war is over and people have had enough time to "heal" from the effects. Creating and releasing this game while the war is still going on only offends people. What are you taking about "new perspective", it's going to be a bunch of 12 year olds pretending to be the taliban shooting US troops in a video game. There won't any thought.

Like I said its all about making money. Company's don't care how people feel they care about being rich. Quite frankly I don't blame the video game company's for cashing on the things that may be considered taboo by others. Shock value can easily add to revenue. That being said the game company may sell a low number of copies of the game. It really comes down to the consumer demands. And the consumer demands realism and actuality.

Also, like what was said earlier there ARE playable Middle-Eastern most likely Taliban-based terrorist in Call of Duty. And it bothers no one who plays it at all. If you don't like whats portrayed in the game don't buy it.

Okay the companies wanting to create shock value doesn't make is alright. Instead of saying that's dumb to do you're trying to defend the companies saying they need hundreds of millions of dollars in profit so it's okay for them to offend people who recently died or are still fighting. You should be looking down on this instead of trying to defend big business using a disgusting tactic to generate income

[mohaas05]

Nobody cares about WW2 games because the war is over and people have had enough time to "heal" from the effects.

Thanks for repeating what I just said bro.

[Lamb_of_God]

MW2

[RileyCola]

el oh el. its a video game why does it matter. fuckin butthurt Americans.

Comments

[George]

el oh el. its a video game why does it matter. fuckin butthurt Americans.

owned.

[Toasterz]

I swear anti videogame fags will find ANYTHING to exploit a game. Remember back when RE5 was first announced and everyone got all butthurt because it was just Chris killing a bunch of Africans so they had to add Sheva and all that good stuff to make it not racist? Maybe we'll get some sort of Taliban traitor on our side somewhere in the game so butthurt fags will shut up.

But yeah its just a game so fuck off

[Dav3man]

russia ftw