UK Defence Secretary calls for Medal of Honor boycott
EA’s next wartime shooter has been causing quite a stir in Westminster this week. Medal of Honor, due out on October 12th, focusses on the conflict in Afghanistan, and controversially allows gamers to take on the role of Taliban forces.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed by Defence Secretary Liam Fox, who has called for a boycott of the game.
“At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands. It’s shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban against British soldiers.
“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.”
EA are standing firm in the face of the criticism pointed at their game. They responded by saying:
“The format of the new Medal of Honor game merely reflects the fact that every conflict has two sides. We give gamers the opportunity to play both sides. Nobody who plays video games is going to be shocked or surprised by this.
“Most of us have been doing this since we were seven: someone plays the cop, someone must be robber.”
Fox’s diatribe is unlikely to deter too many gamers however. Last winter’s Modern Warfare 2 was similarly criticised for a scene in which gamers take on the role of civilian-slaughtering terrorists. It went on to sell over 20 million copies, becoming the biggest entertainment launch in history.
