With a pathetic predictability, FOX News has become one of the first news outlets to find a grieving mother to attack the new Medal of Honor and its multiplayer mode where gamers can step into the shoes of the Taliban. I bet FOX couldn't believe its luck.
To be fair to FOX, the guy hosting the segment wasn't too bad, but their guest definitely feels that Medal of Honor needs to be pulled because of her own personal investment in the situation.
"War is not a game, period," says Karen Meredith, one of those mothers who lost a son in Iraq and now thinks she is the authority on everything to do with war. "The fact that they've already done games about World War 2 ... that's far removed from our current history, people aren't dying in World War 2 any more.
"Right now, we're going into a really, really, bad time in Afghanistan. We've just come off of the worst month of casualties in the whole war. This game is going to be released in October, so families that are burying their children are going to be seeing this ... It's disrespectful.
"My son didn't get to start over when he was killed. His life was over and I have to deal with that every day. There's 1200 families from Afghanistan that have to live with this every day."
I totally understand that Meredith might not want to play a game set in a war where her son was killed. But then, of course, she doesn't have to play it. Her son made a decision to become a soldier and put his life on the line, just as other adults have the decision to play what games they like. No, war is not a game ... but games about war ... they are games. Nobody made Meredith's son become a soldier just like nobody will make Meredith buy Medal of Honor.
Meanwhile, EA's marketing department is laughing.
Fox News takes aim at Medal Of Honor Taliban controversy [CVG]
Contest:
9:20 AM on 08.16.2010
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I'm being harsh, of all the video game controversies there have been, this is probably one of the most legitimate complaints on a game there has been. It's a real-life terrorist group in a real-life conflict that is actually happening, in real-life, right now, so I can see how some people might get a bit mad with good reason instead of just getting angry for anger's sake. It's still bullshit though, games deserve just as much praise as films for going into parts unknown, and that's something that people really need to get into their heads.
I think we'll be seeing alot more of this as time goes on, I imagine alot of Americans and perhaps even people from other countries that have loved ones fighting in Afghanistan will take issue with this. Only time will tell.
Also it sucks to be stupid. Fox News takes advantage of you.
Brilliant
"Meanwhile, EA's marketing department is laughing."
I sense an imminent increase in reports of "AMG U PLAY AZ DA TALLYBAN DIS GAME IS BADERZ! IT R DISRESPEKTFUL TO UZ!" from many American based news sites in the next few weeks.
But we are all going to buy this game so fuck her.
No, but the general in charge just sent another grunt out to replace him. Your point is?
I have no sympathy for anyone who has lost someone who JOINED THE ARMY AND WENT TO WAR OF THEIR OWN ACCORD.
Grown up's making a decision that put's their life at risk and losing their life is just the same as grown ups putting £10 on a horse and losing it. You pay your money/life and take your chance. If you're so cut up about it maybe you should have persuaded him NOT to join the army?
I have far far far more sympathy for the Afghani people who didn't want a war. The people who didn't get to choose if they would be in front of enemy rockets and bulets or not. The people whos only source of income is poppy fields, poppy fields which the US army are destroying on their way through on their holy war fighting the war on drugs and the war on terror at the same time! is there anything the USA isn't at war against?
/rant.
@Dreamscape - I don't think you are playing as the Taliban in single player, the "two points of veiw" GT was talking about are Tier 1 and the Rangers. Sure it was in a dtoid article on the subject, like earlier today?
-This whole situation is pretty similar to a show I watched last night, try to find "Charly Brookers Gameswipe" - Charley Brooker is the funniest satirical news reporter (kind of a reporter, takes the piss about the news and how the media handle it) in the UK he's like the opposite of Fox news and Gameswipe is a really interesting show he did about the relationship between the media and gaming.
Everyone on this site will like it.
He's like the Jim Sterling that stayed in the UK and got his own TV show.
You play different sides of the US Army in the single player, such as the various factions of the Tier 1 Operators, and the Army Rangers and what not.
I was just gonna say that. As long as you're fighting for the Red White and Blue then horrible violence is A-OK :D
..he should have preordered from Gamestop to get better armor
I heard the 2 sides of the story you play during the singleplayer campaign is Special Operatives and Army Rangers. So the only time I think you would actually be playing a terrorist is in multiplayer. But I could be wrong.
Someone please confirm this for me...or not, and tell me I'm wrong and an idiot.
And I'd agree with Jim, I do think the host was actually pretty fair. They did reach out to EA for comment, and he does cite the average gamer age. Thats better treatment than games usually get from the media. Good on Fox in this instance.
She also said "off of...", her argument is invalid.
@DreamScape - Did you play any of the WWII MoH's or CoD's? Did you play MW2? How come it's "not cool" to have a bloodthirsty enemy that happens to be muslim and from the 21st century instead of aryan and from the 20th? I can understand disliking war games/books/movies/tv shows, but picking and choosing which one sits the best with you smacks of hypocrisy. There are Germans who didn't follow the Nazi party and fled to America just as WWII was starting off. Here they were subjected to discrimination and hatred, much like the Japanese Americans as well, though they were never interred. Don't you think they're just as angry? Personally, I think it's ok to be mad about whatever you want to be mad about, just be prepared to be confronted about any inconsistencies and bias.
Well, maybe the woman is an ignorant, but we have to understand...
The Talibans are not really your playing subject, they kill their own people in sake of... Well, something, because I think really that those guys do that more for the pleasure to cause chaos and mayhem, more than the idea of Holy War that the Islam states, and, really, one thing is a fictional bunch of terrorists, but well...
Al Qaeda... Those guys, it's hard to think playing as them after what they have done, and when his son died at hands of the Taliban, well, seeing this, the reaction is obvious...
Of course, it's OBVIOUS that Fox News is taking advantage more than pointing an opinion, but well, will not be one of the people that say "Don't release it/don't play it!" but...
Honestly it's a tight spot and something to think about it
Also I spit water through my nose about your comment on "inconsistencies and bias"
when did I ever say anything about WW2? I stated my personal opinion. I don't want to play as the Taliban in MOH, so I won't be buying it. This is bias because I stated my own opinion? No one is "picking and choosing" which villains are okay and which aren't, I certainly made no mention of that in my post, but last time I checked the Nazis weren't still doing that whole concentration camp thing. WW2 also happened over 50 years ago. It's not as sore of a subject to most people because the conflict is far removed.
Your argument as a counterpoint to mine is so off topic that I don't even know where to begin. Don't throw around big-boy words like "bias and inconsistencies" if you don't even know what context you're using them because you obviously don't. Do you think you're "doing free speech" a favor for singling me out for having a DIFFERENT OPINION THAN YOU?
If having different opinions is "bias" then i'm fucking bias, asshole.
Daxelman: I'm pretty sure I saw in the description of Gametrailers TV that they were stating you'd be playing half of the campaign as the Taliban. I'm gonna go watch the segment right now to make sure.
If anything, the fact that videogames are being given such thought and attention on major news outlets means that they have reached a status of importance among our society as a whole, and I believe that this ultimately is a good thing for both the medium and those who appreciate it.
The No Russian level certainly didn't stop Call of Duty from raking in the billions.
Anti-terrorists vs terrorists has been ok in loads of games, such as CS, but...
Anti-terrorists vs Taliban, OH NO IT'S TOO REALISTIC THINK OF THE MOTHERS.
Seriously?