Medal of Honor Causes Uproar

EA Getting Flagged for Inclusion of Taliban

The revamp of Medal of Honor is coming with a price, and its not just $60

Although this is news that broke late last week, it's beginning to catch steam in the media this week instead. The folks behind the upcoming military shooter reboot "Medal of Honor" are getting their upcoming game pulled from all Gamestop stores that are located within Army and Air-Force compounds, because the game allows players to play as a Taliban members in its multiplayer mode. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service says it will not allow the game to be stocked within its compounds out of respect for family members of servicemen and women who have been affected by the war in Afghanistan. Soldiers can still buy the game and play it in their compound, but they will have to purchase the game off site to do so. Now, I consider myself a hardcore gamer, and I am the first one to chime in when it comes to freedom of artistic liberties in video games, but this is the one time where I can see and fully respect both sides of the argument.

The infamous Call of Duty airport scene.

For starters, the inclusion of allowing gamers to play as the Taliban is a bold move on developers part. Video games have always been in the mainstream in terms of battling the skewed perception many people have of violence in video games, but I think that EA is playing with fire by including real-life militant factions in its game. For the past couple of years, "Call of Duty" was receiving the backlash for its realistic depictions of violence in its games. Most recently, the controversial airport scene in Modern Warfare 2 which forces gamers to play as an undercover CIA agent who infiltrates a terrorist organization, and is forced to partake in an attack on an airport terminal, ultimately killing dozens of innocent, unarmed civilians. As harsh as the scene may look to the average person, I defended the developers decision to include the scene because it was THE pivotal point in the story that drives the game's plot forward. I don't want to spoil it, but it was unpredictable and had an ultimate twist to it. I'll admit, it did teeter on the line of being tasteless violence, but I think Infinity Ward (the guys who created Call of Duty) handled it very well by allowing players an opportunity to opt out of the level all together if they wish. Still, I can't say I'm 100% in support of Medal of Honor.

The Taliban in Medal of Honor. You can see why its controversial

For Medal of Honor, the developers are going for a realistic take on their story. They're including a plot that revolves around the current war in Afghanistan, allowing you to play as members of the US Army Rangers, as well as an elite American Military Unit called 'Tier-1.' Because of the nature of the story, many people are quick to bash the game for its touchy content, but I can't be the one to point the finger at EA just yet until I see how they handle the story. EA should know what it's getting itself into, and so far I think they have the right approach in handling the publicity of their game. EA has gone on record saying that it respects the military's decision to ban the game from Gamestops within military bases. As for its stance on playing as the Taliban in multiplayer, an EA spokesperson talked with AOL news stating "the reality of the game necessitated 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." I couldn't agree more with that rationale, but still, it's completely understandable for some people to be uncomfortable controlling members of a realistic terrorist organization that kill US military soldiers.

Playing as the bad guys in Red Dead Redemption

Still, when looking at popular games like Red Dead Redemption, Modern Warfare, and even Gears of War, someone is always a bad guy when it comes to online deathmatch games. Red Dead Redemption has you play as federales, bank robbers, etc. while Modern Warfare has you play as an ambiguous terrorist organization known as the "Op-For" or opposing force. Gears of War also has you play as the cannibalistic Locust. While everyone has their take on a bad guy, the only catch with Medal of Honor is that the bad guys are not fictitious. They are very real...and very dangerous. Still, I understand it's really a catch-22 at this point. Although I understand why people are upset with the game's content, I will say that developer's have complete discretion as to what they do with their game. And lets face it, if you opt to buy a military shooter video game, you should know what you're getting yourself into.

Call of Duty Black Ops...This guy is eerily similar to Solid Snake

All this hub-bub over the game is the same thing that happens with a bad joke that pokes fun at a realistic event too soon. There's a very famous comedic quote that says "Tragedy plus time equals comedy." Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this issue is something to be laughed at, but the point the quote makes is that you need to let time pass by before it is socially acceptable to tackle a certain issue. Why do you think a game like "Call of Duty: Black Ops," which takes place during the cold war and Vietnam, isn't getting as much heat from the press? Vietnam was an atrocious event that led to the deaths of  tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers, and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and French combined. Still, there have been a number of games released detailing combat violence in the canopy jungles of North Vietnam and yet, the media never really tackled it. Whatever the case may be my point in all this is that I understand where critics of Medal of Honor are coming from. They're banning the sale of the game out of respect for the families. I get that. I find it very analogous with the whole rubbish in the news of building a mosque on ground zero. (For the record I'm against it...which is probably the reason I understand the stance the military is taking on the new Medal of Honor game.) Sure you have the right to build and defend your mosque or video game or whatever it may be, but at the same token there must be a morsel of mutual respect, and for that matter some common sense, in understanding that there are always two sides to every argument.