Game As One

According to Kotaku, the commanding general of the Army and Air Force Exchange Services said that his decision to have Medal of Honor pulled from U.S. military bases worldwide was spurred by “well-documented reports of depictions of Taliban fighters engaging American troops” in the game.

Gamestop agreed to stop selling the game at noon today for all US base locations. In an email to employees, GameStop says the decision was made “out of respect for our past and present men and women in uniform.”

“GameStop fully supports AAFES in this endeavor and is sensitive to the fact that in multiplayer mode one side will assume the role of Taliban fighter.”

EA Games president Frank Gibeau says,  ”At EA we passionately believe games are an artform, and I don’t know why films and books set in Afghanistan don’t get flack, yet [games] do. Whether it’s Red Badge Of Courage or The Hurt Locker, the media of its time can be a platform for the people who wish to tell their stories. Games are becoming that platform.”

Set in modern-day Afghanistan, EA’s new Medal of Honor will allow users to play as the Taliban.  EA’s senior PR manager, Amanda Taggart, told AOL news, ”Most of us have 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.  In Medal of Honor multiplayer, someone’s gotta be the Taliban.”

The game grabbed the attention of FOX News and, in the video below, FOX interviews Gold Star Mom Karen Meredith who voiced her concern over Medal of Honor‘s content.  ”I just don’t see how a video game based on a current war makes any sense. It’s disrespectful,” Meredith says.

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.

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.