IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Medal of Honor Sparks Ferocious Controversy in U.K.

Posted August 23, 2010 by Ben Strauss

The already controversial Medal of Honor, EA’s reboot of the classic series, has once again made world headlines as British Defense Secretary Dr. Liam Fox has called the game “tasteless” and has called for the ban of the game in the United Kingdom.

"I am disgusted and angry," Fox initially said. "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." Secretary Dr. Fox’s reaction stemmed from the belief that soldiers of the United Kingdom were being portrayed in the game. At this time, elements of United States Special Operational Forces have been confirmed as playable throughout the game’s campaign.

The remarks stem from recent revelations that gamers would be allowed to play as the Taliban during multiplayer matches. The news made the rounds on various American news channels, with families of fallen war vets calling the game “an insult.”

A recent YouTube video showing gamers playing as Taliban forces fighting in Helmand province is noted to have sparked the Secretary’s reaction. British forces have been stationed in Helmand as part of the International Security Assistance Force, comprised of well over 49 nations from around the world. The United Kingdom currently has over 10,000 troops deployed to the province at this time.

Electronic Arts issued another statement in reply to the Secretary’ comments.  "Medal of Honor is a highly authentic depiction of the soldier's experience in Afghanistan – matching US forces against the Taliban in today's war."

"Multiplayer combat is a long-standing, common and popular feature of videogames. In multi-player, teams assume the identities of combatants on both sides of the conflict. Many popular videogames allow players to assume the identity of enemies including Nazis and terrorists. In the multi-player levels of Medal of Honor, teams will assume the identity of both US forces and the Taliban.”

"The Sunday Times story on Medal of Honor contains inaccuracies. For one, Medal of Honor does not allow players to kill British soldiers. British troops do not feature in the game." 

A spokesperson for Dr. Fox insisted that the Secretary remained unmoved in his statements. “The point remains that part of this game allows you to play the part of the Taliban, attacking ISAF troops in the area of central Helmand where British troops are operating.”

Regardless of the comments made by the Defense secretary, UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport distanced itself  from the clearly misconstrued statements. The DCMS stated that “Dr. Fox was expressing a personal view and we understand why some people might find the subject matter of the game offensive." 

"There is a ratings system in place which exists to categorize games appropriately, in this case the game in question is rated 18 so should only be sold to, and played by, adults. There is a clear choice for consumers which they can exercise when making decisions about purchasing videogames."

Medal of Honor is slated for release on October 12, 2010.  

Ben is a recent graduate of Xavier University.  You can see him ramble on about gaming, gamification, military-related gaming and manly things on his Twitter @Sinner101GR.