The Controversy Surrounding Medal of Honor

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EA is no stranger to controversy.  Their push of making gamers pay for every little thing that they have to offer is just one example of the type of controversy that EA has been dealing with, but what about the heated controversy surrounding the upcoming Medal of Honor's playable Taliban characters?  Is EA in the wrong with this one especially when they almost lost support from the US Army?

According to Deseret News, military bases across the US reacted strongly to EA's announcement of having playable Taliban characters that can be used in the game to shoot at U.S. troops by banning the sale of the game on base.  Families also protested to show their dislike for being able to play as the Taliban.  One of the families that protested was Karen Meredith who lost her son in the current conflict.

""War is not a game, period, and the fact that they've already done games about World War II, that's far removed from our current history. And people aren't dying in World War II anymore, that's far removed. The families...it's not based on real people...."  Meredith stated in a video interview with Fox News.  She later states when asked why adults cannot make their own decision about playing video games like watching wrestling, "Well pro wrestling, nobody dies...."  (*Pro wrestler Owen Hart tragically passed away right before his match after a malfunction of equipment)

To make matters even worse, the US Army who has given EA it's full support on Medal of Honor did not know about it until the game was almost finished.

1up.com reported that Kenneth Hawes, the director of the U.S. Army's Public Affairs Office Western Region, stated that the Department of Defense was surprised and that after finding out about the playable Taliban characters the Army considered to pull out from supporting the military shooter.

"We immediately contacted Electronic Arts and asked them to give us a demonstration of the game's capabilities,

 You have to understand I'm not a gamer. We provide support on major motion pictures, television, and video games, but I didn't grow up with video games. So personally I was a little disappointed they included that scenario."

The United States Army is not the only form of military to show their dislike for the playable terrorists.  According to PlaystionLifeStyle.net, the British Defense Secretary is urging retailers not to sell the game stating that, "It’s shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban. At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands. 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."

After the protests and public outcry, EA has decided to change the name of the terrorists in their game.  When you play the multiplayer, instead of playing as the Taliban, you will be playing as the "Opposing Force".  Greg Goodrich, the Executive Producer on Medal of Honor released the following statement regarding the name change.

"In the past few months, we have received feedback from all over the world regarding the multiplayer portion of Medal of Honor. We’ve received notes from gamers, active military, and friends and family of servicemen and women currently deployed overseas. The majority of this feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. For this, the Medal of Honor team is deeply appreciative.

 

However, we have also received feedback from friends and families of fallen soldiers who have expressed concern over the inclusion of the Taliban in the multiplayer portion of our game. This is a very important voice to the Medal of Honor team. This is a voice that has earned the right to be listened to. It is a voice that we care deeply about. Because of this, and because the heartbeat of Medal of Honor has always resided in the reverence for American and Allied soldiers, we have decided to rename the opposing team in Medal of Honor multiplayer from Taliban to Opposing Force.

 

While this change should not directly affect gamers, as it does not fundamentally alter the gameplay, we are making this change for the men and women serving in the military and for the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice - this franchise will never willfully disrespect, intentionally or otherwise, your memory and service.

 

To all who serve - we appreciate you, we thank you, and we do not take you for granted. And to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines currently serving overseas, stay safe and come home soon."

With the above announcement many gamers took to the websites to show their disapproval of the name change.  Many stating that EA should have stuck to their guns and kept the name Taliban in the multiplayer of the game.

Will the name change affect the sales of EA's highly anticipated Medal of Honor or has this controversy given the game more buyable publicity?  We will have to wait until October 12 to find out.

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