Defence Secretary calls for Medal of Honor boycott

26. so i just got back from afghanistan 2 weeks ago, so this whole thing is new to me. im not gonna say that just because u play a game u are a taliban supporter, but i will say as a marine who lost buddies in oef, that this game is without a doubt disrespectful. im not saying not to go out and buy the game, im just saying from the point of view from someone who was there, and i am an 0311 infantryman, that this is a step in the wrong direction for us. the average age of our guys getting killed is around 20, think about that when ur lining ur sights up in this new game, but if u want to buy it, then do it, thats ur right, the freedom that me and my boys fought for.

25. What do u want Mr Fox, EA to rig the servers so the plucky 'allied forces' courageously beat the taliban in every match of team deathmatch or objective! 5 Words Liam Fox, IT IS JUST A GAME!

24. @ mrdjmo.

Don't be silly. Super Mario Galaxy is just a game. Tetris is just a game. This game resembles real life events, that are happening to real life people, now, today. To say it is just a "game" is a little bit naive.

23. Have you all forgotten one thing..........

It's a game for god sake, just because I play as the taliban in a game of team death match does not mean I support everything they stand for.

When playing a multiplayer game someone has to be the opposition whether it be Chelsea v Liverpool in Fifa , Blanca vs Sagat or MW2 terrorists vs commandos.

Hopefully someone with a tiny bit of sense will read this comment and realise it doesn matter, but after reading the past posts i doubt it.

22. "I don't think it's anything to do with beating the good guys. It's about winning."

Read between the lines, mate.

"Out of gaming curiosity"

Once we've beaten the bad guys, we'll want to beat the good guys.

Saying its about winning is just stating the bleedin' obvious.

21. @ lovlid.

I don't think it's anything to do with beating the good guys. It's about winning.

No matter what side your on. Every trick/glitch in the book will be used to make sure you win.

In clan games, after 1 round they'll switch teams anyway and try just as hard to kill the other team.

Maybe this moron should make sure soldiers are getting the right kit as nobody respawns in a real firefight. He should be concentrating on other, more essential things instead of having a pop at gamers.

Now where's my C4... Time to load my jeep and suicide bomb the hell out of a platoon of US soldiers in Battlefield 2 :)

20. @ anteaus.

"a 1940's Luftwaffe pilot didn't necessarily mean you approved (or even knew of) the Nazis' atrocities. You fought for the Fatherland because you thought that was the right thing to do."

Your logic is still wrong. As games players today, "we" know what the nazis did yet we'll still jump in a messerschmitt just to see what its like.

99.9% of the people that play as the taliban will do so purely out of gaming curiosity, to see if they can beat the good guys.

19. @mobius:"that's not really analagous as we're talking about a multiplayer element... people taking opposing sides."

I suppose you have a point, after all people have been playing opposing sides for years in WW2 games. Although, there is a difference in that being a 1940's Luftwaffe pilot didn't necessarily mean you approved (or even knew of) the Nazis' atrocities. You fought for the Fatherland because you thought that was the right thing to do.

I can't see any Taliban militia being in that position. They know exactly what their regime stands-for.

18. @anteus - read my post again. I make it clear the Indians are the good guys. ;) read fail

17. Has Liam Fox failed to notice the copious numbers of games that have depicted World War 2...in which you can play as the Axis or the Allied forces. Surely this is more outrageous to British sensibilities considering the massive number of people who died in WW2 at the hands of the Nazis.....but not a word is said.

However, because this is current events he feels he has to chime in on the behalf of "The British People"....I am a "British Person" and I personally don't care if the opposing side in multiplayer the Taliban, just as I did not care about every other wargames I have played(which have their roots in events from the real world [historic or otherwise]) pitting the generally viewed "Good guys" against their opponents from that conflict.

16. @anteaus, that's not really analagous as we're talking about a multiplayer element of the game which in any context with versus involves people taking opposing sides. Not sure how that even makes sense trying to use examples such as the Moors murders. So makes perfect sense to me that in a game with US forces against Taliban forces that on a multiplayer vs you'd choose one of those sides. Otherwise how would it work other than not have multiplayer at all?

As has been pointed out it's how it's been done in games for years. Counter-Strike has been used as a good example and that game has even been used by some forces for training!

15. @phil 573

I am sure the govt will be shaking in its boots as you play your game.

14. Typical politicians knee jerk reaction to a tabloid headline. There aren't even any British troops in the game (which is a typical US version of wars involving their allies but that's another debate!).

All battles have at least two sides, just because our politicians & media say we are always on the side of good & righteousness doesn't always make it so!!

I hope this game sells more thanks to this idiots half-baked, uninformed opinion. Maybe next time a politician will think before opening his mouth on a subject he knows nothing about. (But I won't hold my breath....)

13. I think I would rather play as the freedom fighter (terrorist some might say), at least they are not responsible for an illegal invasion of a country and therefore thousands of deaths.

12. Cowboys and Indians is a poor comparison as Indians (native Americans) weren't exactly the bad guys. If anything the cowboys were the the bad guys invading their country, and they had the right to defend it.

But, if playing the Taliban is OK, how about playing the Moors Murderer? Or the Great Train Robbers?

If NO, then is playing murderous religious-fanatics any more acceptable?

11. I wonder at what level Activision are stirring this all up?

Counterstrike let you play as Terrorists a VERY long time back. (Although I still play it at times on the PS3).

10. Ahh yes, it's ok if you're playing as a English/British/American guy killing other nationalities...

However, I'm completely sure that after I have played multiplayer as the Taliban, I'll be completely radicalized!

9. Personally i think that making a game based on a war that is still ongoing is a little disrespectful. This will just play into the hands of Activision who must be rubbing their grubby little hands with glee.

8. Sure is cold war in here...