Pakistan Bans Latest Call of Duty And Medal of Honor

[Greg Tito]

Pakistan Bans Latest Call of Duty And Medal of Honor

The government claims the games portray the country in a negative way.

Today's shooters have a habit of pissing everyone off. On one hand, you have Presidents calling for more research into videogame violence [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121196-U-S-Senator-Seeks-New-Study-of-Violent-Videogames], while on the other you have countries in the Middle East claiming games criticize the places they are set. This week, the Pakistani organization governing the sale of software - All Pakistan CD, DVD, Audio Cassette Traders and Manufacturers Association (APCDACTM) - issued an order to remove both Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter from store shelves. The order is written in Urdu - the language of Pakistan - and it states both these games are "against Pakistan" as the reason for the ban.

"The Association has always boycotted these types of films and games. These (games) have been developed against the country's national unity and sanctity," reads the order, as translated by Fox News. "The games (Medal of Honor: Warfighter and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2) have been developed against Pakistan, and the association has completely banned their sale. Shopkeepers are warned and will be responsible for the consequences if found purchasing or selling these games."

As if that wasn't threatening enough, multiple Pakistani officials have come forward to denounce the titles. "The problem is that there are things that are against Pakistan and they have included criticism of our army," said APCDACTM President, Saleem Memon. "They show the country in a very poor light."

An anonymous Pakistani official went into even more detail in his opinions of just how much the creators of these games hate his country's youth. "These games are an effort to malign the minds of youth against Pakistan," he said. "Not only should the original be banned, but the pirated version sales should be blocked also."

Well, EA has to be happy at least. Someone thought Medal of Honor sold well enough to complain about it to the APCDACTM.

Source: Fox News [http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/22/call-duty-medal-honor-video-games-banned-in-pakistan-for-showing-country-as/#ixzz2IqAljpNI]

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[Draconalis]

Shit! We lost out on all six of those sells!

 

[Lucky Godzilla]

"These (games) have been developed against the country's national unity and sanctity,"
Really Pakistan, really? These people cannot be so naive as to believe that these games were created with the intended purpose of showing Pakistan in a negative light? What do they think they will accomplish by banning of these games?
I mean, if you really are so interested in protecting your public image Pakistan, how about, I don't know, instead focus your efforts on trying to improve the situation? So that you can, with all honesty say these games are a misrepresentation?

 

[BoogieManFL]

"Pirated version sales"

What does that even mean?

 

[Notsomuch]

You can tell the Pakistani government cares about it's people. It's why they Ban video-games while allowing a foreign government to perform signature drone strikes on their citizens.

"Pirated version sales"

What does that even mean?

Bootlegged copies.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I was under the impression that pirated copies meant that they weren't even actually paid for, but okay.

Honestly, I think they're doing the country a favor in pulling Medal of Honor. That game is bad, and I wanted to like it. As for Call of Duty, besides the desert level, when is Pakistan ever mentioned in that game? I honestly can't remember, and besides the guy betraying you at the end of that level, how is Pakistan portrayed negatively?

 

[Colt47]

"These (games) have been developed against the country's national unity and sanctity,"
Really Pakistan, really? These people cannot be so naive as to believe that these games were created with the intended purpose of showing Pakistan in a negative light? What do they think they will accomplish by banning of these games?
I mean, if you really are so interested in protecting your public image Pakistan, how about, I don't know, instead focus your efforts on trying to improve the situation? So that you can, with all honesty say these games are a misrepresentation?

Largely because they don't want to admit they have made mistakes in the handling of their country. Or more specifically, they feel that they can't admit to having issues.

 

[Gothproxy]

Hmmm....so, I'm failing to see a problem here. Their country doesn't wanna sell a game that might make them look bad? Fine. Send them all our unsold copies of Kinect Sesame Street. That'll make em feel better.

 

[Platypus540]

I don't know about MOH, but the only thing even kind of related to Pakistan in Blops 2 is that there's a Pakistani character, and he's a good guy.

 

[Shahbaz Bokhari]

I'm going to tell you all a story. It's not a very long story but it is an important one and it's one that hasn't been told anywhere near enough or loud enough to do it any justice.
One upon a time there was a nation. This nation, we'll call it, oh I dunno, Pakistan, was founded in the midst of extreme turmoil and wanton aggression from it's new neighbor who we'll call India from the word go.
Now this new country fought hard, many bad things were done to it and indeed it to did many many bad things to it's neighbor. Many things happened but eventually, even after helping to push back the Red Bear and juggle 3 WARS with a better equipped neighbor who had many more soldiers (about 7:1 last I checked if not more) in which it made a damn good account of itself.

Many years passed, many things happened, then miraculously during the era of a man we'll call oh let's see, Musharaf. He did a lot of good, some bad, but in all honesty, he tried his damn best as a soldier thrust into the ever more dangerous and murky political battlefield. They managed to drag themselves into the coveted 2nd world status, a might deed indeed as this nation was not even 75 years old, they even managed to stop needing loans from the World bank!
BUT! As all such stories like those set in say the Warhammer franchise both fantasy and 40k, eventually, there is a massive cock up.

This cock up came in the form of Americas War of Terror I mean, war ON terror. A war in which this nation practically got lassoed into.
In the last 10+ years this nations has lost thousands, I mean thousands upon thousands (I'm talking in the 5 digit zone) of soldiers and civilians to the machinations of terrorists both within our borders and from without.
Some of the most expensive bounties and top leaders have been either killed or collected by their forces, many of their sons and daughters have died or been maimed helping to prevent many atrocities from occurring in other far away places that to this day do little than to critcise and cast them in a negative light in various forms of media.
Pakistan has bled so much more than the world knows, cares to know, or appreciates. The 1st world says they are struggling with terror? THEY LIVE NEXT DOOR TO IT. AND THEY HAVE A LIFE LONG ENEMY ON THE OTHER SIDE! If this was a 3sum and you were in it your choice of an*l perforation was between a spiked cactus and a serrated blade on fire, one way or the other you are going to get fucked!

So please, before you all cast your die from your sky news sources and half baked ill informed fox news bites or even vague routers reports take a pause and remind yourself: You don't know the full story do you?
I'm from there. I was born there. I will someday be buried in there. Family on both sides of my tree serve in so many branches of the nation it genuinely fills me with sorrow to just see us portrayed as caricatures and as cheap targets.
We aren't doing enough? I'd like to see you do better. Oh wait. You tried. And failed!

Maybe someday a game will be made about a struggling nation beset on all sides by enemies, within and without. It'll tell the stories of the deeds accomplished all in the name of a grey war which has an inherently ''good'' message. (I use the marks because let's face it it'll be dubious at best.)
Pakistan is like the god damn Imperiam of Man; as in there is only war, we are beset on all sides and yes we do have bands of religious zealots screaming half baked rhetoric but we also have our heroes and champions all who which remain quietly in the background slugging through meat grinders just to end up as the butt end of jokes presented to the dimwit FPS nation who have little or no autonomous thought to find a different angle to anything that the ''strong white man with the gun'' shows them.

The End...?

 

[Shahbaz Bokhari]

Also I do apologise for the poor syntax and so forth but it took much to reign in a lot of incoherent frothing rage. I'm merely trying to help give a context to the backlash.

 

[Reincarnatedwolfgod]

the horror people in Pakistan are not allowed to legally play Medal of Honor: Warfighter. What ever will they do will they do with there lives (other then pirate it or play a game that sucks less)?

 

[Baresark]

snipped for sake of space

I'm gonna be honest, I was basically gonna tell this same story myself, but you beat me too it. There is a lot of misplaced anger pointed at Pakistan as a whole when, like most situations, it's a few bad individuals that have messed things up. I also find it laughable that people around here seem to think the biggest crime against the Pakistani people is the banning of a couple of video games that only really act as a shooting gallery where the targets are common looking inhabitants of the Muslim world.

I would never go so far to call for the banning of a video game, but no one should be surprised by this either. It does, in a manner, paint that part of the world as exclusively negative with no characters of any real redeeming quality outside the western world characters.

 

[Bernzz]

Well, EA has to be happy at least. Someone thought Medal of Honor sold well enough to complain about it to the APCDACTM.

OT: Medal of Honor: Doorfighter sales being banned? The horror, now the people in Pakistan might be forced to play good games!

Although I wonder, how is Black Ops 2 portraying Pakistan in a negative light? I haven't played it, does it make Pakistan the main enemy or something?

 

[ThatGuy]

snipped for sake of space

I'm gonna be honest, I was basically gonna tell this same story myself, but you beat me too it. There is a lot of misplaced anger pointed at Pakistan as a whole when, like most situations, it's a few bad individuals that have messed things up. I also find it laughable that people around here seem to think the biggest crime against the Pakistani people is the banning of a couple of video games that only really act as a shooting gallery where the targets are common looking inhabitants of the Muslim world.

I would never go so far to call for the banning of a video game, but no one should be surprised by this either. It does, in a manner, paint that part of the world as exclusively negative with no characters of any real redeeming quality outside the western world characters.

Yeah, I have to agree with you and Shahbaz. This article comes off as biased, with no attempt to understand the reasoning behind the ban.

I don't agree with the banning of any form of media in principle, but every country has its own unique story and its own way of handling its issues. We can at least try to understand where they're coming from.

 

[mParadox]

Oh cool. I didn't know we had a legal game industry. [sub][sub]Huehuehuehuehuehue.[/sub][/sub]

Seriously though, legit games are sold over here? o_o

OT: I don't really see the problem. Unless you use drones... you don't get to use drones do you? 'cause we have thing against drones.

 

[Scorpid]

Let's be honest removing Warfighter from shelves they probably did a favor to all those unwashed masses. CoD though... How about your country stop resembling horrible shithole that terrorists call home and we'll stop saying your place is a horrible shithole that terrorists do infact call home. Besides terrorism, Pakistan's only contribution to the world stage is cheap child labor for Nike and co. and their paranoia bringing them close to starting a nuclear war with India on multiple occasions. So I could care less what Pakistan thinks about their national image being damaged by these games.

 

[Abomination]

Yeah, I have to agree with you and Shahbaz. This article comes off as biased, with no attempt to understand the reasoning behind the ban.

I don't agree with the banning of any form of media in principle, but every country has its own unique story and its own way of handling its issues. We can at least try to understand where they're coming from.

The problem is that Pakisan's reputation (deserved or no) will be nothing but sullied further by this type of action. The Democratic West considers censorship of government criticism to be a sure-fire admission of guilt.

We also get the feeling it has more of a religious reasoning than a political one as the games, supposedly, do not mention Pakistan at all apart from a protagonist hailing from there. This leads to question what message the government is supposed to be protecting its youth from... because we can not see any message painting Pakistan in a negative light from these games.

The only thing that paints Pakistan in a negative light here is the fact they would think they need to censor any potential condemnation of the nation itself... as though they have something to hide.