Is Medal of Honor Offensive ?

[Jandau]

The problem isn't that MoH is offensive, it's that it MIGHT be offensive to AMERICANS, It's all well and good to portray everyone else in any kind of negative light and then slaughter them by the dozens, but heaven forbid someone tries to show it from the other side...

 

[Macgyvercas]

I don't understand this controversy. So you could kill Americans as the Taliban. It's a war game, and yet it's somehow bad to depict both sides of the conflict. It's not like it's any worse than what German gamers put up with every time a WWII game is released.

The problem isn't that MoH is offensive, it's that it MIGHT be offensive to AMERICANS, It's all well and good to portray everyone else in any kind of negative light and then slaughter them by the dozens, but heaven forbid someone tries to show it from the other side...

Also, this.

 

[smeghead25]

It's not offensive in the least. Anyone that is offended by the content of the game (or any game for that matter) needs to bash themselves in the face with a hammer until they no longer possess the mental capacity to continue.

I assumed they lacked mental capacity in the first place?

 

[Delusibeta]

Only when I'm being shot at in the game and I can't see who's shooting me (in the game).

I am thoroughly unimpressed by the betas, will not purchase.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

Its not only not offensive, its not very good. I have almost finished the single player campaign and i can say quite firmly that it is not worth buying. There is also nothing in there that could possibly be considered offensive.

 

[Jumplion]

I see your point that it shouldn't be necessary to bring up the fact it is a game when discussing whether or not what is portrayed in it is offensive and needs changing. But that wasn't really what I meant, I use the argument of its only a game to the ideas that it will encourage violence or be used as a terrorist training simulator (actually heard this be suggested). And that from these people's perspectives who think the killing in it is offensive, shouldn't the real war itself be just as offensive? If the war is justified, then its the same as them attacking a history book about the war, in that case I would say its only a book. And if they think the war is not justified, then fictional stories based on the war shouldn't even be on their radar as they should be protesting it.

I respect a video game's ability to deal with any subject matter just as much as a book or movie, and that if it does so well it isn't just a silly game and can be thought provocation and emotionally moving. People have the ability to realize the difference between a video game and real life when it comes to whether or not they imitate whats in the game, but at the same time can immerse themselves in it and take the story as it is in context.

That's because that's not the argument, at least in my take. The argument is that people shouldn't be offended by anything, especially when they have a clear choice whether or not to expose themselves to the offensive material (aka, if you don't like it, you are more than capable of simply not buying it).

Anyone that is offended by quite literally anything that they have the option to avoid needs to remove themselves from the gene pool before their stupidity infects our whole species.

Also, the game doesn't treat the subject matter any differently than any movie about the "War on Terror". If it's acceptable for movies like the Hurt Locker to exist, it should be just as acceptable for Medal of Honor to have the Taliban in it. It's a ridiculous double standard that really needs to stop.

Yeah, I realize that it wasn't exactly what you're implying, so I was probably just itching to get that splurge of opinion out. I tend to like the sound of my own voice

Overall, my point still stands, it is not and never was "just a game" because, well, war isn't one. And on the comparison of "it's only a book" the same thing applies, they would be trying to suppress history and all that. In the end I hope you get my overall point.

 

[Jumplion]

How do we react to these people? Well, take a look through the News thread announcing that EA will change the name [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.235866-EA-Cuts-Taliban-From-Medal-of-Honor?page=1]. There's a lot of less than admirable reactions from our part and this site is supposed to be one of the more mature gaming communities online (so if you want more of a representative look at the reactions, check out the comments on IGN's, Gamespot's, or other gaming websites' story on this). If we want people to stop treating games like a second-rate medium, then we need to engage in better discourse with the people who don't understand games. We're not doing ourselves any favors calling these people "retards who should have their skulls bashed in to save the world from their stupidity".

Quote for all that is holy in the truth, this 100%. I really hate it when a video game gets a controversy and the people on our side go "LALALALALA THAT'S NOT TRUE, U EZ RETARD, LALALA!" without considering why they'd think that. It happened with a lot of other games, Resident Evil 5 comes to mind (which the controversy was completely overblown as only one person pointed it out), and it's really sad how so many just plug their ears and tell anyone else to go fuck themselves.

 

[popepaul3]

The problem isn't that MoH is offensive, it's that it MIGHT be offensive to AMERICANS, It's all well and good to portray everyone else in any kind of negative light and then slaughter them by the dozens, but heaven forbid someone tries to show it from the other side...

Very true. This controversy seems to give the message that killing one certain group is ok, but not killing our side. Now i'm not one to attack violent games, in fact i rather enjoy them, but i still realise that real world warfare is horrendous, regardless of how or why its performed.

 

[mattttherman3]

Not offensive in my opinion, one of the most boring shooters I've ever played though.

Edit: Now that I think of it, the game is offensive in the sense that it sucks, throw this shit out.

 

[Dogstile]

Sort of, but so is 90% of the gaming world these days. If you have a problem, don't play the game.

They will make Russia, US, capitalism or PMC's the bad guys but not people that blow themselves up to kill as many people as possible.

Seriously though, Russia/China must hate western games, and I can see why. Any modern warfare based game, and it is always against Russia/China. This is why I prefer Eastern developers. Cryostasis, Stalker, Cossacks, all good.

Yeah, why kill the Chinese when you can kill angry Koreans or Ukrainians.

 

[twistedheat15]

It's only offensive to stupid lemmings who follow what other ppl with their heads up their ass tell'em is offensive.

 

[Woodsey]

Only in it's insistence on omitting the U from honour.

 

[Ruffythepirate]

The only thing I can see is that it may be glorifying the current events in Afghanistan, and that might be a problem for troops actually fighting the war. However they can just not play that game then. Isn't that what you Americans always say? 'If you're offended then stop listening' (except when someone tries to build a mosque which they are constitutionally allowed to build).

 

[GlobalJim]

"Seriously though, Russia/China must hate western games, and I can see why. Any modern warfare based game, and it is always against Russia/China."

All the Russians I know don't really care whether games offend them or not

 

[Alandoril]

Of course it's not offensive. It's a legitimate way of exploring the effects of conflict. Of course, some people would rather people not do that so the politicians jump on the band-wagon and scream "Won't someone think of the widows!"

 

[MiracleOfSound]

No more offensive than Modern Warfare, in my opinion.

That game is just offensive to gamers.

 

[BelfastSpartan]

Not offensive in my opinion, one of the most boring shooters I've ever played though.

Ditto!

Finished campaign today and can't see myself going through it again, it's pretty boring.

Also not offensive! They guys look exactly like the MW2 enemy (can't remember their name Opfor?)so people are only getting offended because of the name.....they need to take their tampons out and grow a pair.

 

[wastaz]

Real war is offensive to me. That people can be so stupid as to think that anything good can come from wanton destruction - that offends me as a human being. I respect "the soldiers fighting for our freedom" and all that jazz, but I seriously think that if a conflict have to be resolved by violence the violence should only involve the people conflicting. That pretty much means that the president of the USA can have a hand-to-hand showdown with bin Ladin or Hussein or whoever they're fighting against this week. No harm done to anyone else. Of course, the best solution would be that everything was solvable by diplomacy and civlized conversation.

Of course, this is all me being silly and dreaming. I am perfectly aware that real life does not and will never work like this. But if people stop dreaming change will never happen.

Fake war, as in video games, books, movies...isn't offensive to me because it's fantasies and fiction - no one gets hurt, no one becomes an orphan, no one gets their house blown up or their property destroyed.