New Zealand Politician Joins in Medal of Honor Outrage

[Veylon]

I wonder how many men and women in uniform will buy this game to play in their spare time.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

Is it election season there as well soon?

 

[tcurt]

I wonder how many men and women in uniform will buy this game to play in their spare time.

I wonder how many of them will play from the Taliban pov just for a change of perspective?

This was always going to be a risk with a "modern" or "current" war theater. That's what makes it easier to travel through past history or imagined future of warfare.

Just shows the limited scope of politician's game knowledge anyways. The awesome Halflife 2 mod Insurgency has had people playing the Taliban and Iraqis in their current theater for years now.

What about America's Army 3 anyways??? Everytime I played that game, I was always shooting at some eastern block break-away republic terrorism supporter that was being controlled by another human player. And then AA3 would crash. Horrible mess of a game.

 

[Gaderael]

You know what is going through these slimy politician's minds.

"Hey! This new video game (which are evil) that is coming out is garnering a lot of attention. What's that? You can play as a member of the Taliban (which everyone knows are EVIL and are ALWAYS in the NEWS) and shoot at our TROOPS (those magic people whose mere mention after 'support our' instantly garners praise from the ignorant public)! All I have to say is that the Taliban is EVIL, video games are evil, and if you play this game you do not support our troops, and are therefore EVIL! I'll get a lot of press, I'll look like I'm tough on the enemy, and my polls will go way up! It's perfect!"

 

[CrafterMan]

All my friends in the RNZAF are buying this game... about 8-9 dudes. Hahaha, so ironic. Fuck though, seriously, our politics in NZ at the moment are absolutely fucked.

We just paid a failing finance company out 1.7billion of tax payer money.

Thats how our country operates...it...doesn't XD

-JB

 

[Double A]

MW allowed people to play as terrorists in multiplayer, and just about every other MoH and CoD game out there lets you play as the Nazis.

Why is this only now becoming an "issue" for politicians?

 

[Tdc2182]

You know what I have started to notice about these kinds of things?

Does anyone even ask what they troops think about it? Its always kind of a "we know whats best for you", and I have honestly not heard one single complaint by soldiers about this kind of shit.

Most of them fucking play violent games.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

This is exactly what Medal of Honor wants. Free publicity! Do you have any idea how many people working at EA are laughing right now? Or possibly crying because they spent so much time trying to cause controversy with Dante's Inferno while this game didn't do anything and everyone is complaining.

 

[Tdc2182]

and shoot at our TROOPS (those magic people whose mere mention after 'support our' instantly garners praise from the ignorant public)!

Are you in fact implying that soldiers are not magical creatures?

All joking aside, a soldier does deserve a little degree of respect. Its a tough life, and lots of their suffering is based on us.

 

[StarkillerisDead]

This is actually kind of embarrassing. i always knew there were game hating moral panic inducing douchebags who didn't do their research in the US and Australian governments, but I never thought one of our MPs would do something like this.

 

[dohteM]

It's like when you apply for a cocksucking competition and you're trying to read the manual while the first judge is speeding toward your gum. A bit late.

 

[archvile93]

While I believe that these individuals have every right to speak up they honestly should shove it. When you bring one of the soliders back and they say something about it, then I'll care. It's not your blood that stains the ground it's their blood. And I'll be damned if a politician tells me that something undermines my nation (because, you know, politicians do that, a lot).

Plus as an American I haven't heard any backlash from my nation about it. Granted when it comes out it'll probably brew up a s*** storm of epic proportions. But still, I'm not bothered by it if the men and women who serve aren't. And they could probably care less about it, see as it's a GAME and they are fighting every day just to stay alive.

So when a carpet bomb destroys your home and kills your family, and people offer you a chance at revenge, taking up that offer makes you evil?

No, but strapping bombs onto children and having them run towards NATO troops is pretty evil. Not all of them are but like any group of people they have their evil bastards.

Wait, are you saying there are decent, rational members of the Taliban? Sorry, but my theory isis that anyone one in the that group is either a religous nut, or simply are using religion to control the religious nuts into doing your dirty work so you can gain power. I'm not saying joining the Taliban will turn you evil mind you; what I mean is if you're the kind of person to join an organization like that you were probably already going to hell.

OT: I think this controversy is completely stupid. It's just the other side to have in multiplayer so you have someone to shoot in a way that makes sense, nothing more. Would they rather it be British vs. America? Yeah that makes perfect sense /sarcasm.

 

[Gaderael]

and shoot at our TROOPS (those magic people whose mere mention after 'support our' instantly garners praise from the ignorant public)!

Are you in fact implying that soldiers are not magical creatures?

All joking aside, a soldier does deserve a little degree of respect. Its a tough life, and lots of their suffering is based on us.

Oh agreed. I have several friends in the Armed Forces, and they worked hard to get where they are. It really sucks when the have to move to another part of the country, away from all their family and friends.

 

[Tom Phoenix]

Nazi Einsatzgruppen murdered over one million men, women and children as they followed in the wake of the Wehrmacht across eastern Europe and the Soviet Union during the Second World War, yet playing online as a German soldier doesn't even rate a raised eyebrow.

Ironically, in spite of this, we still haven't seen a singleplayer campaign in an FPS game that would include the German perspective (or that of Italian/minor Axis countries soldiers for that matter). The German Front Mod singleplayer demo was the closest we ever got to it, but...that was just a mod and a demo.

Anyway, to be honest, I wish Medal of Honor actually had a singleplayer campaign or at least a mission that featured the Taliban. I know that it would stir even more controversy, but at least it would allow for the game to have a degree of educational value (assuming their potrayal would be accurate). As it is, limiting them to multiplayer reeks of a poor compromise in an attempt to give a boon to critics while providing the players with a realistic setting...ultimately satisfying neither.

 

[Chamale]

Didn't Counter-Strike get banned in Brazil a while back because a politician noticed that one of the teams is called Terrorist?

Half the people in a multiplayer game have to play the bad guys. That's how it is. I didn't like playing as Nazis in Battlefield 1942, but I did it when I had to.

 

[Adzma]

I'm surprised no one in Australia hasn't voiced some sort of MORAL POSITIONZ!!!1!! about this yet. That's the weird thing about my country, we have tolerance for many controversial things that are almost the same as others which are met with outrage. Kind of like how Dead Rising 2 was rated MA15+ for the same reasons that L4D2 was banned...

 

[Dogstile]

Eh, silly people deciding what's best for others. Shhhhhhh silly politicians. You don't realise who we're playing as doesn't matter to us.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Kind of like how Dead Rising 2 was rated MA15+ for the same reasons that L4D2 was banned...

That only reinforces my suspicion that the OFLC uses a dartboard to determine game classifications.

 

[microwaviblerabbit]

While I believe that these individuals have every right to speak up they honestly should shove it. When you bring one of the soliders back and they say something about it, then I'll care. It's not your blood that stains the ground it's their blood. And I'll be damned if a politician tells me that something undermines my nation (because, you know, politicians do that, a lot).

Plus as an American I haven't heard any backlash from my nation about it. Granted when it comes out it'll probably brew up a s*** storm of epic proportions. But still, I'm not bothered by it if the men and women who serve aren't. And they could probably care less about it, see as it's a GAME and they are fighting every day just to stay alive.

So when a carpet bomb destroys your home and kills your family, and people offer you a chance at revenge, taking up that offer makes you evil?

No, but strapping bombs onto children and having them run towards NATO troops is pretty evil. Not all of them are but like any group of people they have their evil bastards.

Wait, are you saying there are decent, rational members of the Taliban? Sorry, but my theory isis that anyone one in the that group is either a religous nut, or simply are using religion to control the religious nuts into doing your dirty work so you can gain power. I'm not saying joining the Taliban will turn you evil mind you; what I mean is if you're the kind of person to join an organization like that you were probably already going to hell.

OT: I think this controversy is completely stupid. It's just the other side to have in multiplayer so you have someone to shoot in a way that makes sense, nothing more. Would they rather it be British vs. America? Yeah that makes perfect sense /sarcasm.

Like any army the Taliban is made up of mostly decent rational people. Throughout history it has been proven that normal rational kind people do horrible things in war. The worst atrocities have come about under orders, and were carried out by regular people.

In a country that has been bombed into a wasteland by two different world powers in the last 25 years, do you think that regular citizens will not be a little resentful?

In addition, the Taliban was put in place by NATO, to combat the Soviet threat. We armed them, trained them, supported them and now are tasting our own medicine. It is a tragedy that so many soldiers are dying to a monster that didn't need to exist.

OT: The controversy is ridiculous, if the politicians have issue with morally reprehensible groups being playable, then ban all soldiers, for which army hasn't committed an atrocity? Otherwise, go find something worthwhile to get upset about, like poverty.