U.S. Army Maintains Medal of Honor Ban

[Vault Citizen]

So the military is still banning it from on base stores, Jack Thompson is still using it as an excuse to be a dick and (I assume) people are still offended by it.

Great move E.A not only did you fail to silence your critics but you also gained new ones by not being able to have the courage to stand up for the ganing medium rather than resort to spineless and cheap renaming tactics.

 

[Mr. Omega]

I think this is the army saying to EA "Do you think we're stupid?"

I find it sad that I respect the army for sticking to their guns not selling the game more than EA deciding to change the name.

I respect a group banning the sale of a game more than a group making games. Let that sink in...

Still, I say good for the army, knowing that this change changes nothing, unlike a certian Florida ex-attorney.

 

[Nixzilla]

I think its weird that Prototype wasnt even looked at funny for the masses of American soldiers slaughtered but M.O.H makes it to where you can be a Taliban and the US Army praticaly has a seizure.

 

[DiscoLenin]

i don't agree with banning this,
if you played as the Taliban and had to go around planting I.E.Ds and roadside bombs, then kidnapping civillians and executing them and all the other shit those cowards do, then i would see why the US army would want it banned.
however in gameplay they are just an opposing team. In multiplayer they could call them anything from OpFor to taliban to Al Quaeda and it wouldn't make any difference because in game they're an opposing faction included for authenticity, not to deliberately cause controversy.

 

[Loonerinoes]

Though I disapproved their initial banning for the reason stated, I do approve that they didn't reconsider it after the whole namechange to be honest. If someone is called as 'Taliban' or the 'opposing force' in a game, it matters very little because ultimately the people playing it will still make the same connection and that connection will always come back upon the current conflict.

So while no, it's ultimately still BS to ban this (and I honestly doubt they can even enforce that ban properly enough, even if it is the military) it is not BS however to maintain the ban in spite of a name-change that is meant moreso for the politically correct than say...people who don't care much for words like the goddamned military.

 

[Soushi]

that would shut Jack up.

It'll take far more than this to shut that pric up. I fact, this will prbably jsut make him even more vocal cause now he has a victory under his belt.

OT: Well EA, that's what you get for not sticking to your guns. I might actaully have had a tiny shred of respect for your comapny and the MOH franchise had you actaully followed through.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

So .... how is it the military has any regulatory powers over a corporate enterprise? o.o

Is that ... legal? <.<;;


It's kinda .. the thing I find most disturbing about the whole thing is that the army can tell a retailer what to do arbitrarily despite having fully working considerations pertaining to 'Freedom of the Press' within tort law.

I mean it's a big release ... so it could cost that individual retail outlet alot of money by 'banning' it yet they can arbitrarily decide they don't want it on the premises of a US military base?

 

[ethaninja]

Guess that means I won't be able to get it on base. Oh well. EB, you've never looked so beautiful.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

EA: We're putting the Taliban as a multiplayer faction in Medal of Honor.
Public: BAN THIS FILTH BAN THIS FILTH BAN THIS FILTH.
EA: Fuck it. *changes to Opposing Force*
Public: STILL BAN THIS FILTH STILL BAN THIS FILTH.

You can't please everyone, can you?

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

So .... how is it the military has any regulatory powers over a corporate enterprise? o.o

Is that ... legal? <.<;;


It's kinda .. the thing I find most disturbing about the whole thing is that the army can tell a retailer what to do arbitrarily despite having fully working considerations pertaining to 'Freedom of the Press' within tort law.

I mean it's a big release ... so it could cost that individual retail outlet alot of money by 'banning' it yet they can arbitrarily decide they don't want it on the premises of a US military base?

It's a US gov property and yes they can arbitrarily decide what is sold on the property, just like you can decide what to sell in your stores that you own. People seem to forget a retailer on a Base is actually owned by the military not anyone else.

 

[Arehexes]

So .... how is it the military has any regulatory powers over a corporate enterprise? o.o

Is that ... legal? <.<;;


It's kinda .. the thing I find most disturbing about the whole thing is that the army can tell a retailer what to do arbitrarily despite having fully working considerations pertaining to 'Freedom of the Press' within tort law.

I mean it's a big release ... so it could cost that individual retail outlet alot of money by 'banning' it yet they can arbitrarily decide they don't want it on the premises of a Us military base?

Well it is on military land, it's like renting land from a land owner and he tells you what you can and can't have on the lawn. But I don't respect this at all, if we can have movies about this recent American screw up and no one bats a eye because it's about the struggle of our fighting men and women. Why is it a problem to have a multiplayer game with it? Because it's a game, thanks but no thanks Dice/EA. If you can't stick to your guns and back down politicians will believe they can walk all over gaming.

 

[Tzekelkan]

It really doesn't concern me, I guess, but it's kinda weird. Didn't Call of Duty 4 have the exact same multiplayer faction, OpFor? I really don't understand this outrage, it's like banning kids from playing Cops and Robbers. Somebody has to be the bad guy, right? And it's just multiplayer, it's not like they're showing torture techniques or whatnot.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Well it is on military land, it's like renting land from a land owner and he tells you what you can and can't have on the lawn. But I don't respect this at all, if we can have movies about this recent American screw up and no one bats a eye because it's about the struggle of our fighting men and women. Why is it a problem to have a multiplayer game with it? Because it's a game, thanks but no thanks Dice/EA. If you can't stick to your guns and back down politicians will believe they can walk all over gaming.

Well if it's a privately owned firm it's kinda ... wrong.

Like imagine if you were a newsagency, and the military didn't like a particular newspaper because they decided to run a story damaging the image of the US military ... would it then be acceptable for the Military to tell you to remove the particular newspaper from the shelves?

It's a US gov property and yes they can arbitrarily decide what is sold on the property, just like you can decide what to sell in your stores that you own. People seem to forget a retailer on a Base is actually owned by the military not anyone else.

Well if it is military owned firms then I have no problems. But if it's a civilian-owned franchise on a military base then I think it's kinda dodgy. Well I still think it's kinda dodgy.

 

[Rofl-Mayo]

Who gives a shit! Do they really have to ban it? That's going a bit far.

 

[Mysnomer]

It's like that scene in Full Metal Jacket, where the drill Sergeant berates Joker for his answer to a question, and Joker responds that changing his answer will only reflect poorly on his character and decrease the Sergeant's respect for him.

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

Why would it be dodgy? The soldiers can still go off base and get the game, it's just they choose not to have a game that has you playing against the Taliban on military bases when these guys and gals have been doing it for real. Most combat vets are not video game players and don't want to see that shit on what is suppose to be their safe haven.

 

[Vrach]

Serves EA right really. Stand behind your product, copping out earns you no respect from anyone.

 

[Wolfram23]

I have to ask: to military bases carry copies of Hurt Locker for rent??!?!

If yes, then talk about hypocrisy...

 

[Crimsoneer]

It's vaguely ironic that they're offended by a GAME. YOU KILL THE TALIBAN, IN REAL FRIGGIN LIFE. How offensive is the virtual depiction of their job really going to be?