U.S. Military Bans Medal of Honor From On-Base Stores

[flipsalty]

I bet the Taliban pull the same stunt in Gamestop stores in their military bases,or caves, or whatever.

This put a smile on my face.

And to everyone up in arms, settle down, the US military is only restricting the sale of the game on their bases. Like the article said those stationed in the US can simply drive to the mall. And for those in the Middle East they can receive it in a care package if they need it so desperately. They're not banned from playing the game.

 

[neoman10]

What the hell is with people these days? This is a MILITARY base, they can choose to ban a game which has the actually enemy they are fighting rather than a cheap knockoff. AAFES has allowed me to get may great, tax-free games in the past, but I think it would be better if I ordered this one off the internet

 

[Lt. Vinciti]

You put these men and women in these shit hole countries to fight for a country that hardly cares for you or this terribad war and you cant give them some god damn entertainment?

NICE TO KNOW THAT FREEDOM OF SPEECH DOESNT WORK ON AN ARMY BASE

Also, how terrible they are only stuck with Gamestop...thats worse then any war...

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Maybe the governments don't want people seeing the war through the enemies' eyes, because you know that might make them seem human and less like malevolent tan people.

But, you don't see it through their eyes. It's multiplayer, it's literally the same thing, but with AK-47s instead of M16s. I don't think that would make anyone more sympathetic.

 

[Woodsey]

Maybe the governments don't want people seeing the war through the enemies' eyes, because you know that might make them seem human and less like malevolent tan people.

Only that's the point: it's just a character skin. You don't do anything Taliban-y.

Its funny, some people who oppose video games say that players won't be able to tell reality from fantasy, yet the only people who seem to be equating playing as the Taliban with actually attacking real life coalition troops are the people who condemn the games.

I've always thought the same thing to. Ignoring the fact that there are so many gamers that it's a matter of probability that a least a few are going to be psychopaths, the only people that can't seem to tell the difference are the people that denounce them.

Even in small children, they know the difference. If you gave a 5-year-old GTA or CoD (not that I'm condoning this), they'll still know it's a game.

 

[Andy Chalk]

I'm obviously not going to support any kind of ban against any kind of game, but I support this move. Soldiers who want the game can still get it; soldiers who don't want to put up with that kind of shit while they're doing their shopping during downtime in Afghanistan shouldn't have to.

And bear in mind, kids, that this is the military we're talking about. They're not like us. Military life doesn't play by our rules.

As far as the game's potential to "humanize" the Taliban, I'm not sure I'm interested in according that level of respect to any group that believes the proper way to deal with women who want a rudimentary education is to throw acid in their faces or cut off their noses and ears.

 

[Delock]

Are you telling me that there are Gamestop stores on Military bases? The fuck?

If there are, I haven't seen them. I've seen exchanges, a Blockbuster, commissaries, a Target, and a few other stores, but not a Gamestop (Note: I've only been to 4 bases that I can remember though).

 

[Chicago Ted]

Man, I bet Activision were wishing they had gotten this much free press for MW2.

 

[Forgetitnow344]

Are you telling me that there are Gamestop stores on Military bases? The fuck?

A lot of Military Bases are small towns. I live in Oceanside, not three miles from Pendleton. It's a developing community with ever-changing stores and shit.

OT: Are people REALLY getting upset over this? It'd be one thing if the Military was trying to ban the game throughout the country, but this is just for its own sake. There probably are plenty of soldiers who do take high offense at the idea of this game offering you to play as and against an active non-fictional enemy. This is more-so a statement that the Military cares about its boys enough to not let someone traumatize them even further. Besides, it's not like you can't take a few extra minutes to hit an off-base GameStop and just get a copy there.

 

[wooty]

Are you telling me that there are Gamestop stores on Military bases? The fuck?

Possibly, my mate says that Camp Bastion in Afghan has a sort of mobile Pizza Hut and a Blockbuster.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

This is a controversy that should never have existed in the first place. Last time I checked, plenty of american soldiers died every time I booted up Modern Warfare for a multiplayer match and they are quite often shot by arab looking guys in places that bears an eerie resemblance to Iraq. But hey, since they are just "OpFor" I guess most people are to stupid to realize that these could be *gasp* iraqi insurgents! (That last part was sarcasm)

If any serviceman or woman in the ISAF or the American contigent in Afghanistan has a problem with the games portrayal of the war in Afghanistan, I respect that. However, these people who have not been deployed to Afghanistan (from whichever nation they may be) are really making a hen out of a feather. Especially since it is the multiplayer part they are up in arms against.

 

[Towels]

This isn't that big of a deal. They are just keeping it from being sold on their bases. It sounds reasonable to me.

They could be a more strict about this and completely prevent soldiers and airmen from playing this game in their barracks. Or, a more shortsighted base commander could perhaps ban video games on bases altogether. And I rather it not come to that, but they are completely entitled to make such dictations. Ever worked for a company that banned music in the workplace just because the boss didn't like what you were playing?

 

[DarthLurtz]

I'm pretty sure the reason here is that Modern Warfare and similar games take place in an alternate reality of some sort, with different terrorists and whatnot.

These guys are actually being fought right now, and that's enough of a difference.

 

[jamesworkshop]

I bet the Taliban pull the same stunt in Gamestop stores in their military bases,or caves, or whatever.

Hope not, It would be much better if coalition forces and the Taliban settled the conflict over the games online multiplayer.

 

[notsosavagemessiah]

it's got nothing to do with the army wanting to tell anybody what to do. The army isn't saying, "you can't have this" they're saying "we won't sell this". There's a big difference there. The army feels it has a moral obligation to not support anything that features something so very strikingly real and painful for so many men and women in uniform (or their families). It's not about control, but about respect, for the dead, and for those who are about to see combat, against the VERY real taliban.

You say, "well, didn't mw2 do the same thing", and i'll say to you that neither game in the series hit this close to home. They used fictional organizations, and fictional characters. The taliban is real, the murder, rape, and mutilation they've carried out is real, and the military said that they don't want something that allows players to step into the shoes of an organization that has DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE LOSS OF U.S., ALLIED AND AFGHAN LIVES. They see it as a slap in the face.

 

[RebelRising]

They do this to honour the soldiers who died defending freedom and the freedom of speech.

Oh, the irony.

Remember people, every military in the history of mankind, is essentially a dictatorship. Just because they carry out the orders of a democracy does not mean that the military itself is a democratic model. Their priorities are cooperation, efficiency, precision, obedience, and optimal results.

Maintaining a strict discipline and a sticking to a centralized ladder of command is what matters to them.

In short: The game doesn't matter, the same rules that apply to us don't apply to them.

 

[The Cheezy One]

Army & Air Force Exchange Service [http://www.aafes.com/default_s.aspx] Commander Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella

a commander major in charge of shopping?
man, i bet at parties he says "im a commander major" and ceases to explain past that
OT: i dont know where to stand on this. on one side, it IS just a game, but on the other side, i think it is still fairly insensitive.