UK Defense Secretary Calls for Medal of Honor Ban

[Phototoxin]

What about Nazis in CoD?

Anti-jew now is it? "At the hands of the Nazi, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands"....?

Heck as an Irishman who's country was oppressed by the British empire for over 600 years maybe I take offence to anyone playing a game where you are a british soldier in a foreign land.. In fact perhaps all games where you can be a british soldier should be banned as they just invade and oppress... I could easily say about my countrymen: "At the hands of the British, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands" - though of course they could say the same about the Irish...

We even have songs about it... lets look at one shall we? I don't even think we have anti taliban songs yet....

chorus
Go on home British Soldiers Go on home
Have you got no f---ing homes of your own
For 800 years we've fought you without fear
And we will fight you for 800 more

If you stay British Soldiers If you stay
You'll never ever beat the IRA
For the 14 men in Derry
Are the last that you will bury
So take a tip And leave us bloody be

We're not British, we're not Saxon we're not English
We're Irish and proud we are to be
So f--- your Union Jack We want our country back
We want to see old Ireland free once more

We'll fight them British Soldiers for the cause
We'll never bow to Soldiers because
Throughout our history We were born to be free
So get out British b-------s leave us be

So I think its highly hypocritical for them to call for a ban on this when there is no ban on games where you can be nazis or viet kong or iraqis.... its total typical noob kneejerk reaction..

 

[Xyliss]

Oh wow this is stupid...

Screw you government... you don't have any idea what's going on.

I'd argue that the Minister of Defence has more of an idea about what's going on in Afghanistan, and the effect that's having on British soldiers and their families than EA, an foreign games publisher, does.

EA is American...

That's still foreign. But I see your point. However, EA is a games publisher and it's highly unlikely they know the full details of what's going on out there.

 

[Ldude893]

Oh here we go with this stuff again. I suppose we should ban games which allow players to take control of Nazis or Communists while we're at it.

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

If they had renamed the Taliban in MOH, I bet this wouldnt be a big deal.

What about Nazis in CoD?

You dont play as the nazis. You play as the German Army, BIG diffenece.

 

[Flight]

Wow. "Un-British?" Really? What a bloody idiot that guy is. I'm not a fan of Medal of Honor, but I don't believe in banning things, even if I were to disagree with them (and I don't, in this case).

 

[Woodsey]

Oh wow this is stupid...

Screw you government... you don't have any idea what's going on.

I'd argue that the Minister of Defence has more of an idea about what's going on in Afghanistan, and the effect that's having on British soldiers and their families than EA, an foreign games publisher, does.

EA is American...

That's still foreign. [I know] But I see your point. However, EA is a games publisher and it's highly unlikely they know the full details of what's going on out there.

Well considering they've got those Tier 1 operatives working on the game with them, I'd say they know a fair amount. Just as much - if not more - than the people with family members out there who're calling for it to be banned.

 

[ninja51]

I guess every thing called Fox is retarded, except for Lucious Fox in batman

 

[FallenRainbows]

I agree with him despite being from the US.

I do not think creating a game where you can play as the enemy in a current ongoing war is a good idea, especially if the portrayal is remotely sympathetic. Right or wrong, war is a time when you demonize the enemy to make him easier to fight.

I struggled to read past this point because it literally started making me somewhat angry, which is a shameful reaction to an internet comment, I'll agree.... but for fuck's sake...

People are just... well stupid. Don't argue against the war, just go with it and support it's immorality. *sigh*

Anyway, A bazillion people have said what I would in support of the game. I mean it' snot like a 9/11 sim now is it? It's not even the campaign damnit. It's the multi player where it's player on player. If it was say a story mode where you suicide bomb a bunch of civilians get in a fire fight with NATO troops and execute a few guys. Fair enough, well don't ban it but yeah get pissy at it at least you have a reason.

 

[Phototoxin]

As I understand it, it would be illegal for the UK government to try to ban Medal of Honor itself...

You imply in the UK we actually have the right to Freedom of Speech in any way protected under law.

LOL!

The English Parliament has ABSOLUTE POWER! We have no written constitution, they can enact ANY law that gets enough votes, also repeal any law.

Certainly they can ban any entertainment product they like.

More simply the BBFC merely has to REFUSE TO GIVE IT A RATING and it becomes illegal to sell the game in the UK. Yes, it's illegal to sell any game, video or show any film reel that has not been approved and rated by government censorship board. And they only approve THEIR censored cut.

This happened with Austin Powers, all reference to the comical Irish terrorist were removed to get any rating at all.

Actually the right to free expression is covered by the Human Rights Act of 1998, and despite your assertion, the BBFC is not a government agency.

*FACEPALM*

If a law contradicts the Human Rights Act... then the most recent law over-rules the last. It is no bill of rights, it's a weak law that is violated every week anyway.

It is also utterly irrelevant that the BBFC is not part of the government. ONLY PUBLICATIONS WITH THEIR APPROVAL CAN BE SOLD!

This just means free expression is under attack from all sides:
-Parliament who can ban literally ANYTHING they like, films and games being easy ones, far easier to simply mandate that they not be sold. Well all know what it's like when you get a load of old people to vote on what the tabloids rail against... it's like 10 Wolves and a Lamb voting on what to eat for dinner!

-The British film council, a self appointed clique saying what the public should or should not have ready access to... by refusing classification. It's fully within their powers to make some political stance and simply refuse to give a rating, legally nothing can stop them.

That is the utter insidiousness of the law, they can say "this isn't for ANYONE!". Where is the freedom of speech in that? Whether a powerful government or NGO, freedom of speech is a privilege to be gained only with permission... not a right.

Well the UK is rapidly turning into a police state anyway... you have few civil liberties there compared to Rep of Ireland for example. Take a photo of buckingham palace on holidays... sorry that 'is or may be useful to persons or orginisations planning a terrorist attack' basically... what else... don't give all your details on a register £1000 fine... edit: no right to privacy... your home is not your castle... you cannot defend your home... basically lots of fail. Ireland > fail due to worse government (but too inept to be sinister you see...)

 

[WrongSprite]

Shut up Tory boy. It's a fucking game, noticed how GTA lets you be a mindless, killing criminal? That hasn't been banned yet.

 

[-Samurai-]

When will the people that run this planet learn that there are more important things to worry about than video games?

Oh, wait. Never.

 

[juliett_lima]

"At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands,"

is easily switched to:

"At the hands of the Coalition Forces, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands,"

disappointed in this statement. expected better.

 

[Jared]

...This is stupid, and rediculous. We have been killing people in middle east long enough without the name attached...its just the same, but now they are named...oh, god no -.-

 

[mxfox408]

As I understand it, it would be illegal for the UK government to try to ban Medal of Honor itself...

You imply in the UK we actually have the right to Freedom of Speech in any way protected under law.

LOL!

The English Parliament has ABSOLUTE POWER! We have no written constitution, they can enact ANY law that gets enough votes, also repeal any law.

Certainly they can ban any entertainment product they like.

More simply the BBFC merely has to REFUSE TO GIVE IT A RATING and it becomes illegal to sell the game in the UK. Yes, it's illegal to sell any game, video or show any film reel that has not been approved and rated by government censorship board. And they only approve THEIR censored cut.

This happened with Austin Powers, all reference to the comical Irish terrorist were removed to get any rating at all.

Actually the right to free expression is covered by the Human Rights Act of 1998, and despite your assertion, the BBFC is not a government agency.

*FACEPALM*

If a law contradicts the Human Rights Act... then the most recent law over-rules the last. It is no bill of rights, it's a weak law that is violated every week anyway.

It is also utterly irrelevant that the BBFC is not part of the government. ONLY PUBLICATIONS WITH THEIR APPROVAL CAN BE SOLD!

This just means free expression is under attack from all sides:
-Parliament who can ban literally ANYTHING they like, films and games being easy ones, far easier to simply mandate that they not be sold. Well all know what it's like when you get a load of old people to vote on what the tabloids rail against... it's like 10 Wolves and a Lamb voting on what to eat for dinner!

-The British film council, a self appointed clique saying what the public should or should not have ready access to... by refusing classification. It's fully within their powers to make some political stance and simply refuse to give a rating, legally nothing can stop them.

That is the utter insidiousness of the law, they can say "this isn't for ANYONE!". Where is the freedom of speech in that? Whether a powerful government or NGO, freedom of speech is a privilege to be gained only with permission... not a right.

Well the UK is rapidly turning into a police state anyway... you have few civil liberties there compared to Rep of Ireland for example. Take a photo of buckingham palace on holidays... sorry that 'is or may be useful to persons or orginisations planning a terrorist attack' basically... what else... don't give all your details on a register £1000 fine... edit: no right to privacy... your home is not your castle... you cannot defend your home... basically lots of fail. Ireland > fail due to worse government (but too inept to be sinister you see...)

The constitution was written to be very simular to the magna carta and the united states is falling in the same direction as the uk, slowly people are loosing freedoms because you can be sued for looking at someone wrong(exageration) anyhow i believe everyone has a right to feel how they want and express how they to think otherwise then i suggest you move to a country that you have no such freedoms china for example.

 

[Haukur Isleifsson]

"At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands,"

I don't even have to say anything do I. Just read it and weep at the hypocrisy .

 

[stabnex]

Who here didn't see this coming?

 

[DaggerOfCompassion]

That's like saying that Soda should be banned because at some point people have been killed by Vending Machines. Hell, why not ban people, they kill tons of stuff.

 

[Phototoxin]

The constitution was written to be very simular to the magna carta and the united states is falling in the same direction as the uk, slowly people are loosing freedoms because you can be sued for looking at someone wrong(exageration) anyhow i believe everyone has a right to feel how they want and express how they to think otherwise then i suggest you move to a country that you have no such freedoms china for example.

Fail.. the UK does not have a written constitution.. Ireland has the old Bunreacht na hÉireann at least...

 

[ejb626]

Don't you play as the Taliban, or something similar in multiplayer matches in COD4 and MW2?

Why weren't those games called to be banned? Well 2 was, but that was because of the airport thing.

Because they used fictional terrorist groups, and there not the only ones pretty much every game set in modern times and dealing with terrorists has to make up a fictional group thats exactly like the Taliban. Apparently as long as you play as fictional terrorist groups its fine but as soon as there's a real one everyone gets upset.

The Russians? The Spetsnaz? That sounds pretty real to me.

Yeah but there isn't currently a war going on against the Russians its because it depicts a conflict that's currently going on. I've never understood why those are off-limits for games but that seems to be some unwritten rule.