Medal of Honor -Taliban

[shadowjunkie]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/arts/television/02medal.html (crazily overly sympathetic argument for the game)

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15987273?source=rss&nclick_check=1 (not as much)

So .. yeah .. I mean I'm all for the Mosque freedom constitution (real life) thing.. but

Where do we draw the line as gamers?

This is something like a WWII game where the Nazis carry out atrocities against the Jews. (EA atrocities it's in the game!) Only in the 40s. Being that dudes die .. like right now at the hands of these crazy bastards... what's your take and why (let us not flame .. but discover)

[mmajunkie]

It's a game, who cares. The Taliban is real, the Nazis were real. In a game like that someone has to be the bad guy. It's not wrong to depict history in a game.

[Akoz]

I can see your point MMA, but depicting current events in a game is a bit much to me. I'd play it, but I would think about it.

[shadowjunkie]

It's a game' date=' who cares. The Taliban is real, the Nazis were real. In a game like that someone has to be the bad guy. It's not wrong to depict history in a game.[/quote']

That's the thing, I'm a devoted christian and I always tell my wife

"Babe, they're not demon demons .. they're like bad spirit demons .. no no .. not bad spirits .. it's words babe just words .. like 'ohhh you little devil' yes exactly like a devils food cake. Little debbie can't be evil."

But this was deeply offensive to me. Perhaps because I'm going to Afghanistan sometime before October.

SUBQUESTION When can "historical depicitons" go too far?

True crime game where you get to commit the rapes/murders?

That seems just as bad as laying IED's for troops and firing AKs and RPGs.

[abghoul]

Thats a general "freedom of word" issue maybe.

What can you allow yourself to speak about others,

what can you allow others to speak about yourself.

Can there be a moderate restriction at all?

One of the bad fruits of the word freedom is professional abuse.

As in the "medal of honor", abuse of the ugly stuff in afghanistan or anywhere to make some more millions with it.

But the real ugly thing is, EA does not just try things out, they know alot of people actually want to play stuff like that.

If everybody would just get mad about it, they would not release such crap.

Abghoul's special "Medal of Dis-Honor" has been promoted to the customer.

[jibber]

I'd play it. It's just like the Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, and you being the japanese in multiplayer mode. Nothing wrong with it. Let people cry. Let people groan and complain. It's ridiculous.

[Zavero]

Apparently you don't play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2... heh. I personally didn't go to Iraq when I served in the Marine Corps, but my brother served in Iraq and will be going to Afghan in May. He told me that when he first started playing CoD: MW2 that some of the "maps" on multi-player started to give him war flashbacks because they were a spitting image of Iraq.

And he still played it daily.

I think its a matter of personal preference. I don't care what they call the game or what setting they put it in. It is a game and nothing more. Besides, I don't think you (Shadowjunkie) and I are really the targeted audience. It is prob the 13 year olds who have no life, no real idea of what war can do, and have parents who want to shut them up by buying them games.

[f0xx]

That's what religion does to people. I told you it should be forbidden by law.

The other day I watched the news about this religion - Jehovah's Witnesses and how they are against blood transfusions. So this reporter asks a lady of respectable age that is well dressed, "What if one day you need a blood transfusion and if you don't get you would die?"

The lady replies, "Well, that's God's will then."

Now shadowjunkie starts this thread talking about demons and whatever... really mate?

You know, I am a grown up person, and I know better than those religion talks, but if I ever see one of you "believers" even get close to my eventual kids and talk about your "god", then he better really exist, and he better be watching over you at that certain time.

[shadowjunkie]

That's what religion does to people. I told you it should be forbidden by law.

The other day I watched the news about this religion - Jehovah's Witnesses and how they are against blood transfusions. So this reporter asks a lady of respectable age that is well dressed, "What if one day you need a blood transfusion and if you don't get you would die?"

The lady replies, "Well, that's God's will then."

Now shadowjunkie starts this thread talking about demons and whatever... really mate?

You know, I am a grown up person, and I know better than those religion talks, but if I ever see one of you "believers" even get close to my eventual kids and talk about your "god", then he better really exist, and he better be watching over you at that certain time.

Whoa whoa whoa whoa ... whoa ... whoa .. whoa .. whoa .. whoa.................... whoa.

Not cool.

If you can pry yourself away from your hate, there is a discussion going on here, about games.

I'm still working on my turn the other cheek stuff.. still trying to iron out my sins .. so I can't promise if you came looking for trouble you won't find any there fox

seriously though .. so not cool.

[f0xx]

I have no hate for you (religious people). I *personally* love you, as long as you don't try to plant your ideas into the brains of the people I love.

As for the game, it is just a game. The fact that you get insulted by a game speaks enough about you, as a person.

[shadowjunkie]

You're just flaming, because you don't like christians. A spade, as it turns out, is a spade. I've been flamed before, tastes like chicken. So yeah, you can stop hijacking the thread homes.

Nobody brought up whether or not your kids would be eaten by Jehovah's Witnesses... other than you. Fair to say that's off topic.

With regard to what little you did say about games:

I dunno, one might call this thread an example of how something small can be offensive to people. Shoot, all I said is "I'm a christian" and that got you all hot and bothered. So yeah, I think something like a game can be insensitive and therefore offensive.

What about my sub-question? Can a game go too far? What does too far look like?

[Mali]

Yes games can go too far.

No games don't get banned in the USA due to freedom of speech laws.

Yes games can be and have been banned under the laws of other countries.

Yes freedom of speech laws are misunderstood and abused in the USA.

Yes some games are not fun to me because of realism, current events, or hot topics and therefore are no longer a game to me, aka a source of fun.

Yes Foxx is religious.. his religion is atheism, and his faith is very strong.

No religion should not be the issue when it comes to game discussions.

[Nekky]

I think it's a bit foolish that people consider video games to be more able to influence behaviour and sensitivities than other things like books and movies. In Australia there is a debate between gamers and certain 'old school' politicians on whether there should be an "R18+" rating for video games. As it stands right now, if a game is considered inappropriate for a 15+ year old audience, then it will be refused classification until it is changed (watered down). The gamers argue that if movies can receive an 18+ rating and have their sale restricted, why not games?

I believe the view that video games are more offensive/disruptive than movies is grounded in two incorrect assumptions:

1) That games are primarily played by kids. In Australia, at least, the average age of the video gamer is 28 or 29 years of age.

2) That every bad thing that happens in society can be traced back to a finite and easily identifiable cause (video games, movies, Marylin Manson).

The first point is pretty self-explanatory.

Regarding the second, I feel that many western countries (particularly the U.S, not having a dig here) are blame cultures. This means that when something bad happens, there are no shortage of moral wowzers in government who will blame everything from rock music, rap music, video games, pornography and comic books for it.

The Virginia Tech shooting was blamed on everything from video games to gun laws. Marilyn Manson featured as one of the culprits blamed for the Columbine school shooting. When N.W.A released the song 'Cop Killer' they were investigated by the FBI.

I believe that governments blame things like video games for the ills of society because they are a thing that can be easily targeted and regulated. Thus providing a cosmetic appearance of 'something being done about this'. Blaming violent video games or movies for a terrible shooting is a lot easier than admitting to your constituents that sometimes people are just sick, evil or psychopathic and they're going to shoot up a public place no matter how you try to stop them. Admitting that causes fear and unease. Pinning the blame on something that is readily identifiable promotes relief because everyone thinks 'something is being done about this so it will never happen again'.

My opinion on the specific game in question:

If you're offended, don't play it and don't recommend it to friends. If you're not offended, play as much as you want.

End rant.

-N