Critics outraged that EA's new game lets players kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan

Mercury News ^ | 08/24/2010 07:07:00 PM PDT | Patrick May

[Pan_Yan]

By allowing players to assume the role of Taliban fighters killing U.S. troops, Redwood City-based Electronic Arts may have crossed the line with its latest first-person shooter game, a line that Mountain View resident Karen Meredith says was drawn with the blood of soldiers like her only son.

"I don't see how shooting soldiers based on real Americans is entertainment while people are dying every day for this country,'' said Meredith, whose son, Army Lt. Ken Ballard, was killed in Iraq in 2004. "How can they say it's OK for someone to play the Taliban? You'll have people sitting at home, drinking beer, shooting at American soldiers, maybe missing, then starting over. Well, Ken didn't have a chance to start over.''

With the Oct. 12 release of "Medal of Honor" already generating blog buzz and pre-order waiting lists, EA is banking on the game's powerful narrative, realistic effects and multiplayer features to help the company regain some of the niche heft it once enjoyed.

With an Afghanistan backdrop and the option to play good guy or bad, gamers like Fernando Angeles can't wait to get their hands on the game. "It's fun killing people,'' said the itchy-fingered 13-year-old standing outside a San Jose GameStop store. "I get to roam around and feel like soldiers feel. I've played the bad guys before, but this will be even better because it's based on the real thing. You don't want to hurt other Americans, but you've got to win the game.

"Besides,'' the teenager said, "it's just a game. You're not really hurting anyone.''

Ballard's mother would disagree.

[TigersEye]

"Besides,'' the teenager said, "it's just a game. You're not really hurting anyone.''

Well, you're not anyone to me so I could say the same to you after beating you to a bloody pulp, kid.

[An American in Turkiye]

KFL.

[wvdmc]

I think you can just play as Taliban in the multiplayer versus modes, i.e. 8 people play as US, 8 people play as Taliban and you fight each other. The Call of Duty games already have this, and it’s no different than playing cops and robbers as kids.

[J Edgar]

EA is mounting a direct assault on American psychic!

This calls for direct action in the form of boycott, and certainly legal challenge, as well as civil suits for emotional damage by hero’s families!

[wvdmc]

No, listen to me, it’s just for multiplayer versus. One team is US, one team is Taliban, and they fight. You guys are over reacting to something you don’t even know anything about.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I abhor today’s video games. Give me Street Fighter II or Gauntlet any day.

[MrEdd]

By allowing players to assume the role of Taliban fighters killing U.S. troops, Redwood City-based Electronic Arts may have crossed the line with its latest first-person shooter game

A line that was scuffed off the dirt when it was crossed at least as far back as 1997. But then idiot girbilists haven't done actual fact checking since before Walter Duranty.

[jimbo123]

Contact Us
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Email: ir@ea.com

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[wvdmc]

You guys are idiots. Listen! In the game, you play as AMERICANS and you KILL THE TALIBAN! But when you and your buddies want to fight each other in the game, you need separate teams, so one team is the US and one team is the Taliban.

[dfwgator]

And *Gasp* some kids actually played the Indians when we played “Cowboys and Indians” as kids.

[J Edgar]

Ok maybe, but personally I think that families of hero warriors should be considered.

[battousai]

said the itchy-fingered 13-year-old standing outside a San Jose GameStop store.

First of all where are this kids parents, pretty sure the new MoH will get an M rating which means 17+, why is the store selling it to him.

Next up it would be a pretty darn boring game if there was no one playing the bad guys. Most of these games are geared towards multiplayer, so sorry but somebody has to be the bad guys. Unless they do what America's Army does and make both sides the good guys where they see the opposition as bad guys (but that still means someone is playing as the bad guys - if its ok for the US military seems ok with me). People need to know what to get outraged at and what not to.

So should we be outraged that all the older Call of Duty games allowed you to play *gasp* NAZIS oh noes the huge manitee...

Whats next ban red flag exercises cause some of the pilots have to pretend to be russians?

As the brat said its a game, go spend your efforts on dethroning King bambi, work for your local conservative and get them elected. Forget about the games, people know its not real.

[februus]

Why in God’s Name do any Americans even bother to get up in the morning and put on clothes. Each new day is like being a baseball fan and finding out that Joe DiMaggio took bribes, threw games, was queer. Do people still live and breath or did we all die in the apocalypse an eternity ago and just been lying in our graves ever since going more and more mad, more and more insane and with no end to it.

EA can go to hell.

[Truthsearcher]

It’s like kids playing cops/robbers or cowboys/indians, somebody has to play the bad guys.

[Pan_Yan]

You guys are idiots. Listen!

I played Cowboys and Indians. I understand the concept. I understand what a multiplayer game is. I also understand that this is not pretending to be in the old west or WWII. Our soldiers are at war right now, the war portrayed in this game, even if our country continues to pretend they aren't. They are in bad places being shot at by bad people. I think you could forgo a little entertainment out of respect for them.

[bassboy]

“You guys are over reacting to something you don’t even know anything about.”

Not on Free Republic? I’m shocked!

[airborne]

Thanks for the links. I just posted the contact info on my Facebook page.

Now to write the company a little “comment” of my own!

[dfwgator]

I would never play such a game, nor would I allow my kids, all I’m saying is that we have much bigger fish to fry.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of our soldiers over there aren’t playing the same game.

[TigersEye]

...it’s no different than playing cops and robbers as kids.

You are unbelievably stupid if you think that.