Medal of Honor won't be released until October, but it's already causing quite the stir in the UK. British Defense Secretary Liam Fox has called for a ban on the game.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Fox said: "It's shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban."
"At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands. I am disgusted and angry. It's hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to buy such a thoroughly un-British game. I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product."
In response, Dr. Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA (the Trade Association representing the video games industry in Europe), today released the following statement regarding the controversy surrounding release of the upcoming game.
"I can certainly understand why some people feel sensitive about this issue. However, we should remember that some games and indeed other forms of entertainment (such as movies and books) are sometimes set in a contemporary war scenario. The crucial point is that this game is 18 rated so should therefore only be played by a mature adult audience able to understand the difference between a computer game and actual events in Afghanistan. Consumers will be the ultimate judge of this game."
EA Games president Frank Gibeau was much more philosophical about the controversy in a recent interview with Develop, but stands by the game: "There's a lot of furore around games that take creative risks – like games that let you play terrorists in airports mowing down civilians," he said in reference to Modern Warfare 2 – published by industry rival Activision."
"At EA we passionately believe games are an artform, and I don't know why films and books set in Afghanistan don't get flack, yet [games] do. Whether it's Red Badge Of Courage or The Hurt Locker, the media of its time can be a platform for the people who wish to tell their stories. Games are becoming that platform."
"Games have been set in Afghanistan before. We anticipated this [controversy] when we decided on the concept of the game – this is about being a special forces solider."
"What's really important for us is that we partnered with the US military, and the Medal of Honor Society as well. We've gone out of our way to produce the best story for the game."
"The fact that it's set in Afghanistan is the context, but the game is about you and your team going through a number of missions and feeling what it was like to be in a soldier's position."
"That's always been a Medal of Honor concept – we put you in the boots of a solider, whether it's in the Pacific, Europe, Afghanistan; it's always been the story of the solider."