August 24, 2010 by Jenny Sanderson
Following the intervention of the Defence Secretary in to a new video game, Liam Fox has been forced to defend his comments about the game. Medal of Honour is a new game which is due for release, and has caused an outcry because of the content.
The game enables people to adopt characters playing the Taliban in the Afghan war. Liam Fox issued a statement to say that he was disgusted by the concept. Published by Electronic Arts, the game is creating a huge outcry amongst British players and those opposed to its release. According to the publisher, however, the Defence Secretary has misunderstood the nature of the game, and is attacking its principles unfairly.
A spokesperson for the Defence Secretary commented: “The point remains that part of this game allows you to play the part of the Taliban attacking ISAF troops in the area of central Helmand where British troops are operating. It is shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban against British soldiers. At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands. 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.”
However, Electronic Arts have commented to state that the game does not enable players to ‘kill’ British soldiers and no British troops actually feature within the storyline or characters of the game.
The government have stepped back from the row, commenting: “Dr Fox was expressing a personal view and we understand why some people might find the subject matter of the game offensive. There is a ratings system in place which exists to categorise games appropriately. In this case, the game in question is rated 18 so should only be sold to, and played by, adults. There is a clear choice for consumers which they can exercise when making decisions about purchasing video games.”
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