Editorial: The Taliban In Medal Of Honor- Wrong?

Medal of Honour is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about games due for release this fall, for better or for worse. Upon its announcement at the Spike Video Game Awards 2010, the revamp of the previously World War 2-centred first person shooter franchise was revealed to take place primarily in the modern day conflict of Afghanistan, featuring both a realistically gritty campaign and multi-player modes setting gamers either side of the battlefield. Critics of video game violence gave a collective, victorious cheer as they realised what this would mean come October 15th: in addition to portraying American soldiers currently fighting for their country, players would get the chance to slaughter "the enemy" as the Taliban. From there, the road for developer Danger Close has been littered with threats of cancellation and refusal of sale from politicians, to the point that just weeks before Medal Of Honour's release, its publisher EA was forced to reveal that the Taliban would not be included in the new instalment, instead being referred to as the "Opposing Force". Coincidence? I think not: various labellings of the title being "disrespectful" and "disgraceful" have quickly launched it to the position that Modern Warfare 2 occupied last year with its Airport level, asking players to slaughter countless innocent Russians. No matter what side of the argument you stand on, however, consider this: above all, video games are meant to provide an experience of exhilaration and wonder, to take players from the real world into realms of fantasy and fiction. In no circumstance would EA be intending to offend Armed Forces marines with Medal of Honour, quite the opposite- they would simply want to pay homage to the danger those same troops are facing, and bring that harsh reality to young adults (the game is 18+, it's parents choice if they let their kids play it), if anything heightening our respect for the US forces. One final thought I want to leave you on: why are Americans becoming so tetchy now at being portrayed in video games and murdered if teens 15 and above have been mindlessly murdering German troops in WW2, perhaps the most terrible conflict of all time?