The makers of video-game Medal of Honor have hit back following an attack from Defence Secretary Liam Fox.
Dr Fox had called for retailers not to stock the game, describing it in an interview for The Sunday Times as ‘un-British’ after hearing reports that it allows players to kill British troops while playing as Taliban soldiers.
Medal of Honor is the latest in a long-running series of games, but is the first to be set during the current war in Afghanistan. In previous instalments players assumed the roles of Allied soldiers during the Second World War.
‘It’s shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban,’ said Dr Fox. ‘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.’
Electronic Arts, the makers of the game, have defended the game against ‘inaccuracies’ in the reports.
‘For one, Medal of Honor does not allow players to kill British soldiers,’ said a spokesperson for the company. ‘British troops do not feature in the game. Medal of Honor is an 18-rated highly authentic depiction of the soldier’s experience in Afghanistan – matching US forces against the Taliban.’
‘Multi-player is a long-standing, common and popular feature of video-games. In multi-player, teams assume the identities of combatants on both sides of the conflict. Many popular video-games allow players to assume the identities of enemies including Nazis and terrorists. In the multi-player levels of Medal of Honor, teams will assume the identity of both the US forces and the Taliban.’
The head of Electronic Arts, Frank Gibeau, has expressed disappointment at some of the media’s response to the game: ‘At EA we passionately believe games are an art-form, and I do not know why films and books set in Afghanistan don’t get flack, yet [games] do.’
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have stressed that Dr Fox’s remarks are a ‘personal view,’ and that ‘the game in question is rated 18 so should only be sold to, and played by, adults.’
A spokesperson for Dr Fox has said that he ‘stood by’ his comments, though it is not expected that retailers will follow his advice, as Medal of Honor is one of the most highly-anticipated video-game releases of the autumn.
Last year a similar game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, was criticised by MP Keith Vaz for putting players into the role of an undercover soldier for a scene in which “terrorists” demand that gamers shoot “civilians”.
Despite the condemnation, the title went on to be the best-selling game of the year.
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