"Ban" Medal Of Honor, Urges UK Government Minister [UPDATE] News

The Defense Secretary, Liam Fox has spoken out about EA's controversial Medal of Honor game, calling it "un-British", "tasteless", and "shocking" while calling on UK retailers to "ban" the game when it comes to market this October.

According to a report on page 3 of yesterday's Sunday Times, Dr. Fox (pictured right) wants retailers to "show their support for the armed forces by banning it," and was quick to espouse his anger at the game for allowing players to take the role of Taliban insurgents during the current War in Afghanistan.

"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," he said.

"I am disgusted and angry," Dr. Fox continued. "It's hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to but such a thoroughly un-British game. I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product."

The offending material in question takes place in the multiplayer component of Medal of Honor, which is being developed by EA DICE and had a closed beta earlier this year. In the beta, gamers were able to play as either US Tier 1 Operators or members of the Taliban in the two team-based multiplayer modes that were on offer ('Team Assault' and 'Mission').

TVG first reported on this controversial issue when it was bought up on the Fox network's 'Fox & Friends' show on US television just over a week ago. An EA spokesperson from the US commented at the time, saying:

"Medal of Honor is set in today's War, putting players in the boots of today's soldier . . . We give gamers the opportunity to play both sides. Most of us have been doing this since we were seven. If someone's the cop, someone's got to be the robber, someone's got to be the pirate and someone's got to be the alien. In Medal of Honor multiplayer, someone's got to be the Taliban."

Update:

The government Department for Culture, Media and Sport has now issued a statement on Dr. Fox's comments and how they relate to the 18 rating that has already been issued to Medal of Honor by UK ratings board, the BBFC.

"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."

Thanks, Eurogamer.

Update 2:

We've now received an e-mail from EA's UK office with the following comment attributed to an EA spokesperson:

"Medal of Honor is a highly authentic depiction of the soldier's experience in Afghanistan - matching US forces against the Taliban in today's war.

"Multi-player combat is a long-standing, common and popular feature of videogames. In multi-player, teams assume the identities of combatants on both sides of the conflict. Many popular videogames allow players to assume the identity of enemies including Nazis and terrorists. In the multi-player levels of Medal of Honor, teams will assume the identity of both US forces and the Taliban.

"The Sunday Times story on Medal of Honor contains inaccuracies. For one, Medal of Honor does not allow players to kill British soldiers. British troops do not feature in the game."