Fighting talk
Britain's defence secretary Liam Fox has called for a ban on the next instalment of Medal of Honor which is set in Afghanistan, branding the idea ‘disgusting'.
The game has proved controversial ahead of its October release as gamers fighting as the Taliban are reportedly instructed to stop Nato forces ‘at all costs' and receive points according to how many allied soldiers they kill.
Fox told the Press Association: "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. (As opposed to all those other, casualty-free wars? - Ed)
"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."
However, a spokesperson for the game's publishers, Electronics Arts, told Eurogamer that Fox had portrayed elements of the game inaccurately as it "does not allow players to kill British soldiers" and in fact no British troops feature in the game at all.
Interestingly, the government has been quick to defuse the situation, emphasising Fox's comments were his ‘personal view'. The department of Culture, Media and Sport, (DCMS) reportedly said, while it understands why some people might find the game offensive, it also appreciates the game is rated 18 and as such, will only be played by adults.
"There is a clear choice for consumers which they can exercise when making decisions about purchasing video games," it told the website.
