MoH Devs cite Ignorance for Taliban Controversy

Electronic Arts' hotly anticipated war base FPS seems no stranger to controversy with the recent outrage attributed to the multiplayer mode, where gamers can play as Taliban against the U.S. Military.

The developers also claimed that the recent renaming of the Taliban to 'Opposing Forces' in the game after the controversy isn't related to the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) ban, which ceases the sale of Medal of Honor in stores on military bases. Craig Owens, marketing director at Danger Close Games, added, "Really the big thing was playing as a Taliban killing US troops. So we basically just changed it to 'Opfor' - which is a term they [the US Armed Forces] use, some of our competitors use - more out of respect." MoH's purportedly unrelated removal of the Taliban mention, however, hasn't affected the AAFES ban, which still stands.

The developer Danger Close Games believes the entire issue was "taken out of context by an older generation that doesn't understand games", which, I personally believe, is just the case here. It's ironic how things piggyback on status quo, despite the expose on real U.S. soldiers being slaughtered at the hands of Taliban funded by U.S. dollars routed through Pakistan. Then again, it's always an easier option to revert to the gaming community as everyone's favourite whipping boy.