Electronic Arts Censors Medal of Honor

[Aleenik]

http://kotaku.com/5653024/electroni...-taliban-from-medal-of-honor?skyline=true&s=i

Electronic Arts: Censorship, it's what we do. This seems to be the case with Medal of Honor at least. I am HIGHLY dissapointed that Electronic Arts gave in. Sure the game will be the same, just the name Taliban as a team name got changed to opposing force, but to me and others I would assume... it's the point of it all. Why must we censor a video game? Why do people get so upset over a video game? Why the HECK are we censoring video games? Censorship is something I might expect from companies in countries like China, Iran, and North Korea. Electronic Arts, what the heck are you thinking?

Electronic Arts made a huge EPIC FAIL imho by caving into pressure from people who are upset over Medal of Honor for stupid reasons. The end result= Medal of Honor is now a censored game.

One of the reasons I was thinking about buying this game was because they weren't giving into the pressure and also I wanted to just rub it in the faces of the people who want video games to be censored. Now though, I am less likely to buy the game. Yes, I am less likely to buy the game because there is no playable Taliban in multiplayer... because I hate video game censorship.

What do you guys think about this?

 

[Camikaze]

You said it yourself, they gave into their customers. That's a sensible business decision. EA would've decided that the number of people who wouldn't buy game unless the name was changed is greater that the number of people such as yourself who wouldn't buy the game due to what you call 'censorship'.

 

[GoodGame]

I read an article about the criticism coming from military exchanges that serve the military; I recall a NYtimes article that basically quoted a soldier saying that he lost about 6 friends to Taliban so he found it crass to want to play the Taliban as "fun". Personally, I have mixed feelings about it, but I think EA made a relatively calculated decision that is better than having a commercial Epic Fail rather than an expensive Freedom of Speech demonstration. Really this is a better compromise than say a drug company compromising public safety for profitability.

If you don't like it, go play the Insurrection mod for HL2.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/magazine/12military-t.html?pagewanted=all

 

[Aleenik]

You said it yourself, they gave into their customers. That's a sensible business decision. EA would've decided that the number of people who wouldn't buy game unless the name was changed is greater that the number of people such as yourself who wouldn't buy the game due to what you call 'censorship'.

I never said they gave in to their customers. Most video gamers I have talked to about the issue were fine with the Taliban being playable. A lot of the upset people I wager don't even play video games much, if at all. Just a guess though.

And yes I call it censorship because that's exactly what it is. It's not just the name, it's the idea behind why they changed it.

However there is the possibility more people will buy the game now, I suppose.

 

[civver_764]

We wouldn't want them endangering the lives of troops or anything.

 

[warpus]

Good move! Next they should remove Nazis from all the WW2 games.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Errr, censorship I thought was when the government forced it, not customers. Unless Im stupid and missed something there...? All I saw was that the military removed it from their bases and the military critizied it but the government didn't pass anything that made them change it.

 

[Leonel]

Good move! Next they should remove Nazis from all the WW2 games.

They are called Opposition Forces now.

 

[Camikaze]

I never said they gave in to their customers.

Electronic Arts made a huge EPIC FAIL imho by caving into pressure from people who are upset over Medal of Honor for stupid reasons.

That's what I inferred from this.

Most video gamers I have talked to about the issue were fine with the Taliban being playable. A lot of the upset people I wager don't even play video games much, if at all. Just a guess though.

If they aren't video gamers themselves, then they are people who would have an impact on video gamers; people whose displeasure would impact on sales.

And yes I call it censorship because that's exactly what it is. It's not just the name, it's the idea behind why they changed it.

It's not censorship by EA (I assume that's what you are targeting). They have every right to do whatever they like to their product. They aren't evil for doing something beneficial for business. Of course, you have every right to use your dollars (or not use them, as the case may be) to discourage them from acting upon that same principle in future, but it isn't really censorship that you will be railing against. It is a business decision.

However there is the possibility more people will buy the game now, I suppose.

Well that's the only reason they would do it.

 

[.Shane.]

Um... who cares its just a video game?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Indeed.

I've been boycotting EA ever since FIFA 95 was much worse than FIFA soccer

 

[shadowplay]

I remember back in the day Microsoft made Ensemble Studios remove the hats from the Janissary's in Age of Empires II: Age of Kings because somebody at MS thought they looked like Klansmen.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Even the semi-official US Army video game. America's Army. allowed you to play the "bad guys". I guess they don't respect the feelings of those who get pissed off about such nonsense.

 

[.Shane.]

Good move! Next they should remove Nazis from all the WW2 games.

Actually, most/all WWII games do remove nazi paraphenalia. Largely because they'd like to sell the games in Germany, which forbids such things.

 

[Whiskey_Lord]

I remember back in the day Microsoft made Ensemble Studios remove the hats from the Janissary's in Age of Empires II: Age of Kings because somebody at MS thought they looked like Klansmen.

Wait, THAT'S why they did it? Okay, there's sensitivity, there's political correctness, and then there's just downright insanity. The white hats and coats were how Janissaries actually dressed. Who could be so neurotic as to find them offensive? Refugees from Constantinople? Grow up, America.

 

[Aleenik]

Indeed.

I've been boycotting EA ever since FIFA 95 was much worse than FIFA soccer

I don't plan to boycott EA. Medal of Honor though... I wasn't that interested in possibly buying it. I already have Battlefield Bad Company 2 though. If I do end up getting Medal of Honor, it sure won't be at full price... not because of this issue though.

 

[SG-17]

You said it yourself, they gave into their customers. That's a sensible business decision. EA would've decided that the number of people who wouldn't buy game unless the name was changed is greater that the number of people such as yourself who wouldn't buy the game due to what you call 'censorship'.

No, they censored the game to appeal to a superminority of people that most likely wouldn't have bought the game to begin with and don't even own a console.

Actually, most/all WWII games do remove nazi paraphenalia. Largely because they'd like to sell the games in Germany, which forbids such things.

Most WWII games are localized, meaning they are only censored in Germany to appeal to the war guilt their government has.

 

[Camikaze]

No, they censored the game to appeal to a superminority of people that most likely wouldn't have bought the game to begin with and don't even own a console.

Why would they do that? What possible reason would they have? Businesses don't care about sensitive minorities unless they think their sales (or more to their point, their profits) will be affected.

 

[MjM]

No, they censored the game to appeal to a superminority of people that most likely wouldn't have bought the game to begin with and don't even own a console.

But that superminority (which isn't too small) surely has kids, sometimes mutliple kids per one opposing adult. And with the game being rated M, those parents wouldn't buy the game unless this was changed.
Or at least I think that's EA's reasoning.

 

[SG-17]

Good parents wouldn't buy their kids M rated games to begin with.


Is an argument that can be used to embarrass them.