Electronic Arts' upcoming shooter “Medal of Honor” has started taking flak because pundits and politicians are upset that gamers can play as the Taliban.
The whole “play as the Taliban” thing is essentially the digital equivalent of the same kind of “cops and robbers” or “cowboys and Indians” kids have been playing since the dawn of time, or at least since the dawn of cowboys.
It doesn't paint the Taliban in a sympathetic light, or require you to detonate a bomb in a crowded marketplace full of American civilians.
Given that past games have had players taking on the roles of Nazis and Stalinists, it's hard to see what the big deal is.
In a widely quoted response statement, EA's Amanda Taggart spoke for most gamers when she said, “Most of us having been doing this since we were 7 — if someone's the cop, someone's gotta be the robber, someone's gotta be the pirate and someone's gotta be the alien.”
Medal of Honor” isn't “Six Days in Fallujah,” whose developers courted controversy a couple years ago by boasting that their quest for authenticity led them to consult with Iraqi insurgents while developing their game.
(Nice PR)
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