Stars and Stripes, the foremost independent publication covering the United States military, examined the Army and Air Forceās recent decision to forbid Medal of Honor from being sold in their exchanges. One enlisted man blasted the decision as shortsighted.
Marine Cpl. Aaron Hostutler, described as an āavid gamerā is the only service member quoted in the article. Medal of Honor, of course, was banned from base exchanges and later changed the name of Afghan fighters in its multiplayer mode to Opposing Force, or āOPFORā after outcry over the fact the Taliban were playable and could kill U.S. troops. That change saved the Armyās endorsement of the game ā noted in its television marketing ā but wasnāt enough to put it back on PX shelves.
Hostutler added he believed the decision to ban the gameās sale was made by āa commander who doesnāt play video games and hasnāt caught up with the times yet.ā
Medal of Honor, coming Tuesday from Electronic Arts, was made with the support of the Army, which granted developers access to soldiers, weapons, locations and vehicles to ensure its authenticity. Evidently they were unaware of the multiplayer mode, in which U.S. forces battled Taliban fighters, both controlled by users.
AAFES Shelves Lined With Plenty Of Violent Entertainment [Stars & Stripes via Game Politics]
