BBC's 'The Big Questions' tackles Modern Warfare 2

it was purposefully offensive to create controversy to sell games. it was in poor taste, again, on purpose for media bait. it touts "realistic combat" which is not comparable to GTA's over the top play on modern american culture. mass effect had the scenes they did for the storyline and were actually surprised by the media's reaction, this is PURPOSEFULLY baiting the media and making the games industry and gamers look like violent sociopaths who can't wait to get conscripted into the US military so we can satisfy our bloodlust.

i'm all for freedom and in every other issue I have stood up for the gamemaker, but not this one. they went too far, they knew they were doing it, and it wasn't necessary. they were going to sell a crapload of games anyway, this just hurt everyone.

p.s. your sarcasm ability sucks.

"Modern Warfare 3 with major battles between adorable stuffed pandas and adorable stuffed kodiaks, and when they get shot (with hearts) they explode candy? Where do we sign up?!"

I ... would actually buy that.

"Joseph Goebbels said his entertainment did more for the German people, in terms of creating the psyche for war and hostility towards others, than the speeches of Adolf Hitler ... "

This statement from a member of the culture that produced "Protocols of the Elders of Zion"?

Visceral would make that into game, I bet, and Mr. Mohammed would probably pre-order it.

The airport scene in this game is a perpetuation of ignorance, educate yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VebOTc-7shU

"And the retired Bishop of Hulme, the Rt. Reverend Stephen Lowe – himself a proud fan of World Of Warcraft – said that the airport scene should have been cut out by the BBFC"

Haha yes, censor the game you dimwits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect

I bet this pandas and kodiaks game won't even support dedicated servers! I'm going to boycott the shit out of that game, so much so in fact that it will only sell 9 million copies in a week!

NERDRAGE!!!

(just for clarity's sake, this was obviously a joke as I don't give a damn about this so-called dedicated servers "scandal". I do however have a problem with a game with pandas on kodiaks violence).

Speaking of purposefully baiting, you knew every kid on Joystiq would run to come and defend the gaming industry anyway, so did you really need the bunnies and hearts bit? Of course no one is proposing we remove all violence from games and make every game kid friendly, so that is a non issue. What I oppose to is using over-the-top violence in a realistic combat scenario (read: military recruitment tool) as a MARKETING ploy to sell more games. Art can challenge our delicate sensibilities, make us question and recoil in horror, make us confront the demons in ourselves - using it for marketing on the other hand is crass and underhanded and does not do very much for video game relations with the rest of the non-gaming public who already assume the worst about us. come on, guys.

I really wish this would just go away...

Take your controversy and shove it. It's not that great of a game, and if parents would enforce the ESRB ratings, there's nothing to worry about.

There are how many video games with questionable content, and the BBC picks a game whose launch was comparable to the second coming of Jesus.

Once again, it's just old people trying in vain to seem like they're "in touch" with young people.

These folks preach about how video games are ruining our society and use it as a scapegoat. They know nothing about video games and they've never picked up a controller in their life. They're just riding the bandwagon.

The truth is video games relieve stress, they pass time, they connect us and they're fun. I'm even involved in a project that aims to prove that gaming while at the hospital wards of anxiety and normalizes patients. But you'll never hear about that because video games are just another thing to blame.

I bet you'll never hear them bad mouth the Wii though....

That's just the way it is folks.

If you don't like the violence than don't buy it and shut the fuck up!

With the way that the franchise is heading, they won't be able to keep up the sales with adults anyway. The quality is taking a big nose dive, and a lot of upcoming FPSs are featuring new ideas, exploring flights, terrain deformation, and various gimmicks. How long do you think a dated series like CoD going to last? The older gamers play it because it has been a household name for so long--but that brand no longer hold a sway over the younger gamers.

So yeah, bring on the teddy bears. At least it'll be something new this time around. And maybe they will consider pricing it appropriately as well.

I'm not a son of a bitch, thank you, and perhaps your unchecked anger issues and predilection for exploding is linked to all your violent video game playing? Just a theory.

America is the new ROME and that "entertainment" is akin to taking your kid to the coliseum to watch lions devour a guy or two men severing each other.

You know as well as I do that the military is NOTHING like America's Army or any of the US Military/Marines commercials. No "might be" about it. I do understand that the game is for entertainment, but ever since Top Gun agreed to have the military vet their script in exchange for access to military technology we have had closer and closer ties with the entertainment industry and the US Military. (These days we have Michael Bay.) You look at the irresponsible military behaviors of this nation and the psychological food that we are feeding ourselves (guns, violence, repeat) and you don't think they are connected? Our major export is weaponry. We are a death machine and perpetuate death daily. Our entertainment is death and fear and we sell it wholesale.

That a company takes advantage of a predictable media and an already vilified gaming public to sell more of its product though pisses me off, and if you could see past your own instinctual desire to defend your hobby then you might see why, in this instance, the game company did not make a good decision here - for any of us.

I do wish you well in your meditations.

M rated games are NOT for children.

I'm tired of hearing things like "a kid can become a terrorist". What the hell is wrong with people? It's just a game. I remember when a local evangelist church started to boycot in those days the WWF just because kids can hurt themself while doing the moves they saw at TV.

Parents should guide their kids, that is their duty.

For the record, I have no problem with violent video games! Conflict is the well in which we dip our ink. And I will certainly be slipping a blade into many a poor slob in Assassin's Creed tomorrow. I guess I consider what MW2 did to be a different issue and in poor taste.

> we've also put aside bigotry, racism, fascism (for the most part) and a lot of other horrible things that defined us in the past.

Uhh... you've obviously never been on xbox live then. :)

> Times are changing man, get used to it. Violent video games are here to stay.

I love change. I'm not asking for less, I want more. You guys are the ones all agreeing with each other; you guys are the ones asking to retain the status quo. We've given violence and competition for survival a chance - in fact, the entire history of the human race has been consumed with it. Will we change in the future is what I'm wondering? Capitalism and violence go hand in hand. Survive or die. The arena of life. I'm sick to death of it.

So when a thought provoking non-violent game like Portal comes along, I do try and support it with my capitalist dollars, and when games like MW2 or GOW2 try and tap the violence spigot for sensationalism, I may even play them, but I try not to give the companies responsible my money.

I just wanted to represent the other side of this argument. The gamer who plays violent games and yet recognizes when a company crosses the line, and does so in a way that hurts the reputation of gamers at large, and may inadvertently cause repercussions like more restrictions on content. More nudity, less violence please. The world would be such a nicer place.

"So, whaddya say, folks? Modern Warfare 3 with major battles between adorable stuffed pandas and adorable stuffed kodiaks, and when they get shot (with hearts) they explode candy? Where do we sign up?!"

Sounds like a Rare game... Viva Pinata: Modern Warefare anyone?

Idiots. They still don't get that bad publicity is still PUBLICITY. As if IW didn't expect the backlash. Anyone know of a little franchise called Grand Theft Auto? Every game has some controversial material in it that only gets the media talking in circles avoiding the fact that people are just bad parents and don't take the time to educate themselves on game ratings for their children because all they want to do is sit their kid in front of a tv and ignore them.

Movies are far more violent than games, so why is it that parents who dish out $60-$70 on a game versus $10-$15 on a movie pay more attention to movie ratings than games.

Congrats to Infinity Ward on ALL their success!

How come there's never any mention of the ability to restrict content from the console level? All three current generation consoles have some form of content restriction capability. I use it with my kids to keep them from playing any of my Teen and Mature games. I also have it setup to keep them from watching movies that are rated higher than PG.

It's easy to setup and easy to use. It's not perfect, but it gives me a level of control over the content my kids can see. I think more games should implement features like those that exist in Brutal Legen for turning off the blood, gore, and bad language so that we can enjoy the game the way we feel most confortable.

-belcaw

"How come there's never any mention of the ability to restrict content from the console level? All three current generation consoles have some form of content restriction capability. I use it with my kids to keep them from playing any of my Teen and Mature games. I also have it setup to keep them from watching movies that are rated higher than PG."

Because that would involve parents taking some responsibility for the upbrining of their children, few of whome seem to want to do that these days.

The whole thing is a joke. My mother is a teacher of primary 3 kids (so they are about 8 years old) and a lot of them play GTA IV and have recently gotten Modern Warfare 2. It's ridiculous.

I'm also curious why the British Muslim form was consulted about this? Seems a bit random.

Someday, if someone says, "I don't play videogames.", it'll sound as weird as someone were to say "I don't watch movies." today. Who knows, maybe we'll have world leaders who'll admit to beating a GTA game.

It's a circle of misunderstanding that will continue among the elders and the youth until the end of humankind. The people who are complaining about violence in videogames now are the same people who, decades ago, cracked up when Elmer Fudd repeatedly blasted Daffy Duck in the face with a shotty.

I'm actually interested to see what kind of entertainment our generation will grossly misinterpret and villify when we get old.

"Modern Warfare 3 with major battles between adorable stuffed pandas and adorable stuffed kodiaks, and when they get shot (with hearts) they explode candy? Where do we sign up?!"

We already have like three Viva Pinata games.

My email :'[ WHAT HAVE I DONE

I'm just going to reiterate this.

Parents, do a better job at raising your children or shut the hell up.

I want to rant i really do, but im getting to the point in life where this shits just going to contnually happen, so i'll bullet/number point my opinions.

1) Its rated 18 / MA, parents your kids are your responsibility.

2) The worlds a fucked up place, violence in a game is little more than a shallow representation of the real shit that "does" happen in the real world, as much as you religious mongs want all the kiddy winks to not know about the real world, they'll find out one way or the other. We stopped listening to your bullshit a long time a go.

3) Yes the airport scene is the catalyst for later events. If you just see the violence your missing the point. Your the undercover guy, you don't have to fire a single round as already mentioned, but finally, the fact that the terrorists are casually strolling along gunning down innocent civilians until the FSB arrive is to show how callous they are. The developers don't want you supporting these guys, they're the bad guys, zomg! who'dve thunk it?!.

4) I would care more if this shit hasn't happened before, but it has, and it will again when the next "x" amazing but violent game comes out. Me personally, i'm well over the required age to play, so if all of the above cant be sorted by the people who supposely do give a shit, then ive little more to say. Yes parents, this means you giving little johnny that 18 rated copy of MW2. You fucking douche.

My apologies, my bullet pointing has turned into a rant... how ironic.

TLDR: I think it will take a hell of a lot for violent video games to be banned. Also, Religious leaders are fucking idiotic for thinking I give a shit about what they've got to say, let alone anyone else here. Godwin's law indeed.

To be completely honest, if this sort of game pisses off religious leaders, it makes me want to play the game a hell of a lot more.