A video surfaced over the weekend of what was billed as the first mission in the hugely anticipated Modern Warfare 2.
The video sparked a massive web-wide backlash due to the fact that it features graphic violence in a manner which many found disturbing. Unlike previous Call of Duty games, it seemed as though the game would kick off with players controlling the actions of one of a group of terrorists as they stroll through a busy airport slaughtering civilians.
The video has sparked debates across various forums. Conservatives are calling it a “murder simulator” while many gamers are applauding the move as a bold step that will increase the player’s emotional involvement in the narrative.
Either way, the footage was shown out of context, and so many viewers have opted to reserve judgment until more is known about its intentions, and manner in which it will be implemented.
Activision has since come forward and explained the motivation behind the decision to include such a risqué scene.
The first noteworthy point, is that it is not the opening scene of the game. It is in fact the fourth scene, and it turns out that players assume the role of an undercover agent that has infiltrated a Russian terrorist organization. This means that players do not have to step into the mind of an evil murderer, and can easily opt to intentionally not kill any of the civilians, an objective that will fit nicely within the context of the mission.
Activison went on to state that the scene is designed to heighten the player’s emotional involvement in the game, and to illustrate just how evil the terrorists are, in turn, increasing the players desire to stop them.
Finally, Activision also pointed out that the scene will feature a warning beforehand, and will offer players the option to skip it all together.
Its predecessor carried an age restriction of 16 in the UK and Europe, and M in the USA/Canada which effectively means 17. Modern Warfare 2 is expected to carry a rating of 18 in the UK and Europe, while it seems that it will still retain its M rating in the US. It remains to be seen whether this scene will get the game bumped up to an AO (Adults Only) rating in the USA., where it would join the likes of Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas following the infamous “hot coffee” controversy.
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