GamersMayhem

Russian Censors Ban Modern Warfare 2, Censored Version May be Allowed
Jason Mick (Blog) - November 17, 2009 12:20 PM
dailytech



There's a brewing controversy over an opening scene in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 that allows the player to assume control of a terrorist and gun down dozens of civilians at an airport. (Source: Gamespot)


The scene has caused the game to be banned by censors in Russia, the home country of the game's fictional terrorist. (Source: Gamespot)


(Source: Gamespot)


Russia is unhappy that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 depicts Russians as terrorists

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 -- has been a massive international success selling over $310M USD in software in the U.S. and UK alone. Developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, the first person shooter primarily puts you in control of a soldier in a multinational commando unit known as Task Force 141, though you can also play other characters at points in the game, including a terrorist. The story involves extremists seizing control of Russia's government and committing terrorist attacks around the world. It is the player's job, throughout most of the game, to try to thwart or counter these attacks.

A scene from the game is stirring up international controversy. In the scene, the player can take control of a rogue Russian villain and gun down civilians at an airport. Activision has defended the scene's graphic content, stating, "Yes [the scene] is [in the game]. The scene establishes the depth of evil and the cold bloodedness of a rogue Russian villain and his unit. By establishing that evil, it adds to the urgency of the player’s mission to stop them."

Activision continues, "Players have the option of skipping over the scene. At the beginning of the game, there are two ‘checkpoints’ where the player is advised that some people may find an upcoming segment disturbing. These checkpoints can’t be disabled. Modern Warfare 2 is a fantasy action game designed for intense, realistic game play that mirrors real life conflicts, much like epic, action movies. It is appropriately rated 18 for violent scenes, which means it is intended for those who are 18 and older."

While most retailers in the U.S. and Europe have tolerated the violent content, it has led some gaming sites, including Gamespot, to question whether the content pushed the envelope too far by allowing players to assume the role of murderous terrorists.

Now the Russian government has laid the smack down on Infinity Ward/Activision over the scene. Angry about the depiction of their country, the government has temporarily banned the game, ordering its recall from all store shelves.

In trying to appease the Russians, Infinity Ward has released a patch which removes the airport level from the Russian version of the game. It hopes to rerelease the patched game in Russian stores as soon as next month. The new version has to first get past Russian censors, though. Despite the game's reportedly unfavorable depiction of (some) Russians, the game has proven surprisingly popular in Russia, as it has in the rest of the world.

Just a quick question (and possible spoiler)...

this is what they're pissed about
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-p6bKYp3Io

yes but you are still killing ppl