Are we so desensitised to the whole concept of war, civilian killings and large scale public bloodshed that it is now okay to turn it into a computer game?
Activision, the publisher behind the popular Call of Duty series,is about to release into UK markets one of the most anticipated games of the year: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It is expected to be one of the top selling items in stores this Christmas.
This is not the first computer game to depict scenes of war and it probably won't be the last, but what makes Modern Warfare 2 different is that it allows players to shoot unarmed civilians in an airport alongside a group of so-called "terrorists". The gaming website GameSpot has even likened the scenes in the game to last year's Mumbai attacks.
A few minutes of vision from the game has been released online and is already sparking controversy:
Activision has defended the game, pointing out that:
"players have the option of skipping over the scene."
The game's publisher also highlights the UK age guidance for the game saying:
"it is appropriately rated 18 for violent scenes, which means it is intended for those who are 18 and older."
It is worth noting that Australian authorities have classified the game suitable for anyone over the age of 15. The Australian Council on Children and the Media has asked for the classification to be reconsidered.
What do you think? Is this kind of content suitable?
Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions.
![[QODLink]](http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/Images/2012/2/15/201221512328174734_16.jpg "'Losing' the world: American decline in perspective, pt. 1")
