By: Jarno Kokko Oct 29, 2009

By now I'm sure everyone has heard that yes, a piece of footage from the first level of Modern Warfare 2 leaked out, and said footage shows how you get to play as a terrorist, gunning down innocent civilians at an airport. Okay, so supposedly you are playing as an undercover CIA operative and are really the good guy, just forced to do bad things to keep your cover. Jack Bauer style.

Well, it seems that things have not gone according to plan for Activision and Infinity Ward and they are desperately flinging DMCA notices to every possible direction, trying to take down the leaked footage - that's why there is no embedded video here - by the time you read this, the ones available are probably taken down. You can try checking out this one (in French, offending bits start at about 2:00 mark).

There is a set of official statements from Infinity Ward and Activision covering the mess, both effectively saying the same thing;

Australians: Uh, it is for 15-year olds down here

Just one funny problem... Modern Warfare 2 is actually rated MA15+ in Australia, since they don't have a "18" rating down there. Both Infinity Ward and Activision are sounding righteous when they defend that this is a game for adults, yet in some markets it is rated for 15 year olds.

It shouldn't be much of a shock that this is causing much noise down under. According to Sydney Morning Herald, a local lobby group is not exactly amused with the situation.

All this is even funnier when you consider that the exact same ratings board effectively banned Left 4 Dead 2 in Australia by refusing classification and they are getting a neutered version there as a result. So does this mean that "Shooting zombies that used to be innocent civilians - bad. Shooting normal innocent civilians - good"? Or does it matter who is publishing the game? I'm sure Activision has a lot more marketing dollars to throw around...

In any case, Modern Warfare 2 is sure to spark the age old debate over videogame violence - again. Personally I think Infinity Ward has probably crossed a line here and went for the distasteful. It'll put the game into headlines, Grand Theft Auto style, but it may also cause a backlash that harms mature games as a whole.

What do you think? There is a lively discussion on the YouGamers PC Gaming Forums over the subject, already in progress.

Comments

Unregistered users are required to complete an image verification.

	chr0n1c 2009-10-29 #1 Kill tons of innocents in GTA.... this just looks more realistic. Its a game and has a mature rating. I find the lack of dedicated servers much more devastating.
	Jarnis 2009-10-29 #2 Most of the killing-of-innocents in GTA is collateral damage and/or the player going out of his way to do so. It is somewhat different than a flat-out "terrorist attack at an airport, using a light machinegun to mow down a crowd". Both are the same, but then again not. Since the MW2 stuff is potentially "out of context", it remains to be seen how it is framed in the game. In any case, I find the idea of this MW2 level "not cool" - even if I fully endorse that IW and Activision should absolutely have the right to publish something like that when rated appropriately. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy/play this. Censorship is bad. This is just bad taste.
	tomatomanz 2009-10-29 #3 I just watched it...woah...thats what i call.. massacre..
	JoseyWales 2009-10-29 #4 In this age of terrorism I think it's a bit much. Many have lost friends and family all over the world due to terrorism and having it in a game so you can do it only bolsters the real terrorists. They are the only ones who will find it amusing or fun. I think that to have it in a game is extremely narrow minded and the devs need to seriously think about what they are doing and the pain it will cause many.
	JoseyWales 2009-10-29 #5 In this age of terrorism I think it's a bit much. Many have lost friends and family all over the world due to terrorism and having it in a game so you can do it only bolsters the real terrorists. They are the only ones who will find it amusing or fun. I think that to have it in a game is extremely narrow minded and the devs need to seriously think about what they are doing and the pain it will cause many.
	Bigster 2009-10-29 #6 This is what IW says about it 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. 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.
	snowcrash512 2009-10-30 #7 Well while im all for building up a compelling story, this does seem just a bit much. I cant help but think they are moving into the sell more copies with the controversy category of game design. With all the bad ideas IW has come up with so far im going to be waiting for a very good review of this game before buying thats for sure.
	chilipeppersman 2009-10-30 #8 these is good for IW atleast, getting alot of attention for a great looking game! cant wait to play that part!
	louhikarme 2009-10-30 #9 It's a game. No one is forcing you to buy it. Won't be buying it though, and its because they shafted pc gamers with their no dedicated server crap.