Military Bases Won't Get Game With Taliban Players

If US soldiers want to face down the Taliban, they'll have to do so in the real world, not a virtual one. Mega-retailer GameStop says it won't stock EA's Medal of Honor at its stores on military bases because it allows gamers to be Taliban fighters. It's "out of respect for our past and present men and women in uniform," says a company statement, as reported in IndustryGamers.

The game isn't out until next month, but it's generating plenty of buzz and criticism because of the Taliban feature. "I don't see how shooting soldiers based on real Americans is entertainment while people are dying every day for this country," one mother of a slain vet told the San Jose Mercury News. EA's defense, in a widely circulated quote issued earlier in the month: "This is not a shock to anyone who plays video games. In a conflict game like this, someone has to be the bad guy." (More video games stories.)