I first got news of  ”shocking” footage from GamePolitics and felt the muted CNN iReport to be nothing more than people up in arms. Watching animated videogame footage of people being mowed down, even if they are unarmed civilians is, what some might say sadly, not new to me.

We’ve seen controversy play out like in Six Days of Fallujah; the player needing to make a moral decision on the battlefield with the media and non-gamers (and some gamers) saying games about terrorism in ultra-high-def-realism is too soon. So going back to COD: MW2 found by way of TheEscapist I saw the actual gameplay, with sound.

That’s where my attitude changes; maybe I’m getting grandpa old because once I heard what was going on in the background it became much harder to keep my belief people just need to get a grip. I hope I don’t now fall in that crazy crowd. I’m not going to say this goes too far, but I think it certainly comes close to the line.

You guys know I’m all against censorship, especially in games so you tell me what you think…

[RuTube]

UPDATE:

Activision responds:

From GamePolitics

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.

About the events taking place in the scene itself, Activision explained:

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.