Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
David Jaffe On Playing As MOH's Taliban: "I Simply Could Not Play"
The inclusion of the Taliban in Medal of Honor has riled up the media, family members of veterans, and the military itself. On top of these groups, it's also affected the outspoken David Jaffe. On his Twitter page, Jaffe writes the following:
Interesting. Just tried MOH multiplayer and they spawned me as Taliban and I simply could not play. I would not shoot. Wanted a surrender button. I **** you not. The power of interactive. Granted, 99% of the power stems from real world events that I bring to the game, but it's a start.Totally serious. Why would I want to play as the Taliban killing American soldiers? I just didn't want to do it. Am I a ***?!?! :)
He continues:
I'm not trying to blow smoke up the game's ass - like I said, 99% of the power is coming from real world knowledge I bring into the game so I'm not here all like 'interactivity is so ****ing emotional!' Just stating my reaction.
Comparing Medal of Honor to Modern Warfare 2's infamous "No Russian" mission, Jaffe tweets:
Not even close. I was impressed by No Russian but didn't care one bit about mowing the peeps down. Hell, I wanted to see what kind of death animations they had in No Russian. Not sure why this affected me more.
Wrapping up his thoughts for now:
I'm not thinking at all; just a gut reaction to the game. I think the game should 100% exist and they SHOULD be Taliban BUT I also think that because there is an ongoing conflict RIGHT NOW and innocents on both side are dying as well as soldiers, it's something I do not want to role play with other live people. It just felt strange to me. I assure you, I don't over think this sort of stuff. I tend to think gaming's claims of the power of interactivity is - in general- hyperbolic bull****. That's why I posted - this was a unique experience for me.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
