Boomtown X

EA has today announced that the Taliban won't be playable in multiplayer after all - citing respect for allied military personal as the reason.

"This is a voice that has earned the right to be listened to. It is a voice that we care deeply about," explained executive producer Greg Goodrich. "Because of this, and because the heartbeat of Medal of Honor has always resided in the reverence for American and Allied soldiers, we have decided to rename the opposing team in Medal of Honor multiplayer from Taliban to Opposing Force."

Sounds a lot like the enemy force will retain the same visuals, albeit with a name change from "Taliban" to "Opposing Force". No biggie.

More from Goodich after the jump.

By now I'm sure you'll have read some of the reactionary nonsense pouring out of the stupid-hole of MP Liam Fox. As ever videogames are singled out in a way movies, books and television shows aren't.

This morning TIGA, the videogames industry body has issued a statement on the issue.

"I can certainly understand why some people feel sensitive about this issue. However, we should remember that some games and indeed other forms of entertainment (such as movies and books) are sometimes set in a contemporary war scenario. The crucial point is that this game is 18 rated so should therefore only be played by a mature adult audience able to understand the difference between a computer game and actual events in Afghanistan. Consumers will be the ultimate judge of this game." - Dr. Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO.

Thankfully the government has been distancing itself from Liam Fox. In recent years thankfully government has had a more intelligent approach to the games industry, even if some MPs have not.