Controversial content leads to ban on game sale in Pakistan

Two popular first person shooting games released last year, have being taken off shelves in Pakistan owing to controversial storyline which portrays the country in a very poor light, this move came from the All Pakistan CD, DVD, Audio Cassette Traders and Manufacturers Association as they boycotted selling these two titles.

Both these games have levels which show in game characters fighting out terrorists in Pakistan, there is also reference to Pakistan’s military outfit ISI in Call of Duty Black Ops 2.

In the game Medal of Honor: Warfighter the game actually begins with a mission at Karachi docks, and a chase sequence (video ahead), recently publishers of this game also released a Multiplayer DLC map pack inspired by hollywood movie Zero Dark Thirty which has Pakistani location reference in the maps.

While Medal of Honor: Warfighter was being developed, some army members who lent their expertise in the gaming making process were also being reprimanded by their officials for not keeping them informed about such developments, game developers trying to put up their best work, it becomes difficult to stay out of controversy avoiding any issue which may hurt a community, country etc in their work.

Gaming like movies has being known to invoke criticism in the name of expression of creativity and as a piece of fiction it sometimes runs very close to reality. Do you think games actually mirror what’s happening in the society and like any human being we always try to break away from that reflection we see which shows us our own dark side?

Recent gun killings in USA also have triggered a strong movement on a research now given green signal by the government to study the impact of violent games on society’s mental well-being, this debate is surely going to continue for a long time ahead.

Call of Duty Black Ops 2 clip

Medal of Honor Warfighter clip