What's in a game?
*Update: Despite wide ranging reports the game was banned in Russia, Activision strongly denies the claim and released the following statement: "Reports that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been banned in Russia are erroneous. Activision only released a PC version of the game in Russia which went on sale on Tuesday, Nov. 10." *
It has been widely reported that the level created such anger amongst Russian gamers and politicians that the country decided to pull all copies of the game off shelves, effectively banning it.
The disgruntled Ruskies have kicked up such a fussky that Infinity Ward has even had to release an official patch which guts the mission from the game entirely. The game developer says it will also release a censored version of the game within a month, minus the offending level.
But that may still not be enough for Russia to reconsider its veto of the game, which is entirely based around a bloody battle between US and Soviet forces - in which Russians are depicted as evil terrorists who invade the US, and erect offensive statues. yes, offensive statues. Shocking stuff.
Russian gamers have complained bitterly on forums that the game unfairly demonises the entire nation simply to gratify America's simplistic and geopolitically challenged youth culture.
Although if Russia thinks it got the short end of the political sensitivity gaming stick, it might want to go and have a little chat with Germany, which has been on the unpleasant receiving end for years.
All's fair in love and video war games, apparently.
