UK to ban all multiplayer games

The UK defence secretary, whose ministry of defence apparently is in charge of regulating video games with military in it, finally realized that in a multiplayer game somebody has to play the bad guys. As he finds that unacceptable, he calls for a ban of Medal of Honor, no doubt followed by a ban of all other multiplayer games in which one side can play the bad guys. If it is not okay for players to play the Taliban, then of course you can't allow them to play terrorists in Counterstrike, or Germans/Japanese in World War II multiplayer games. I hope they make an exception for playing Horde against Alliance.

Possible solutions include modified multiplayer games in which both sides see themselves as playing the good guys, and the other players as the bad guys. Although I have trouble imagining that WWII shooter in which you play the heroic British soldiers defending the beaches in Normandy against the evil German invasion. Or the modified Medal of Honor where it is the British soldiers that set off bombs with a mobile phone remote control. I'm afraid the British will have to stick to single-player games.

Curiously enough we have here a politician who apparently isn't worried about video game violence in general. As long as a game shows only British and American soldiers killing various enemies, or even civilians, that appears to be okay with the UK ministry of defence. It is only games where players can play the bad guys and shoot down British and American soldiers which the UK defence secretary wants banned. He says: "It's shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban. At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands. I am disgusted and angry. It's hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to buy such a thoroughly un-British game. I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product." Isn't it good to know that through the acts of the British army no children ever lost a father nor a wive lost a husband? I'm not quite sure how the British army manages that feat, maybe they have special ammo that automatically swerves around enemies with wives and children.

And the man just *got* elected, so he doesn't even have the excuse of deliberately spouting nonsense likely increase votes. He really means it! Poor Britain!