'No Russian'. The level that sparked controversy worldwide; in which you play as a deep-cover CIA agent Joseph Allen, as you join a group of Russian terrorists and proceed to massacre civilians at an airport. This is significantly different from any other such controversy because you are killing civilians that simply run away and scream; they don't fight back. However, it is worth noting that you do not have to kill anyone to pass the level. Infinity Ward even gave players full warning and options to skip the mission before it even begins. The player receives no penalty for skipping the level and there is no "score" calculated - as there usually is - for killing civilians or airport security; also, there are no achievements or trophies earned during this mission. As controversial as this mission is, the developers did just about everything they could to warn players about the content and to not glorify it or even force you to kill, while still keeping their integrity and the story intact. For that much we should respect their choice. Regardless, the game received much criticism and abuse in countries like the UK, US, Germany, Japan and Australia. Once again British MP Keith Vaz was at the forefront, he very outspoken against the video game and did so during a House of Commons debate. He was, however, suggested to be in collaboration with the Daily Mail (a less than reputable newspaper) for attempting to make moral panics of video games. A member of the British Muslim Forum even came forth and likened the game to the work of Joseph Goebbels. The criticism thrown at this game came from a vast number of sources and was immense. Even though this is indeed an incredibly controversial level to put into a game I can't help but think that the game is for 18 year ol's and up, who should understand the medium and that the game is like any movie, book or TV show with controversial content. A game is simply a story created by others in which we play a small role of interactivity and in the case of the 'No Russian' level the interactivity was optional. I do understand the outcry toward this game but with people like Keith Vaz who need only a tiny push to start a mass criticism of the medium as a whole, it becomes hard to sympathize with the claims.
Journalism student from Ireland. Interested in video games, books, rock music, films, comics, TV and wrestling - the basics! Check out my Twitter for PS4 screenshots and random comments!
