US Navy SEAL's disciplined for role with Medal of Honor: Warfighter

[Badnik Mechanic]

Medal of Honor Warfighter is a shit game. It's not very good. It's got a lot of bad reviews and is considered by many to be very dull.

This is despite the fact that EA has boasted about getting input from real life serving members of the US military to make the game as realistic as possible, including active and retired members of the Navy SEAL's. Well... today it's been revealed that several active members of SEAL team 6, including one member who was actually on the Osama Bin Laden mission.

For two days the men were paid consultants to EA offering advice on how to make the game as realistic as possible, including giving away secrets given to them by the US Navy.

Today seven members of Seal Team 6 were given written reprimands which have effectively killed any chance they have for further promotion within the armed forces of America, to further punish them, their salary has been cut in half for two months (so this is going to impact on their Christmas celebrations quite bad).

Furthermore, the action taken against them is also being done as it violates the unwritten code of Seals being 'silent warriors' who shun the spotlight and glory.

Exactly what secrets were told isn't clear, the theory is that it might have been the bin laden mission. Now whilst the game doesn't depict the bin laden mission, there is DLC coming out based on Zero Dark Thirty which is loosely based on... the Osama Bin Laden mission.

EA Games has... declined to comment.

Source: CBS

[Ruby CUL Terumi]

Seen this on the news aswell. At one point, this is stupid and I presume this DLC'll be banned in a lot of areas. On the other hand, it's interesting.

[Shawshank Redemption]

This REALLY pisses me off.

We treat our veterans like shit, don't certify their skills so they can get good jobs when they come back, and even the Veteran Jobs Bill legislation was voted down by asshat Republicans in Congress playing politics.

They get paid a few days to be consultants for a shitty game and the military fucks them like this.

Bullshit we do this to our national heroes.

[Tornado]

They get paid a few days to be consultants for a shitty game and the military fucks them like this.

Um...

You can't be revealing classified military information to some fat guy programming a game from the boner he has from thinking about scripted explosions. That's kind of the point of it being top secret information. This isn't a veteran's rights issue. This is a "don't violate the terms of your military clearance" issue.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Tornado

[Shawshank Redemption]

You can't be revealing classified military information to some fat guy programming a game from the boner he has from coding scripted explosions. That's kind of the point of it being top secret information. This isn't a veteran's rights issue. This is a "don't violate the terms of your military clearance" issue.

I seriously doubt they could be involved with the game at all unless the military cleared them to do it.

We also don't know what exactly was leaked. For example reporter Geraldo Rivera revealed where troops were positioned while embedded in Iraq a few years ago, now that would be a real clusterfuck of "secret" information. Doubt it is actually that serious.

Not being able to move up in the ranks in the military is basically the same thing as being fired, it is really more serious than just being given a warning and taking half your check. Their careers are being completely ruined now just to send a message.

I think there is more to the story than is being told, very one-sided view right now.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Ball Hog Badnik

[Tornado]

There's a world of difference between giving them the go ahead to act as consultants and "while serving as consultants for the game, they used classified material which had been given to them by the Navy." You're acting as if they were only given permission to do it for no other reason than so they could later be crucified for it; forcing the Navy to weather the huge scandal that is sure to follow this on the public eye for... what, exactly? To get rid of some Navy SEALs that they just as easily could have quietly court martialed and gag-ordered if they wanted them gone?

And of course there is more to the story than is being told. That's kind of the entire point of disciplining them for doing what they did. They certainly aren't going to say what it specifically was that they did based on the context that they are being disciplined.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Tornado

[Teoskaven]

See, that's why RPGs are better.

[Da Blu Hedgie]

...oh great perfect time to post this on veterans day weekend.

[Badnik Mechanic]

...oh great perfect time to post this on veterans day weekend.

Erm... this is somehow my fault?

[Da Blu Hedgie]

Erm... this is somehow my fault?

No, ok just disregard what I said, I probably should've put my real opinion.

What were those navy Seals thinking??!! Oh and I happen to have a dad and grandfather who served in the military themselves.

[Shawshank Redemption]

And of course there is more to the story than is being told. That's kind of the entire point of disciplining them for doing what they did. They certainly aren't going to say what it specifically was that they did based on the context that they are being disciplined.

I agree they should have been disciplined, but not so harshly.

They are American heroes and deserve a little slack for fucking up to be frank.

[Badnik Mechanic]

They are American heroes and deserve a little slack for fucking up to be frank.

They are employees who have most likely signed some kind of secrets act and should be keeping quiet about sensitive stuff instead of helping EA making another terrible over-rated game.

It's really simple. If you are in a top secret elite military unit, you don't go telling secrets to people about what you did, even after you retire you're still bound by various secret acts and laws until it gets officially declassified by the government of the nation you serve.

[Stacy]

Eh, I have this game and its not as good as the first, feels more like Battlefield 3.5 than Medal Of Honour and some of the text is ridiculously small to read.

Anyway it kind of serves the SEALs right they know what they knew was classified they shouldn't have sold their intel on to EA. I thought EA hired to help portray the combat more realistic and gritty (no decapitation head shots in this one compared to the Reboot so, so much for being more gritty) not sell exactly how their operations went down.

Edited November 10, 2012 by BW199148