The latest edition of the video game series Call of Duty has sparked controversy among MPs, with some saying it's too violent. But one Labour MP has come out in favour of the game, praising its "excellent user-interface".
An Early Day Motion - the Parliamentary equivalent of a petition - attacking Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has been signed by nine MPs at the time of writing, mostly from the Labour party. It was tabled by Keith Vaz, the chair of the Home Affairs Committee.
The motion says: "Players engage in gratuitous acts of violence against members of the public; notes in particular the harrowing scenes in which a London Underground train is bombed by terrorists, bearing a remarkable resemblance to the tragic events of 7 July 2005.
The motion also claims: "There is increasing evidence of a link between perpetrators of violent crime and violent video games users."
The MPs signing the motion are calling for the industry regulator to take further precautions when allowing such games to be sold.
However, the motion has been challenged by Culture Committee member and phone-hacker antagonist Tom Watson, who has tabled an amendment pointing out that the game can't be sold to anyone under 18 because of its age-rating certificate. Watson cheekily adds that Call of Duty has: "An excellent user interface and challenges the gamers' dexterity as well as collaborative skills in an outline setting."
Clearly Tom Watson has been playing the game quite a bit. In fact, on the morning of his grilling of James Murdoch earlier this month, he tweeted that he'd spent much of the night before playing the game. But have the MPs castigating the game actually played it? Surely Keith Vaz is far too busy…