Skip to main content

Norway retailers pulling WoW, CoD and other games in response to terrorist attacks

call of duty modern warfare 2 via kotakuNorwegian retailers have opted to cease carrying violent video games in direct response to the July 22 terrorist attacks by Norwegian right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik. A total of 51 products will be taken off shelves including World of Warcraft and the Call of Duty series.

According to the Danish gaming site Gamers Globe, supermarket chain Coop Norden is spearheading the campaign to remove these video games. The actions seem to extend only to Norway; Coop Denmark has issued a statement saying that terrorism is guided by other motives than video game universes.

Recommended Videos

According to a Norwegian newspaper (translated by VG247), Coop Norway’s director Geir Inge Stokke said, “others are better suited than us, to point to the negative effects of games like these. At the moment it’s [appropriate] for us to take them down. I wouldn’t be surprised if others do the same.”

Among the products being removed are games described as realist shooter/RPGs. Some of the titles include: Homefront, Call of Duty:Black Ops, Modern Warfare 2, World at War Platinum, Modern Warfare Classic, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, Counter-Strike Source and World of Warcraft.

Two of the titles are particularly controversially as they are mentioned by Breivik in his manifesto. Breivik claimed to be a fan of the massively multi-player online role-playing game World of Warcraft. He also claimed that Modern Warfare 2 was “the best military simulator” and claims to have used the game for training.

The Norwegian news site ITvasin also reports that entertainment retailer Platekompaniet will be joining Coop’s movement, but will be keeping the fantasy themed WoW game in stock.

Terrorist Anders Behring Breivik is guilty of killing 77 people in a dual bombing/shooting in Norway on July 22. He could be facing a 21 year prison sentence. The anti-Islamic right-wing extremist published a 1,516-page manifesto before the attacks in which he advocates the violent extermination of multiculturalism and immigration from Europe. Anonymous recently targeted the Norway killer’s manifesto, urging people to download a copy, change and republish in order to make Anders look a fool.

Topics
Jeff Hughes
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I'm a SF Bay Area-based writer/ninja that loves anything geek, tech, comic, social media or gaming-related.
11 years after launch, Rust sets a new player count record
A player firing an assault rifle in Rust

Rust is one of the kings of multiplayer survival sandbox games, pitting players against each other and the environment in what sometimes feels like a never-ending stream of chaos. While undeniably popular, the title just hit a new player count record (262,284 concurrent users) a whopping 11 years after release -- and a looming update is to thank for that.

Rust's impending Primitive update gives the game a bit of medieval flair. Normal resources like guns and ammunition will be practically impossible to find, meaning players will need to turn to melee combat to vent their aggression. Weapons like swords and crossbows will be a core element of gameplay, but you'll also get shields to protect yourself. And there will also be towers, battering rams, and ballistas to help you lay siege to your foes, according to PCGamesN.

Read more
Pokémon Go’s Community Days are getting a price hike
Togepi, Pikachu and Eevee in a field

Pokémon Go started out really good, and then it became great. But it's not all sunshine and Ho-Ohs. The monthly community days -- special events for catching Pokemon that you might not encounter otherwise -- have received a price increase from $1 to $2.

It's particularly frustrating news for fans given the event's history. Originally, Community Days would bring Pokémon Go players out of the woodwork to flood parks or other areas. It was a fun way to get out of the house, be a little social, and catch some cute critters -- usually for the first time in Shiny form. But now, most of the storylines have been removed from the events, and the time frame has dropped from six hours to three, according to Eurogamer.

Read more
HP is selling the Omen 16 with RTX 4050 at 31% off
The HP Omen-16t Gaming Laptop.

If you're looking for the best gaming laptop to buy for $1,000, you should set your sights on the HP Omen 16. That's all you have to pay for this Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050-powered device, following a 31% discount from HP on its original price of $1,450. We're not sure how much time is remaining before you lose the chance at $450 in savings, so if you're interested in this gaming laptop, our recommendation is to hurry up in completing your purchase as you may already miss out if you delay it to tomorrow.

Why you should buy the HP Omen 16 gaming laptop
This latest model of the HP Omen 16 is equipped with the 14th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM, alongside the aforementioned Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card. These specifications place it up there with the best gaming laptops, and will allow you to play the best PC games without any issues. You'll also have ample storage space for several titles with all of their required updates and optional DLCs, as the machine ships with a 512GB SSD with Windows 11 Home pre-loaded.

Read more