The Call of Duty series has been a reliable source of controversy over the last few years, arguably to its favour, but this time nobody's asking developers or publishers to remove potentially offensive material. Instead, Microsoft have put their foot down over a sudden spate of swastika-themed Black Ops emblems, promising to ban those who transgress. Xbox LIVE's Stephen Toulouse has laid down the law on the matter via Twitter, and later his blog. The Director of Policy and Enforcement was asked for clarification by a player wanting to use the symbol, which is most commonly recognised in the Western world as that of Hitler's Nazi party, as his Black Ops emblem. His reply was to the point: Despite the finality of the decision, Toulouse has suffered increasing attack from defenders of the swastika, mounting arguments that the symbol has other more positive associations or that the violation of Xbox LIVE's terms of service is part of their nation's right to freedom of speech. Toulouse has since posted an exasperated reply on his personal blog: Personally I cannot imagine wanting to sport any particular icon enough to argue so vehemently for it. Your thoughts?
I'm glad they ban for it, as people do consider it "offensive". If they allowed swastikas imagine what other doorways would be open for other offensive symbols.