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Homefront, WoW And Call Of Duty Titles Removed From Sale In Norway

by Adam Cook on August 1, 2011

After any tragedy, it seems gaming is never far away from. Often it has absolutely nothing to do with the sad events, but people need someone to blame, understandably so.

The events in Norway left the entire world mourning a genuine set of tragic events, and it seems that Norwegian retailer “Coop” have taken the step to remove lots of games involving violence, or shooting from sale in the country. The shooter specifically referred to Call of Duty: World at War and Modern Warfare 2 in his manifesto.

“The decision to remove the games was made around the time we realised the scope of the attack,” Geir Inge Stokke, director of Coop Norway Retail told the Norwegian press.

“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. We have to think very carefully about when to bring these goods back. The economy involved is of no importance.”

Modern Warfare 2 and World Of Warcraft were also removed, and a plethora of other titles including COD: Black Ops, COD: World at War, COD 4: Modern Warfare, Homefront, Sniper Ghost Warrior, and Counter-Strike Source.

Breivik murdered 77 people in terror attacks on July 22. In his 15,000 page manifesto “2083: A European Declaration of Independence,” he talked about using World Of Warcraft as a cover for being out of contact, and saw Modern Warfare 2 as a teaching aid.

“I see MW2 more as a part of my training-simulation than anything else,” said Brevik.

What do you think of this story? In the light of Brevik’s comments, is the removal of sale a good thing, the right thing to do, or should one man’s lunacy be cast aside when it comes to making an informed decision? Tell us your thoughts via Twitter, FaceBook, or on our Forums.