According to a report, players in the popular shooting game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” will no longer be able to celebrate with an “OK” gesture due to its use as a symbol of hatred.
American video game developer Infinity Ward quietly removed the gesture from the game amid concerns of its use by right-wing racist extremists, the independent reported.
Neither Infinity Ward nor Activision Publishing have confirmed the motive for removing the gesture, which was a popular way for interactive players to celebrate the end of a winning mission.
The gesture has now been replaced by a smiley called a “crush”, the media outlet reported.
The use of the ‘OK’ gesture as a symbol of hatred dates back to 2017 when it gained traction on social networking site 4chan, The Independent reported.
Members of the so-called “alt-right” are often captured in photographs performing the gesture.
The OK symbol is described by the Anti-Defamation League as “a sincere expression of white supremacy,” but the organization notes that “care must be taken not to jump to conclusions about the intention behind someone who has used the gesture,” the newspaper reported.
On June 6, Infinity Ward announced on Twitter: “There is no place for racist content in our game. This is an effort that we started with launch and we need to do a better job. We are issuing thousands of daily hate and racist name bans. But we know we have to do more. “
The company also said it would add additional resources to monitor and identify racist content, add additional reporting systems to increase the number of hourly bans and improve restrictions on name changes.
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