Infinity Ward removes ‘OK’ gesture from ‘Call of Duty’ game over hate symbol concerns

Players on the popular shoot-’em-up game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” will no longer be able to celebrate with an “OK” gesture because of its use as a hate symbol, according to a report.

US video game developer Infinity Ward quietly removed the gesture from the game amid concerns of its use by racist right-wing extremists, the Independent reported.

Neither Infinity Ward nor publisher Activision have confirmed the reason for the removal of the gesture, which was a popular way for interactive players to celebrate the end of a winning mission.

The gesture has now been replaced with an emote called “crush,” the news outlet reported.

The use of the “OK” gesture as a hate symbol dates back to 2017 when it gained traction on social media 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 intent behind someone who has used the gesture,” the paper reported.

On June 6, Infinity Ward announced on Twitter: “There is no place for racist content in our game. This is an effort we began with launch and we need to do a better job. We’re issuing thousands of daily bans of racist and hate-oriented names. 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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