The airport scene in Modern Warfare 2 has been the subject of much debate since the game was released.
Jesse Stern, scriptwriter for Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, has given a frank interview about the controversial airport scene which occurs early in the game, claiming that the whole idea was to put players as close to atrocity as possible.

The level in question (warning, spoilers!) casts players as an undercover CIA agent who has infiltrated a group of Russian terrorists. The terrorists unleash a huge assault on a Russian airport and the player is given a chance to participate in the mass murder of unarmed civilians as the group rampage onwards.

"We've been catching a lot of criticism for that and a lot of praise as well," Stern told GamePro. "People have really strong reactions to the airport scene and it's been fascinating because we all wanted to make it something that would be upsetting, disturbing, but also something people relate to."