resistance fall of man controversy!!

[Astrosmasher1]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6736809.stm

Here is a topical link to the British broadcasting site.  Apparantly the above game has come a cropper with the church over here in the UK.  I just thought people who play this game should realise the EVIL they have in their hands....

[VideoGameCritic]

[QUOTE=Astrosmasher]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6736809.stm

Here is a topical link to the British broadcasting site.  Apparantly the above game has come a cropper with the church over here in the UK.  I just thought people who play this game should realise the EVIL they have in their hands....
[/QUOTE]

I don't see what the big deal is.  I've seen churches depicted in many games, and they make for a great place for human sacrifices!  Everybody knows that!

[Koopa W.]

This reminds me of why I dislike organized religions.

[Anayo1]

The inablility of people to discern tasteful from distasteful in this day and age is just so ridiculous. You can HAVE something existing as indifferent scenery in a game without portraying some offensive or distasteful message! It's like nudity in art - artists can study the human form, or use it for pornography. Or it's like the swatstikas and Adolf Hitler portraits in Wolfenstein 3D. They're not promoting a Nazi message by putting them there! The game just happens to revolve around escaping from a Nazi prison, so of course you're going to be seeing those things!

The point at which the line is crossed is when a distasteful message is deliberately put in there. For instance (bear with me) suppose you were playing some multiplayer game where your team icon was a swatstika, or your players dressed up like Klu Klux Klan members. Well, I guess the former is conceivable (Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, anyone? Allies versus Axis?), but unless it's relevant in that way then the line is crossed. In the case of Resistance, for crying out loud, it's a fantasy game where British soldiers go through the church while they're fighting imaginary mutant alien creatures! Want something offensive? Render a secret room where there's an orgy being held by the clergymen, or incorporate an Anglican clergyman character who's depicted as corrupt and vile. He could be a pedophile or something. Wait, you don't need to make a video game for that, it's already happened in real life. Now why does this strike me as ironic?

[feilong801]

[QUOTE=Koopa W.]

This reminds me of why I dislike organized religions.

[/QUOTE]

Well, they have one potentially valid point: If indeed Sony did not properly acquire permission to use the cathedral, then they have a problem (though Sony claims they did have them obviously). Try to imagine how you would feel if someone put a realistic version of your house in a game and depicted horrible things going on there, without getting your permission to do so.

However, methinks this isn't what happened here. I tend to think that Sony probably got the permission, and the cathedral folks didn't know what they were getting into.

When I clicked the link, I was sort of thinking in the direction of supporting the Church of England's position, until what I saw what this was really about: gun control nonsense. That's the real reason, at least if you take the quotes from the BBC at face value, why they are concerned here. So I'll call "rubbish," or, to put an English spin on it, "Bullocks!" and suggest the Church of England get a little more hip to video games before granting permission to a developer!

@ Koopa: It is foolish, I'm afraid, to make a sweeping generalization like that. Also, I would think that making such a generalization based on something as (in the grand scheme of things) trivial as this is wrong headed.

-Rob

[Iain]

Hah, typical Church Of England really. The Church does quite well as a business (and one with a lot of Government support as well). They are fishing for royalty payments no doubt.

[Atarifever1]

Maybe they were mad because they thought the game was going to be on the 360, and then it turned out to be on the PS3.  

[Edward M]

I am no expert on international law, but at this worst, this should only effect England right?   I'm glad my country doesn't have a official church.

[Iain]

[QUOTE=Edward M]I am no expert on international law, but at this worst, this should only effect England right?   I'm glad my country doesn't have a official church. [/QUOTE]It could only affect England and Wales. Although if it were to come to the worst, it might be withdrawn from Scottish shops as well for conveniences sake.

But really, I have more chance of becoming pope than the game being withdrawn because of this. The Church Of England really ought to know better than to rush into a lawsuit it isn't going to win. The principle behind it is typical of them, but the action is less sensible than I would expect from them.

Mark my words, this will have no more effect than those lawsuits against Nintendo demanding the Wii be taken off the shelfs for alleged copyright breaches.

[feilong801]

[QUOTE=Edward M]
I'm glad my country doesn't have a official church.
[/QUOTE]
Amen to that. That's something religious and non-religious folk can certainly agree on.

-Rob