Saturday, October 18, 2008 | Reason : In the News | print version

Print | Comments |

Video Game Pulled Due to Qur'an Quotes

by Gamespot

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Reposted from:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6199562.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;1

Little Big Planet recalled planetwide, due in US October 27

[UPDATE 2]: Quotations from the Qur'an in soundtrack prompt sudden delay of Sony's platformer in all territories; SCEA says it will ship revised copies to North America week after next.

Sony's Little Big Planet is one of the most high-profile releases of this holiday season. Developer Media Molecule has seen its game go from indie darling to AAA system-seller in the past year, thanks to the many appearances that the game has made at trade shows and events.

However, fans of the game are going to have to wait slightly longer to get it. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has announced that it is recalling the game from retailers after it learned that the soundtrack featured some Arabic-language lines from the Qur'an backed with music. A SCEE representative also confirmed to GameSpot that this recall would be global, and could not confirm when the game would now actually hit shelves with the offending music removed.

The confirmation follows rumours that that Singing Safari level of the game features a song with two expressions found in Islam's central holy text, the Qur'an. Cached pages on the official PlayStation forum claim that the two phrases are (literally translated from the original Arabic): "Every soul shall have the taste of death" and "All that is on earth will perish."

Although Sony's press release does not confirm that the above lines are in the game, they do claim that "one of the background music tracks licensed from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Qur'an." Independent translation done for GameSpot confirmed that the lines linked from the original post are indeed from the Qur'an.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's press release continues, "We have taken immediate action to rectify this and we sincerely apologise for any offence that this may have caused." It ends by saying that the company will confirm the new launch date shortly.

For more on LittleBigPlanet, check out GameSpot's full review of the indefinitely delayed game.

[UPDATE]: Impatient gamers may still be able to get their hands on the version of Little Big Planet that contains the Qur'an references. Gaming importer National Console Support said that it has begun shipping US versions of the game to customers who preordered. What's more, the site says that it will ship the game to US customers for Saturday delivery if they order by 4 p.m. Eastern time today.

This is not the first time a game developer has run afoul of the Qur'an. In November of 2002, Microsoft released the Xbox fighter Kakuto Chojin with a piece of background music that sampled passages of the holy book.

An internal Microsoft "geopolitical strategy team" identified the potential problem with the music as soon as the game had gone into duplication. Microsoft had a chance to recall the game before it hit shelves, but decided to release it anyway in the hopes that the music would go unnoticed. Although Kakuto Chojin was a critical and commercial flop, the background music eventually came to the fore, and Microsoft recalled the game in February of 2003.

[UPDATE 2]: SCEA has acknowledged the recall on its PlayStation Blog, apologizing to those offended and for the delay. According to the post, SCEA "will begin shipping LittleBigPlanet to retail in North America the week of October 27th."

Posted: Saturday, October 18, 2008 | Permalink

Comments 1 - 50 of 77 |

Reload Comments | Back to Top | Page Numbers

1. Comment #266232 by Negasta on October 18, 2008 at 12:37 pm

I suspect that this was done less out of respect for Muslim religious feelings and more out of not wanting their offices/stores that sell the game bombed by the Mad Lovers of Mohammed.

Once again Islam proves our point for us.

Other Comments by Negasta

2. Comment #266234 by Layla Nasreddin on October 18, 2008 at 12:40 pm

"Every soul shall have a taste of death", Kullu nafsin dhaa'iqatul-mawt, Surah 3, Al-Imran, verse 185

"All that is on it [earth] will perish", Kullu man 'alayhaa faan, Surah 55, Ar-Rahman, verse 26

Setting the Qur'an to music is considered HUGELY offensive; I've thought we should get Madonna to sing Qur'an verses to music for maximum offensiveness -- "arousing" female singer, check, instrumental music, check, Qur'an verses in an irreverent context, check! ;-)

Other Comments by Layla Nasreddin

3. Comment #266239 by designsoda on October 18, 2008 at 12:47 pm

I've been waiting for this game for a while.

For those curious here's the source of the complaint.

http://community.eu.playstation.com/playstationeu/board/message?board.id=b_EN_GAMES_general_lbp&thread.id=23576

Other Comments by designsoda

4. Comment #266262 by Robert Maynard on October 18, 2008 at 1:28 pm

1) The artist behind the song, Toumani Diabate, is apparently a "devout Muslim".
2) The song, Tapha Niang, which you can hear for free on Diabate's MySpace page, isn't half bad.
3) The design of the game, LittleBigPlanet, is premised on incredible customisation and user-generated content, and some particularly angry fans have already floated the idea of flooding the servers with levels with Qur'anic verses scribbled all over everything in protest.

Could this foot get any more shot?

Other Comments by Robert Maynard

5. Comment #266286 by Vinelectric on October 18, 2008 at 2:41 pm

Just think about this for a moment guys.

These verses are the sort of thing you grow up listening to as a child born to a Muslim family. Day in, day out. By the time you reach early teens part of your brain is worshipping death all the time, in the form of a faint but constant stream of fatalism that permeates the fabric of every thought you make. Is that not criminal?

RD is right about religion being child abuse in more ways than he originally intended in that documentary.

Other Comments by Vinelectric

6. Comment #266290 by rod-the-farmer on October 18, 2008 at 2:50 pm

Didn't our good Professor provide a list (in one of this books) of sayings from the christian bible that have found their way into the English language, thereby enriching it ? And so I ask, where is the vatican when we need them, to complain about the English stealing phrases, even whole sentences from their holy book ?? Sauce for the goose....

Other Comments by rod-the-farmer

7. Comment #266291 by j.mills on October 18, 2008 at 2:50 pm

Exsqueeze me? Is the koran still under copyright after 13 centuries? We keep going round this track, don't we? They can just NOT BUY THE GAME.

We would not see a game withdrawn for featuring verses from the bible or the upanishads. The argument is the same but the ferocity of the complainants is different.

Other Comments by j.mills

8. Comment #266299 by JamesLondon74 on October 18, 2008 at 3:20 pm

Whether right or wrong, these Muslims sure get results. Amazing what the threat of death does huh? Isn't blackmail illegal????

Other Comments by JamesLondon74

9. Comment #266300 by Layla Nasreddin on October 18, 2008 at 3:21 pm

Vinelectric wrote:

Just think about this for a moment guys.

These verses are the sort of thing you grow up listening to as a child born to a Muslim family. Day in, day out. By the time you reach early teens part of your brain is worshipping death all the time, in the form of a faint but constant stream of fatalism that permeates the fabric of every thought you make. Is that not criminal?

RD is right about religion being child abuse in more ways than he originally intended in that documentary.

I couldn't agree more with that "fatalism" bit. If you read it or hear it recited, what you hear over and over (and over and over...) again is that "Allah has power over all things" and humans are powerless against the will of Allah, that all things are "written" (maktub) and inevitable, and you can't do anything about it.

"No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence. That is truly easy for Allah." (57:22)

"And do not say of anything: Surely I will do it tomorrow, except if Allah wills." (18:23-24)

In sha' Allah, Muslims will give up this fatalism! ;-)

Didn't our good Professor provide a list (in one of this books) of sayings from the christian bible that have found their way into the English language, thereby enriching it ?

In The God Delusion, the part entitled "Religious Education as a Part of Literary Culture in chapter 9, "Childhood, Abuse and the Escape from Religion." In Islamic countries, there exists the same thing with Qur'anic verses and phrases.

Other Comments by Layla Nasreddin

10. Comment #266306 by Vinelectric on October 18, 2008 at 3:31 pm

Layla Nasreddin

I've thought we should get Madonna to sing Qur'an verses

She's done it already on a track called "Erotica".
Listen at apprximately 3:54 where she starts singing "Allaahh" in a suggestive Meccan-Muezzing style voice.

I still can't believe it went unnoticed!

EDIT: track time changed from 4:01 to 3:54

Other Comments by Vinelectric

11. Comment #266309 by Layla Nasreddin on October 18, 2008 at 3:54 pm

She's done it already on a track called "Erotica".

Actually, she's sampling an Arabic Christian Good Friday hymn sung by Lebanese singer Fairuz there (the bit is "Al-yawm 'ulliqa", "today He is held to a cross"). She actually got sued over that (settled out of court), so yes, they DID notice in the Middle East! She also uses the same sample in another song, "The Beast Within," where she reads from the Book of Revelation (!).

(Please don't ask how I know all this...*cries*)

Other Comments by Layla Nasreddin

12. Comment #266310 by F_A_F on October 18, 2008 at 3:55 pm

Sony has had it's fingers burned before by the religious lobby:

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

Even though in the game, the cathedral site was used as a medical centre. Ah well....

Other Comments by F_A_F

13. Comment #266313 by amalthea on October 18, 2008 at 4:02 pm

Weird, no-one complained when Cliff Richard set the Lord's Prayer to music. Except music-lovers obviously.

No death threats issued, apart from the music lovers amongst us, obviously.

Am I right in thinking that there are some sects of Islam that want music banned?

Other Comments by amalthea

14. Comment #266320 by Ohnhai on October 18, 2008 at 4:29 pm

@amalthea

If they do want to ban music be prepared for Footloose Fatwa.

Other Comments by Ohnhai

15. Comment #266321 by designsoda on October 18, 2008 at 4:32 pm

3) The design of the game, LittleBigPlanet, is premised on incredible customisation and user-generated content, and some particularly angry fans have already floated the idea of flooding the servers with levels with Qur'anic verses scribbled all over everything in protest.

You can also customize the character (named Sackboy). Several times I've seen gamers in forums saying they'll be creating Mohammed Sackboys because of this.

Some poor Sony programmer will have the crummy job of having to delete anything that could offend Muslims from the servers I'm sure. Good luck with that!

Other Comments by designsoda

16. Comment #266322 by Vinelectric on October 18, 2008 at 4:40 pm

Thaks Layla,

I won't ask how you know any of this so I'll make my own assumptions (she must be...oh..no.. not that..!)

I don't know why I never made the connection with the Fairouz hymn. Her Good Friday collection is superb.

Other Comments by Vinelectric

17. Comment #266333 by El Dubious Mung on October 18, 2008 at 5:11 pm

I've been tearing into the comments on Kotaku . com about this one. Most have been saying "guys, it's just a week, calm down, it's good to respect other people's religious beliefs, etc."

I'm chalking this one up with the Dutch cartoons, The Satanic Verses, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Theo Van Gogh, etc. Admittedly not as terrible an infraction, but an infraction none the less, and the world is worse for it.

Other Comments by El Dubious Mung

18. Comment #266379 by Eshto on October 18, 2008 at 7:09 pm

Yes it's good to respect other people's beliefs, but that doesn't mean we should have to follow them.

Other Comments by Eshto

19. Comment #266387 by felandath on October 18, 2008 at 7:41 pm

Layla Nasreddin wrote -

"In sha' Allah, Muslims will give up this fatalism! ;-) "

Hahahahaha. That was classic! One has to have been a Muslim to understand the irony of that statement. I think it sums things up brilliantly.

And here I thought that Video Games and any form of entertainment was HARAAM.

Cheers.

Other Comments by felandath

20. Comment #266391 by BeyondBelief on October 18, 2008 at 8:28 pm

Hear! Hear! Layla Nasreddin! That is brutally funny irony!!

Copyright that quickly. :-)

Cheers!!

Other Comments by BeyondBelief

21. Comment #266405 by Halfpixel on October 18, 2008 at 10:08 pm

I've been tearing into the comments on Kotaku . com about this one. Most have been saying "guys, it's just a week, calm down, it's good to respect other people's religious beliefs, etc."

Everyone on Kotaku has been brainwashed by cultural relativism. I used to be an active commenter there, but one day the site featured an article about some Muslim scholar who was upset about the amount of violence in video games (and wanted them banned in his country, surprise surprise). I commented that I found this ironic considering that Islam is such a violent religion, and I was promptly flamed by several other commenters and then banned a matter of hours later.

Other Comments by Halfpixel

22. Comment #266409 by RascoHeldall on October 18, 2008 at 10:20 pm

One day, the fact that people used to pander to this sort of nonsense will seem like a bad dream.

Or am I just a dreamer?

Other Comments by RascoHeldall

23. Comment #266427 by Heretic on October 19, 2008 at 12:41 am

Comment #266379 by Eshto:

Yes it's good to respect other people's beliefs

I have to disagree. I have yet to hear a single real reason why I should respect anyone's delusional beliefs. If someone has a belief in an invisible sky daddy, who tells him in a book that was written 2000 or so years ago that they should kill me because I don't believe in their invible sky daddy, I don't think that they deserve my respect for that belief, do you?

Other Comments by Heretic

24. Comment #266447 by fiath on October 19, 2008 at 2:09 am

Hmm, when I read the title, I assumed the fuss was going to be about having Qur'an quotes in a piece of music offensive to *non*-Muslims. I thought, what? How silly!

Of course, I forgot Muslims get offended by music too... Ho hum.

Other Comments by fiath

25. Comment #266472 by Vinelectric on October 19, 2008 at 3:07 am

Layla, Beyon Belief and felandth,

Have you also noticed that a non-believing "Nasreddin" is also ironic!

Other Comments by Vinelectric

26. Comment #266490 by King of NH on October 19, 2008 at 4:52 am

I hate theists so much. There are more clever ways to say it. Kinder ways to say it. More constuctive ways to say it. But after reading this, all I can say is I HATE THEISTS!

All I ask is that these people stop, think, and reason. Is it really that hard? Really? I mean, I like to think I'm intelligent, but I'm more likely around average. Yet I get it. Stop, think, reason. Simple. Nobody should be dying, or fearing death, because of words. I hate theists.

Other Comments by King of NH

27. Comment #266492 by Wosret on October 19, 2008 at 5:03 am

Heh, didn't know that setting Qur'anic verses to music was not allowed by Muslims either. Damn, that Allah runs a tight skip. What a Nazi.

Remember, this is a entertainment company. They aren't trying to make a point, or protest for freedom or something, they are trying to entertain, and make money. The best way to do that, is to comply and remove the song. If I was in charge, I definitely would. Not because I was afraid of them, but because I ideally did not want to cause offense, or do anything that might damage the reception and sales of my product.

Other Comments by Wosret

28. Comment #266493 by Dhamma on October 19, 2008 at 5:09 am

They've won.

Really, had not the Danish caricatures of Mohammed been published with the following chaos of muslim ignorance, I doubt they'd recall this one. They have scared the shit out of us, and I think that we had a great chance to show them we won't accept their awful protest by continuing to not care if we draw their pathetic prophet.

But no, we give up instead!

We give them the credit they absolutely cannot have.

Other Comments by Dhamma

29. Comment #266529 by Butler on October 19, 2008 at 8:09 am

I'm not that bothered by this actually. Corporations will always bow to the whims of their customers, no matter how ridiculous or irrational. There's no real kowtowing to religion here, just Sony looking out for number one.

Other Comments by Butler

30. Comment #266627 by Ania on October 19, 2008 at 12:46 pm

"Every soul shall have the taste of death" and "All that is on earth will perish."

perhaps the Quran needs to be recalled.

Other Comments by Ania

31. Comment #266656 by Jesus Jones on October 19, 2008 at 1:56 pm

Reading the link to the original complaint, I was curious to see a question that someone had posed - why is this offensive?

Seems like a bloody good question and I'd really like to know the answer. After all, no one is "insulting" Islam. Does it state in the Quran that it must not be read to music? Like the original questioner, I'm actually genuinely curious. Does anybody know?

Other Comments by Jesus Jones

32. Comment #266697 by shaunfletcher on October 19, 2008 at 3:28 pm

I can't so much blame Sony for this.. you cannot demand that people be heroes and stand up to death threats and suchlike, much as you might admire those who do.

Its a fine example of the vileness inherent in 'the religion of peace(tm)' though.

Other Comments by shaunfletcher

33. Comment #266701 by Layla Nasreddin on October 19, 2008 at 3:31 pm

Jesus Jones wrote:

Reading the link to the original complaint, I was curious to see a question that someone had posed - why is this offensive?

Seems like a bloody good question and I'd really like to know the answer. After all, no one is "insulting" Islam. Does it state in the Quran that it must not be read to music? Like the original questioner, I'm actually genuinely curious. Does anybody know?

It's the fact that Qur'anic passages are being set to music that is so "offensive." (Even though the artist of the song is himself Muslim.) Many scholars hold that instrumental music is haraam, forbidden, and reciting the "sacred" words of the Qur'an over it makes things even worse.

Vinelectric wrote:

Have you also noticed that a non-believing "Nasreddin" is also ironic!

Nasreddin = "victory of faith" (which is why I liked it at the time)
There's probably a Mullah Nasreddin joke in there somewhere... ;-)

Other Comments by Layla Nasreddin

34. Comment #266717 by Jesus Jones on October 19, 2008 at 3:46 pm

Thanks Layla,

I was hoping for something with a little more meat on the reason but I guess when it comes to religious hang-ups, that's wishful thinking!

An extension to this is, if the words were simply spoken in the game, would the same "offense" be taken, i.e. is it the words themselves or just the medium of their transmission?

Other Comments by Jesus Jones

35. Comment #266776 by Layla Nasreddin on October 19, 2008 at 4:37 pm

I was hoping for something with a little more meat on the reason but I guess when it comes to religious hang-ups, that's wishful thinking!

An extension to this is, if the words were simply spoken in the game, would the same "offense" be taken, i.e. is it the words themselves or just the medium of their transmission?

I suspect it's also a matter of the "irreverent" context of the words merely being used as the soundtrack of a videogame. It is drilled into Muslims that when the Qur'an, the supposed words of Allah himself, is being recited, one should listen attentively. It shouldn't be just background noise. "When the Qur'an is read, listen to it with attention, and hold your peace: that you may receive mercy." (Qur'an 7:204)

Other Comments by Layla Nasreddin

36. Comment #266802 by Cartomancer on October 19, 2008 at 5:01 pm

Nobody has pointed it out yet, but this is an entirely European problem. My brother works as a translator in the video games industry and so I get something of an inside track on the issue from him. He was moaning about precisely this sort of issue when he came to visit this weekend.

The vast majority of video games originate in Japan. All the major developers are based there, and Sony is one of the foremost among them. Because the creative teams behind most video games are Japanese, it is Japanese cultural sensibilities that tend to shape their content. In Japan there is no fuss at all over the use of religious imagery, of any religion, and precious little fuss over infringement of copyright. Frequently any religious elements of fantasy games are rendered in overtly christian, shinto, buddhist, hindu or even islamic terms. To the Japanese mind-set verses from the koran simply give a middle-eastern cultural feel - hardly anybody in Japan can understand them anyway, and the idea of sacred texts really isn't current in the same way even the christian west understands it. When trying to evoke the atmosphere of the exotic middle east, full of magic carpets, bustling spice markets and burly eunuch guards with scimitars and baggy pantaloons, chucking in a few verses of authentic middle-eastern mumbo jumbo will capture the aesthetic nicely. Likewise, nothing says medieval europe quite as well as Latin prayer chants and the ringing of church bells. Because the Japanese are more than willing to deploy their own history, culture and religious traditions in this way they find it baffling that other people might object if treated likewise. And there really aren't any muslims in Japan to bother with anyway, and not enough christians to be anything more than a mild curiosity.

When games are localised for non-Japanese markets, of which the main two are Europe and North America, things inevitably have to be changed to bring them in line with European or American censorship policies. In America this usually involves removing overtly christian imagery (although back in the 80s and early 90s Nintendo of America had their own extremely severe code of censorship which prohibited anything from violence directed at women to sex references and religious imagery of all kinds). European standards are more severe, because what is considered acceptable varies from country to country. Because almost all games are done in one Europe-wide release (it is not economical to produce one English version, one French version, one Italian version etc.) the game has to be bowdlerised in line with every country's predilections. Apparently Germany is among the strictest nations in this regard, thanks to its stringent anti-Nazi laws which prohibit any display of the swastika and related symbols. The swastika, as the manji or sun wheel, is a commonplace religious device in Asian cultures, and frequently pressed into service for video games by unwitting Japanese developers to whom it carries no trace of Nazi overtones. This often means that a game is simply not sold in Germany, when you can get it elsewhere in the European zone. The reworked version of one absolute classic game, Legend of the Holy Sword (Secret of Mana to US and UK audiences) is currently on permanent hiatus for European audiences because one of the boss monsters has manji patterns tattooed onto its skin. Likewise the original Legend of Zelda game for the NES is currently unavailable in Germany because the layout of one of its underground dungeons is in the shape of the same symbol.

And, of course, EU cultural relativism has influenced the process markedly, with all the kowtowing to islamic sensibilities that entails.

Other Comments by Cartomancer

37. Comment #266815 by Jesus Jones on October 19, 2008 at 5:24 pm

Thanks Layla,

I appreciate you explaining their issue to me. I doubt I'm going to jump on to their side of the argument but I guess its always better trying to see from their point of view. Now, how to get them to change to my point of view?

I'm guessing we make this game available for sale so that those who wish to purchase it can enjoy it and those who may be offended by it can choose not to. Hmmm, that seems reasonable......wait, that already happens?! Well then what is the f*cking problem!

Other Comments by Jesus Jones

38. Comment #266819 by Godfree Gordon on October 19, 2008 at 5:46 pm

Sony are soft cocks

Slander
Osiris
Not
Yahweh

i.e. Dead Gods are OK

Other Comments by Godfree Gordon

39. Comment #266920 by Halfpixel on October 19, 2008 at 9:57 pm

I'm not that bothered by this actually. Corporations will always bow to the whims of their customers, no matter how ridiculous or irrational. There's no real kowtowing to religion here, just Sony looking out for number one.

I beg to differ. Sony isn't looking out for their bottom line by doing this. This recall is probably going to cost them millions. The only reason I can imagine that they'd do this is because they fear that there might be repercussions if they don't, and that's a sad state of affairs.

@ Cartomancer: That's some interesting insight, but it's not true at all that the "vast majority" of video games originate in Japan. Little Big Planet, for example, was developed by Media Molecule - they're a UK developer.

Other Comments by Halfpixel

40. Comment #266947 by bnightm on October 20, 2008 at 1:47 am

Sometimes I think you guys could benefit from a little sense of perspective.

Had there been a line in the soundtrack that some fat people would consider insulting and it got out, Sony would have made the same decision.

In World of Warcraft, the reason the Pandaren (a race of anthropormophic pandas) hasn't seen any action yet, is because of how the chinese perceive pandas. Blizzard has stated this officially.

This is pure business sense, people.

The 1% of you who actually own a PS3 and intended to buy LBP, can still do so.

Other Comments by bnightm

41. Comment #267054 by firstelder_d on October 20, 2008 at 6:46 am

Censorship is a form of control and should be regarded as a bad thing.

Had there been a line in the soundtrack that some fat people would consider insulting and it got out, Sony would have made the same decision.

You are probably right because whiny people always get what they want. But this is not hatred and really the only reason the lines were taken out is because of what people know extremists are willing to do for their imaginary friends.

Other Comments by firstelder_d

42. Comment #267060 by Cartomancer on October 20, 2008 at 6:54 am

Perhaps I am thinking of the console and arcade markets specifically, which are heavily dominated by Japanese companies. The Japanese don't like PC games very much. Also, video games hold a much higher percentage of the total entertainment industry in Japan than anywhere else, and Japanese video game companies tend to have much bigger creative teams and development budgets than non-Japanese ones. This is why the vast majority of top-ranking console games are of Japanese origin - with the biggest players undoubtedly being Nintendo, Square Enix, Konami, Capcom, Sony and Sega. As a corollary, a disproportionate number of games designers and industry people in other countries are of Japanese origin.

In terms of economic influences, also, the relationship between Japan and America is important. America is a slightly bigger market in absolute economic terms, but Americans are generally perfectly happy to buy and play Japanese games. The Japanese, on the other hand, tend not to buy games of foreign origin, and very few non-Japanese titles end up being localised for Japanese consumption. As such Japan holds the make or break purchasing power which will determine a game's global economic success. Console manufacturers such as Sony are more than willing to produce and distribute third-party games from foreign companies to a foreign audience, but I would be highly surprised if this particular game in question will get a Japanese release, and thus become a world bestseller. As such it is generally Japanese cultural and business ethics which are behind the industry as a whole, and censorship on religious issues is imposed from outside. According to my brother it is a regular occurrence in his office when the censor's report comes back on a recently submitted game and all the Japanese employees stare incredulously at the silly things the censor has asked them to change.

It's not a policy of self-censorship among the creative people, rather of bureaucratic censorship from external committees and institutions who are simperingly afraid of islamic disfavour.

Other Comments by Cartomancer

43. Comment #267065 by bnightm on October 20, 2008 at 7:00 am

This is not about whining people always getting their way, but about the market selling what people want to buy. That's capitalism. LBP is not some starving artists attempt at expression. It's about turning a profit.

This is *not* censorship. It's Sony executives realizing the game had some bad rep in certain demographics and *fixing it*.

Either that, or some elaborate ruse to kick the hype surrounding this game into overdrive.

Other Comments by bnightm

44. Comment #267071 by Border Collie on October 20, 2008 at 7:17 am

We've become so stupidly politically correct that we actually believe that 'offense' is something real. It isn't. 'Offense' is in the mind of the beholder. It is not something that happens to them or something that someone or some thing does to them. They choose what it is. They define it and whine, we wet our pants and grovel. It can be anything. Thus, there is literally no end to it. No one or no entity can ever apologize or slice their own wrists enough ... original sin taken to the nth degree. I recommend that all non-muslims on the face of planet Earth fake suicide because we're soooo fuckin' guilty. Then the muslims won't have anyone to kill except themselves. When they've all slaughtered each other we can come out of our closets and start living sensible lives again.

Other Comments by Border Collie

45. Comment #267076 by Wosret on October 20, 2008 at 7:21 am

42. Comment #267060 by Cartomancer

Non-Japanese games, and fiction in general, just tends to suck, that's all. What annoys me is that there is no major market for graphic novels, so graphic novels made for the console are almost never released outside of Japan, and when they are rarely made for the computer, they still almost never release english versions.

I have several graphic novels I'm waiting to be good enough at Japanese to try playing. Also, because of stupid Xbox, Final Fantasy thirteen won't be out in the west until at least year after its Japanese release. I still plan to get the Japanese version, and guess-work my way through it. I should at least be through the Joyo Kanji by then, so I will be able to do some rough, time-consuming and highly inaccurate translations.

Damn you Japan, switch to english so I don't have to learn Japanese!

Other Comments by Wosret

46. Comment #267088 by Border Collie on October 20, 2008 at 7:44 am

"I'm offended" is one of the most psychologically immature utterances that can come from a human mouth.

Other Comments by Border Collie

47. Comment #267115 by bnightm on October 20, 2008 at 8:27 am

Border Collie: So which one is it.

A: You find nothing offensive
or
B: You find talking about the offense you feel immature?

Frankly, I find both possibilities incredible.

Other Comments by bnightm

48. Comment #267118 by firstelder_d on October 20, 2008 at 8:32 am

Border Collie I couldn't have put it better myself.

bnightm,
Something was removed from something, because some group was 'offended' that sounds like moral/religious censorship to me.

If Sony did it for profit sake (which is probably true) that doesn't matter much, this also demonstrates the additional respect religion has. If I claimed stuffed dolls with button eyes are offensive would they change? What if I said the LBP voodoo dolls are offensive?

Other Comments by firstelder_d

49. Comment #267126 by bnightm on October 20, 2008 at 8:53 am

firstelder: that's a very wide definition of censorship that would make every single natural conversation censorious just because people moderate themselves.

And to your two questions, the answers are the same: If you represented a significant demographic. Sure, and *why not*? They want *your money*. Period. They are not submitting to people's silly beliefs, they are adapting their product. They have no other obligations, and hence no motif to do it otherwise.

Other Comments by bnightm

50. Comment #267130 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 9:00 am

Mitchell

Non-Japanese games, and fiction in general, just tends to suck, that's all.

Oh give me a break, lol. I hope you're not serious. American movies, books, and games tend to suck? Not so much. It's been some time since a Japanese game has deserved (or earned) even RPG of the Year, let alone Game of the Year (though IGN went against the grain and picked Mario Galaxy a year ago). Blizzard, Bioware, and Bethesda have a pretty tight grip on the best-RPG-of-the-year decision whenever they bother to release anything these days, and rightly so. Resident Evil, MGS, and Ninja Gaiden compete well with the action franchises in the West but they have a tall order nowadays to take down Halo, Gears, Bioshock, Call of Duty, GTA, etc. Gran Turismo, Japan's only claim to fame in racing, is soundly beaten by Forza in comparisons. Pretty much the only genre Japan outright dominates is fighting games. In the rest it holds its own, at best.

As for the article... I already made a comment on Slashdot but I can make a similar one here -- it's the usual habit of bending over for Muslim "we are offended" BS. So what if it's found in the Qur'An? That doesn't entitle Muslims to a monopoly on using text from it for hate speech ^^

Other Comments by Sciros

Reload Comments | Back to Top

More Comments: 1 2 | Next | Last