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Tony Blair comments on Church of England's Sony issue
Make some popcorn and grab some drinks because Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has now publicly commented on the Church of England's issue with Resistance: Fall of Man. During the Prime Minister's questions (which is fantastic television viewing BTW) the MP for Manchester Central asked, "Would the Prime Minister agree with me then that when Sony used images of Manchester Cathedral as part a game which extols gun violence, this was not only in bad taste but also very, very insulting to not simply the Church of England, but people across the land who think it's inappropriate that big corporations behave in this way?"Mr. Blair's response? Quite "meh" in tone and execution. Blair said, "I agree with my honourable friend. I think it's important that any of the companies engaged in promoting these types of goods have some sense of responsibility and also some sensitivity to the feelings of others ... I think it is important that people understand there is a wider social responsibility as well as an interior responsibility for profits." So, that means what exactly?We wish we could get a better idea oh how this kerfuffle is really going down in England. Any Brits want to comment? So far, what we know is that Sony is handling the situation through their Europe branch quietly. Meanwhile, developer of Resistance, Insomniac Games, is keeping their mouth shut and not saying anything either. This whole situation is becoming very Alice in Wonderland. Alice might say, "If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"Update: Changed Blair from PM of England to PM of United Kingdom. Please pardon our oversight citizens of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Eastern Bavaria.
Bully discussion draw laughs in British parliament
Amid discussion of issues such as the Iraq war and postal service reform on the British parliamentary floor, MP Keith Vaz (Leicester, East) found time yesterday to question prime minister Tony Blair about the the violence found in Bully (known in Britain as Canis Canem Edit). Vaz expressed concerns about scenes of "teachers being head-butted and the aggressive use of baseball bats" and asked the prime minister to convene a meeting with industry stakeholders to discuss the game.In answering the concerns, Blair mentioned he had not yet seen the game, an admission that drew a sustained, ten-second bout of chuckling from the parliamentary audience (Oh those wacky Brits). Blair went on to say he appreciated Vaz's concerns and that "the video games industry, or at least a substantial section of it, has made significant advances over the past few years," in addressing such issues.This is not the first time Vaz has raised concerns over Bully. Back in December 2005, the MP called for the game to be banned after reading a preview on Rockstar's web site. Vaz has also pushed for legislation requiring larger rating labels and direct government regulation of the industry.(Via MCV)Watch - Video of the exchange (jump to time index 46:38)Read - Transcript of the exchange
