Rensselaer-Polytechnical-Institute
Latest
Virtual Jihadi art exhibit expelled from RPI
A political art exhibit at Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute (RPI) utilizing a modded version of Quest for Saddam, which caused a stir last week, has been booted from the campus by administrators. GamePolitics continues to track the story of the exhibit, which went from "little random thing" to pariah in a week. RPI's VP, William Walker, stated in a press release, "As stewards of a private university, we have the right and, indeed, the responsibility to ensure that university resources are used in ways that are in the overall best interests of the institution."The exhibit is currently being housed at the Sanctuary for Independent Media where protesters, led by the county's Republican majority leader, believe the game to be "un-American and destructive" and "beyond the bounds of what is decent or acceptable." A counter-protest is already underway.
Virtual Jihadi mod causing tension at New York school
A political art exhibit at Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute (RPI) utilizing a modded version of Quest for Saddam is causing a stir with RPI's College Republicans. The installation, which opens tomorrow night, called "The Night of Bush Capturing: A Virtual Jihadi," takes an al-Qaeda mod of the Saddam game and gives it a more nuanced feel according to the artist. In the mod, created by Iraqi-born artist Wafaa Bilal, players are cast in the role of a suicide bomber recruited by al-Qaeda.Bilal says, "This work is meant to bring attention to the vulnerability of Iraqi civilians to the travesties of the current war." The College Republicans say that the RPI Arts Department is "a terrorist safehaven." If people are interested in checking this out for themselves, the exhibit starts tomorrow night (Wednesday, March 5) at 7PM in RPI's West Hall Auditorium in Troy, NY.[Via GamePolitics]
