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Religious group sending Left Behind game to troops in Iraq
The Nation has a report this week on Operation Stand Up, an evangelical military entertainment group that is planning to send care packages including Left Behind: Eternal Forces to American troops fighting in Iraq.The game, which raised the ire of many activist groups for its promotion of killing and converting non-Christians, will come packaged in "freedom packets" that also include a pocket-size Gideon bible, a Christian extreme sports DVD and the proselytizing book More Than a Carpenter. The OSU web site describes the game's inclusion as "just one more way OSU Tour can be a conduit in changing a soul forever."While the group is affiliated with the Pentagon's America Supports You program, it's unclear just how much official support they have has from the military. The group does have the backing of "celebrities" including Stephen Baldwin, Evander Holyfield and, according to sources close to the group, God.
Know Your Lore: Gods and monsters
Azeroth differs from the real world in many, many ways. For example, outside the game, you will rarely find that your wages for completing jobs come in leather form, unless you work in adult entertainment. You will also find it difficult to fit an elephant, a stack of ore, and five large swords into a small brown sack. And in Azeroth, you won't go to pick up a quest only to be told that the Mag'har have decided to go with a more qualified adventurer, nor will your flying mount get repossessed by the bank. But there's one thing Earth and Azeroth have in common: A lot of the violence and conflict is caused by religious differences. Since Azeroth has no handy televangelism networks or airport pamphleteers, most players don't know too much about the religions and gods of the Warcraft universe. So Know Your Lore has prepared a guide to the major religions, their worshippers, their enemies, and other important information. Read on, lest ye be smited by boils!
Azeroth Interrupted: A plea for tolerance
Each week, Robin Torres contributes Azeroth Interrupted, a column about balancing real life with WoW.This past week, I was browsing the WoW European forums and came across a post about the Evil Children of Goldshire. For those of you who don't know, there are some children that sometimes appear on the second floor of the house outside of Goldshire. They are arranged in a pentagram and there is a 666 on the fireplace. Also, some eerie music plays when you are in the room with them. Someone complained about this kind of content being unnecessary to the game and the rest of the posts devolved into flaming him for his religious beliefs.Coincidentally, a similar incident happened this past week in a knit-along that I am participating in. A brief explanation for muggle readers: a knit-along is a list group or other online communication tool where people follow a pattern at the same time and discuss their progress, etc. It is kind of like MMO knitting. This particular knit-along is the Mystery Stole 3, where we don't know what the item is going to look like until we finish it and we don't know what the theme is -- this designer always has a theme or backstory behind her designs. But, of course, people like to guess ahead of time and one of the guesses was that it was demonic in nature. So someone in the list group of 7000+ people complained that if that were the case, she didn't want to continue on something that was against her religion and then a similar flamestorm to the WoW post occurred. What it all boils down to is that we all don't want to be offended in our refuge from the issues we have to deal with in real life. WoW is an escape and when we get offended and/or personally attacked, then our escape becomes another source of stress instead. The best thing to do, of course, is not to bring up religion at all, since it is an extremely volatile topic. But it happens and I'd like to break it down in detail to help both sides tolerate each other and possibly reduce the occurrence of these religious flamewars. Yes, I am sometimes unrealistically optimistic.
The Joystiq Weekend: June 16 - 18, 2007
Nintendo and Sony united for a holy cause, picture provided to us by Joystiq reader Norm Wilson. Check out the highlights for the weekend:JoystiqueryJoystiq interview: Hal Milton, lead designer, The AgencyToday's full of stuff video: Beautiful KatamariToday's which-one-is-evil comparison: Skate versus Tony HawkToday's please-play-play-better-in-person video: DK Bongo BlastWeekly Webcomic Wrapup: criminal comic editionNewsHarry Potter website unleashes a little magicGTA IV episodes confirmed Xbox 360 exclusivesGamespot: Beautiful Katamari coming to Xbox Live ArcadeIndependent Games Festival submission open call Church of England thanks Sony for apology, it's not enoughA valiant attempt to get Xbox 360 failure rate answersWatch the exclusive Red vs. Blue content without a ZuneTomb Raider: Anniversary episodes hitting Xbox 360 in SeptemberBlockbuster stores boast for Blu-raySony not talking about rumbleVirtual Console Monday celebrates gentlemanly sportHalo 3 viral marketing begins, countdowns and flyers galoreDead or Alive movie dead on arrivalTake-Two chair talks Wii and DS focusLegendary Pictures producing Diablo filmThis Wednesday: Band of Bugs crawls onto XBLA (ick!)Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 kicking this fallNew games this week: DiRT edition3D Realms claims Earth No MoreTake Two got $50M for GTAIV episodic contentMcFarlane working on Halo 3 action figuresMicrosoft sues Immersion over alleged breach of contractPSP's Earthworm Jim gets the bird, goes 'on hold'Tiltboard for Xbox 360 shipping next week for $40Big Daddy's final look for BioShock limited editionMarathon: Durandal runs away from German ratings board80GB PS3 launches in KoreaEA reorganizes business into four labelsSoul Calibur IV's bountiful bouncing breasts bulge biggerAfro Samurai going the way of the video gameRumors & SpeculationGameStop: Wii Blaster due on June 27Rumorang: Halo DS exhumed by IGNCulture & CommunityIndie gaming blog Gibbage turns into a portalFan crafts unofficial Super Mario Galaxy box artThe Guile to show SSFIITHDROMGBlizzCon sold out, let the scalping beginGaming magazines influence boys' self-imageFather-son event at Nintendo world storeNintendo Museum tour video, with 8 bit musicDrown your 360 sorrows with Ring of Fire parody songCircuit City offers free copies of Shadowrun to Halo 2 Vista buyersGameSpite gets teary-eyed with Chrono Trigger
Sony vs. Church of England, meanwhile CNN has field day
This weekend the news broke that the Church of England was unhappy with depictions of Manchester Cathedral in the Insomniac developed, Sony published, game Resistance: Fall of Man. The Church had issues with Resistance's use of guns in the virtual cathedral and called the whole thing "highly irresponsible." Sony went ahead and finally issued a statement stating that they take the matter seriously: "Whilst we believe that we have sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game, we will be contacting the Cathedral authorities in order to better understand their concerns in more detail." So, that's that, until dialog begins between Sony and Church of England; however, while the two groups work out their issues, CNN's headline writer is having a field day with this story. The best example is the first story they ran about the Church's issues. The headline reads: Cathedral shootout game under fire. Who knew that Resistance was all about a cathedral shootout? Then their latest story had the headline: Church wants cash for 'sick' game. Funny thing is that the word "sick" never shows up once in a quote, it's merely a word supposedly used by the church to describe the situation, but there's no attribution. Get ready kids, the mainstream media might spin this story off its axis.
Church of England demands donation for violent PS3 title
It's not like Sony hasn't been under fire from outlets in America and abroad before, but the latest quibble is coming from none other than the Church of England. Turns out that Sony reportedly took it upon itself to recreate the historic interior of Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man without first asking permission, and now there could be hell heaven to pay. Currently, the Church has asked Sony to "apologize and contribute a large donation from the game's profits as it did not pay a commercial fee to use the cathedral as a backdrop." Additionally, Sony could face two other demands -- one that requests the withdrawal of the game altogether, and the other to modify the section of the cathedral's interior. Notably, it's been no secret that certain sects of the UK have been dealing with rashes of gun crime, and while Sony hasn't succumbed to paying up or recalling all copies of the game just yet, it did say that it would "contact the cathedral authorities to understand their concerns in more detail."
Nintendo's Wii: a marriage saver?
It's fairly obvious that using the Wii to keep yourself slim and trim is bound to put a smile on your SO's face, but a curious banner at a presumed church used Nintendo's console (and its token font, too) to hint at answers to a successful marriage. Of course, a couple interested in spending countless hours of quality time gaming away with each other are indeed more likely to find common ground, but for the uber-competitive type, gaming together could lead to more quibbles than friendly laughs. Nevertheless, it shouldn't be surprising that a religious institution would tap into mainstream culture in order to garner attention to its offerings, and hey, if you've got to go to counseling for only taking "Mii" into consideration, you may as well get your game on while you're at it.[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]
Religious broadcaster takes balanced look at games
The stereotypical image of a fiery preacher warning about the moral dangers of video games took a hit today with the relatively balanced look at games on Christian lifestyle program Living the Life.The CBN program talked to Richard Abanes, author of What Every Parent Needs to Know about Video Games, who started by noting the positive effects game playing can have on logical thinking, social interaction and teamwork skills. Later, he said that media talk about games creating violent killers is overblown. "Whenever you see those stories in the news, it's just for the sake of getting some news," Abanes said.Living the Life fixture Dr. Linda Mintle was up next, talking about the potential addictiveness of video games. Her professional opinion? "Is it really physically addicting. Probably not. Do the chemicals rise and you get into it? Yes." Still, Mintle warned parents to watch out for children using games excessively as an escape from social problems. Both guests recommended parents play games with their children and warned of potential desensitizing effects of prolonged play -- good advice that thankfully avoids the sensationalist fearmongering of some other media outlets. Of course, the program did touch on some explicitly Christian issues. Abanes said that Christian games are not yet "hip enough" for kids, but that Christian games could eventually serve as "ministry points" to connect with hard-to-reach children. Mintle warned that parents should consider whether they want their kids "dabbling in the occult" through games. So, in summary, keep your kids away from The Witcher and you should be OK.Watch - Living the Life 4/18/07 (WMV Link)
Hulger's confessional booth lets sinners vent on luxury handsets
Hey, we know that purchasing one of Hulger's avant-garde handsets could very well leave you feeling guilty considering the lofty pricetag, but the company is looking to give you sinners a way out with its communication-enabled confessional booth. The bizarre setup will be erected at Designersblock Milan 2007, and is being constructed in partnership with "communications specialist Associate" to offer visitors the chance to "play the priest or the penitent." Of course, we've no interest in interviewing with a unordained minister, but so long as the unit features Hulger's latest ASTOR & SOPHIA limited edition handsets (pictured), we'd most definitely stop in for a courtesy chat.[Via Textually]
When good toys go bad IV: explicit CD player triggered during mass
While we've seen quite a few toys pulling stunts that they should definitely be ashamed of, the latest edition ups the ante by doing its dirty deed in a Roman Catholic cathedral. Following the "if it blinks, obliterate it" mentality so well exemplified at various Boston transit arteries, a team of Santa Fe bomb squad experts were called onto the scene after three CD players were triggered to start blasting "sexually explicit language in the middle of an Ash Wednesday Mass" at the Roman Catholic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Reportedly, the players were "duct-taped to the bottoms of the pews," apparently causing the innocent church dwellers to assume the worse -- you know, like C4 explosives camouflaged as a mid-range driver. Nevertheless, the bomb squad removed the devices, took them outside, and probably had a thrilling experience whilst detonating two of the players as a safety measure. Once the crew realized the only explosive tendencies were captured in the inappropriate lyrics, they salvaged the third unit to comb for fingerprints and hopefully arrest the perpetrator(s). Now, which cop is going to cave in and post the fireworks on YouTube?[Via BoingBoing]
NFL shuts down church's Super Bowl Bash, ratings to blame
C'mon folks, everyone and their grandmother will likely be watching the Super Bowl this coming Sunday (even across the pond), and even if you have no interest in the Colts, Bears, or large men in awkward suits, someone in your family probably feels otherwise. Nevertheless, the NFL showcased its mighty power (and terrible decision making) by condemning Fall Creek Baptist Church's "Super Bowl Bash," saying that advertising a fee-based party that utilized "license-protected words" was against regulations. Furthermore, ditching the door charge and the taboo language wasn't good enough to solve the problem, as "the law" limits Super Bowl (wait, can we say that now?) party TVs to a quantity of one, and that single set must not be over 55-inches. Needless to say, we don't doubt that good few of you fine, law-abiding, tax-paying citizens will be catching the big game with a couple of your friends on your 60-inch plasma (or 100-inch projection screen), but we'd highly recommend building an underground bunker between now and Sunday to make sure your plans are safe. Of course, bars and other eateries are somehow exempt from this bogus rule, and as expected, all the grumbling stems from Nielsen's obvious inability to estimate just how many folks are watching a single tube on this advertisers' dream night, but ratings drops or not, we wouldn't mess with Touchdown Jesus.
Political groups angry over Left Behind game
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Left Behind: Eternal Forces is beginning to raise the ire of some religious and political groups a month after its release. The Campaign to Defend the Constitution and the Christian Alliance for Progress are working to get the critically panned game pulled from Wal-mart shelves because of its "message of religious intolerance." Apparently some people think that gunning down the forces of the Antichrist, which include Muslims, rock stars and a sexy Secretary-General of the U.N., is un-Christian. Who knew?To be fair, the game does let you convert non-believers instead of killing them, but it's hard to argue with the campaign's message that the game promotes "violent, divisive and hateful scenarios." Still, it seems a bit opportunistic to single out Wal-mart, which only sells the game in 200 of its 3,800 locations, while other equally culpable retailers get a free pass. Is an intolerant message enough to justify restricting a game's sale?
Intel GM has "religious experience," buys a Mac
Hexus has an interview with Pat Gelsinger, Intel's GM of their Digital Enterprise Group, in which he describes crossing "the religious boundary" by purchasing a Mac. Note how the interviewer reacts and grimaces around 1:41 when Pat drops the bomb, and how he has to interrupt Pat to announce his newfound "Mac fanboy" status. Pat also mentions he's buying a second for his wife, along with a copy of the upcoming Windows Vista and Parallels Desktop, of course.This is a really interesting statement to hear from someone so high up on a business ladder, especially since he's specifically spending the money to buy Parallels, instead of using Apple's free but workflow-intruding Boot Camp. Pat joins other business notables - like the recent CIO who picked Mac OS X after comparing to Linux and Windows for a month - in voicing their fondness for Apple's OS, even while the big fruit seems to be spending most (if not all) of their marketing on advertising to the home creative crowd.I'd link the actual interview, but it seems almost the entire Hexus site is done in Flash (grrrr). As of this writing, the interview is at the top of their list.[via Macworld UK]
A non-violent first person Hindu shooter using the Unreal engine?
Escapist Magazine has posted a fascinating article detailing the attempts of an heir to a furniture fortune, and graduate students from the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa to create a non-violent first person Hindu shooter.It sounds crazy at first, but when you look at the actual thought and effort that went into the game, it isn't that dissimilar from today's RPGs -- "We had Vedic abilities: astrology, Ayurvedic healing, breathing (meditation), herbalism, Gandharva Veda music, architecture (which let you purify demonic areas) and yagyas (rituals). During the game, you could acquire the siddhis of clairvoyance, levitation, invisibility, shrinking and strength. Your aim was to achieve pure consciousness by cleansing your six chakras in ascending order. But your current karma (depicted as a gray pall over your character's silhouette), if it covered any chakras, prevented you from cleansing them. So you had to remove karma by completing quests before you could purify yourself."The only way to actually win the game would have been to complete it without harming or killing any other living creature. You could die and be reincarnated in a number of different forms like a human, a pig, a dog, or a worm -- but whatever form you came back as would limit the way in which you could interact with other characters in the game. They had licensed the Unreal Warfare engine for use in the game, but eventually things began to fall apart because the graphics looked sub-par, and the producer had to face the facts that the development was beyond the team's ability to create.Still, at least they tried to do something new that wasn't another standard shooter clone and featured some true innovation. It's refreshing when someone takes a risk every now and then and puts something truly unique on the map.
Religious tract asks: What's next for the iPod guy?
Though many look to His Steveness as some sort of cult leader (or in some more drastic, frightening cases, a deity of sorts), in a recent religious tract Jews for Jesus felt compelled to ask: What's next for the iPod guy? We think it's a little presumptuous a title for the tract -- which as far as we know is actual and real -- to assume he's one way or another when it comes to holiness since his 2004 bout with pancreatic cancer. (Jobs, as you might recall, was raised Lutheran but has long since been influenced by Eastern spirituality.) Besides the backward Apple logo (and their obvious oversight of the whole Garden of Eden implication), at least J4J got most of the basic details about Jobs' history down, including mention of the Reality Distortion Field (illustrated by beaming Jack Chick-inspired heavenly emanations), so you've at least got to hand these guys five points for creativity. Still, something tells us the only thing we can expect to see from the iPod guy in the near future is some biz on Leopard, and maybe some more info on the long-awaited Mac Pros.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Jesus the hardcore gamer
If Jesus of Nazareth, the "annointed messiah" in the Christian world, were alive today, would he game? Ryan Stone of North Greenville College thinks so, and he points to Halo as a title on which Jesus might earn a few frags. In his words, "I think He, being the almighty Creator, understands that He built into men the want to be a hero. I want to save the world and fly through the galaxy shooting the bad guys and coming out unscathed with a smoking pistol in each hand." We could not say it any better.Stone's article derives from his experiences trying to set up a Halo tournament through his church in order to raise money for Relay for Life, which aids the American Cancer Society. However, some of the chuch members complained, citing not personal experience but "many articles from Focus on the Family and other highly conservative publications" that associated Halo with non-Christian values. But Stone reminds readers how Jesus "fought the conservative and religious people of the day, how he bucked the system."Stone believes Jesus would have played some Halo, and probably rock at it, too. "He'd probably even beat me terribly and make me look like I'd never played. I'd even hope for a little humorous religious smack talking." We agree that many M-rated games could be seen (and rightfully so) contrary to Christian ideals of morality (e.g. every Rockstar game not revolving around table tennis), but as a government soldier who fights to save humanity against an evil alien race or two, Master Chief is a hero. So, to relay his final question, what would Jesus play?[via GamePolitics]
World of Godcraft
Let all the heathens spout about the evils of video games; we true believers know the real story: games are nothing less than the path to salvation. If you don't believe me, maybe you'll believe the enlightened folks over at Landover Baptist Church, as they guide you through Winning Souls To Christ in the World of Warcraft. If you've never experienced the pure joy(*) of Landover Baptist, then this is your lucky day, dear reader. And remember to love thy Orc brother...(* yes, it's all a joke...calm down, already...geez)
Explaining MWSF and the Keynote to Non-Mac People
Explaining the importance of the Macworld Expo and the Keynote to non-Mac people isn't easy. Heck, I was briefly considering trying to squeeze in an attendance to MWSF this year and therefore risking missing my own twin brother's wedding, but I decided in the end that family (and a nice trip to St. Croix) is a bit more important than the Stevenote. However, the fact that I actually considered doing so means something. MWSF is a pilgrimage; it's the event of the year for many of us; it's religious in nature. Explaining to a layman why this is so important to us just isn't easy. Luckily, Tom Bridge has stepped forward to give us a great post to help us do just that.
