Church of England Extorts Sony?
Check this sh*t out…The Church of England is considering legal action against entertainment firm Sony for featuring Manchester Cathedral in a violent PlayStation video game. A shootout scene in popular PlayStation 3 title Resistance: Fall of Man (Insomniac Games) that takes place inside Manchester Cathedral has been branded ‘desecration’ by church officials
The game is set in an alternative 1950s where World War II never happened, and follows army ranger Nathan Hale as he fights against an invasion by alien creatures called Chimeras. The game is set in the UK, the last European stronghold against the Chimeran invasion. One of the scenes involves Hale battling against the aliens inside Manchester Cathedral.
The company said in a statement: “Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is aware of the concerns expressed by the Bishop of Manchester and the cathedral authorities… and we naturally take the concerns very seriously. “Resistance: Fall of Man is a fantasy science fiction game and is not based on reality. “We believe we have sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game.”
The Bishop of Manchester, the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch, described the decision to feature the city’s cathedral as “highly irresponsible” – especially in the light of Manchester’s history of gun crime. “It is well known that Manchester has a gun crime problem,” he said. “For a global manufacturer to re-create one of our great cathedrals with photo-realistic quality and then encourage people to have guns battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible.
Patsy McKie, from Mothers Against Violence, whose son Dorrie was killed in Manchester, said it was time to stand up to the makers of violent games. “I believe it’s something that needs to be taken seriously first by the Church but also by parents.
Here’s my take on this matter. SONY F*#KED UP!! I don’t know which department is the culprit…Legal, Production, Publishing (SCEA)? There is no doubt that if Sony got permission in writing that there would be no issue. That is a matter for their legal department, and Production to handle. How do I know?…I’ve worked in the entertainment industry for over 17 years. The first rule of thumb is always cover your ass!
I have to say that I definitely don’t condone the Church of England blaming their gun control problems on the video game industry. I think this is bull sh*t… the same bull sh*t that the Christian Right (in the US), or as I call them the Christian Reich, loves to beat their bible about! Passing the buck seems to be the M.O. of the Christian Church. Noooo…their gun control problems have nothing to do with the break down of the nuclear family, or just the plain old sh*tty parenting going on in this highly industrial blue collar city. I think the whole thing is an attempt by the Church of England to extort money from a giant company that f*#ked up and didn’t get permission in writing. That away to forgive (C of E) you hypocritical bastards!
Click here to read the BBC article
Click here to read the gamespot article
Technorati Tags: Church of England, legal action, Sony, Manchester Cathedral, video game, PlayStation 3, Resistance: Fall of Man, Insomniac Games, World War II, army, Nathan Hale, invasion, alien creatures, Chimeras, UK, European, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Bishop, fantasy, science fiction, Nigel McCulloch, gun crime, global manufacturer, photo-realistic quality, battles, Patsy McKie, Mothers Against Violence, violent games, Legal, Production, Publishing, SCEA, entertainment industry, gun control, Christian Right, bible, Christian, nuclear family, industrial
June 12th, 2007 at 9:16 am
[...] Church of England Extorts Sony? at Free Game video stuff. [...]
June 12th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Where did you find grandma?? She’s a nut!!
June 12th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
She kicks ass!!
June 13th, 2007 at 2:33 am
This is my retort to Sir Wardman Wire
Yea…I’m the guy who wrote the blog entitled “Church of England Extorts Sony?” The one that you thought “missed the point”.
First of all you need to work on your reading comprehension. The information on the issues at hand were paraphrased from two different articles:
#1 BBC News online Saturday, 9 June 2007, 17:32 GMT 18:32 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/6736809.stm
#2 GameSpot UK Posted Jun 11, 2007 12:46 pm GMT By Emma Boyes
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/news/story.php?sid=6172294&part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6172294
The bottom line point in these two articles was that C of E is threatening to sue Sony because they used the image of the interior of the Manchester Cathedral in one of their games without getting permission from the C of E. Obviously if they (Sony and Insomniac Games the designer and publisher) had gotten the proper clearance from the C of E there would be no issue.
My first point, my dear man, is that some one messed up at Sony, by not making sure of the legalities of using the image of the interior of Manchester Cathedral in their game. There is an entire department at this giant corporation (Sony) whose sole responsibility is to get the proper clearance in situations like these. Whether in the UK, Tokyo or Atlantis, the laws are addressed by this department and it is responsible for all details.
My second point was that the Church wants retribution for the discrimination of their glorious cathedral (and they will gladly sue to get money and publicity for their cause). I think that this is classic hypocrisy on the church’s part, being that they teach forgiveness and good will for all mankind. What a crock of haggis!
My third point is the Church and Mothers Against Violence blame the rise of gun violence in Manchester on violent video games. I am from the USA, and this same phenomena of the Church, the Government and some ignorant group of political lobbyists, banding together to blame their violence problems on the entertainment industry. What they need to do is take a good look at the problem of poor parenting and the breakdown of the nuclear family.
And finally…You’re a DORK (Mr. Bean). My blog is a mix of comedy and fact. Now judging from your demeanor you have no sense of humor. It must have been removed at birth. My suggestion is to hit a popular local pub…Have a couple of pints and try to talk to a nice female. You may get lucky and have some fun and grow back your sense of humor. Oh…and you should move out of your Mum’s house…your gettin’ to old to be livin’ with her. By the way, love the blog ; )
Love Speedypete69
June 13th, 2007 at 8:57 am
[...] Coverage that Misses the Point: Church of England Extorts Sony? at Free Game video [...]
June 13th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Thanks for the response.
I’ve responded with a blog post.
Happy to call it a day now if you are ? I’ve made all the points I plan to.
Matt
June 14th, 2007 at 12:19 am
Look Sir Matt. My mission is to lampoon certain stories in the gaming world, and stirring the pot is my way of having fun. Yes…I am not familiar with British Law or the authorities that govern the Manchester Cathedral. From what I read in the BBC article the church feels desecrated by the game having a gun fight depicted inside the Manchester Cathedral. In short, they feel that it was in bad taste that Sony used the image of this cathedral, in this city that has a gun violence problem. It is undermining the positive influence of the church to help control this gun violence in Manchester. Now, if they can just keep the priests from sexually molesting young boys, they might make some progress.