Sony apologies over virtual cathedral firefight
Murder in the Cathedral will continue, however
Sony has gone down upon penitent knee and apologised to the Church of England for including Manchester Cathedral as a location for a brutal gun battle in its Resistance: Fall of Man video game.
In a letter sent to the Dean of the cathedral last week, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe wrote: "It was not our intention to cause offense by using a representation of Manchester Cathedral in chapter eight of the work. If we have done so, we sincerely apologise."
Resistance: Fall of Manchester?
Two weeks ago, the Church branded Sony's decision to include the cathedral in the game "sacrilegious". Quite apart from offending religious sensibilities, it said, Sony had shown a particular lack of sensitivity by setting this part of the game in a city troubled with gun crime.
On this point Sony was unrepentant, however. In the letter, it said did not believe "there is any connection between contemporary issues in 21st Century Manchester and the work of science fiction in which a fictitious 1950s Britain is under attack by aliens".
The Dean, the Very Reverend Rogers Govender, said he welcomed Sony's apology, but said he hadn't forgotten Church demands that the game be withdrawn or modified to remove the cathedral sequence, and calls that the Japanese giant make a substantial donation to Church-led education efforts to fight gun crime in the city.
COMMENTS
Get Real!
First of all how can they complain about a gun fight when the guns used in the battles are all imaginary and futuristic and do not exist I have not heard of any Plasma gun shootings in Manchester of late...........
Sony perhaps should have sought permission to use the name of Manchester Cathedral - but as no real footage is used it is all fictional. Does the CoE look for money from every author who writes a book and mentions a local church somewhere? This is just a ploy by some fund-raising committee to try and shame a large donation out of corporate funds.
btw has the Church apologised for all the people it killed during the Crusades and Spanish Inquisition or all the Churches burnt down during the Reformation?
Gief Mooney?
Heck, they ask for money, now THAT sounds like church for me ( greece )
The church is partly right.
I'm not defending the church entirely, as I find it highly suspicious that they have made all this fuss and then basically told Sony all will be OK if Sony give a large donation (still, that does sound like the church in my opinion).
But, I occassionally help students to film for courseworks, and I know that legally, if we film somewhere, we are required to seek the permission of the manager and/or owner. I believe the same is required for games development.
Now, while the owner is technically God, it may be difficult to get permission from Him, but they should have sought permission from the Church.
May as well put an opposing view
There are some valid points in the comments, but some demonstrate a self-righteousness of some atheists and a lack of clear thought.
"Half of the world's problems stem from religion".
I'd say it's not religion per se, but arrogance and self-righteousness. The state terrorism of Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot certainly can't be blamed on religion. Should atheism be denounced because of their actions?
The abolition of trans-atlantic slavery was in large part prompted by the religious beliefs of campaigners. Many charities are founded and funded by people who want to help their neighbours out of a sense of religious conviction.
"Maybe if the church is so against promoting violence they could get rid of all those statues and pictures of that bloke being brutally tortured to death on a cross?"
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that the church is seeking to promote violence by depicting the crucifixion. As far as I remember, Christians aren't called upon to torture people to death. I think the idea was more about reflecting on what Christians believe that God was prepared to suffer for mankind's sake.
"CofE complains of violence ... fails to mention Treasons Act of 1534 (outlawing Catholicism on pain of death)."
Was that Act passed by the General Synod of the Church of England, or by the secular Parliament? Were there any political motivations to it, rather than religious ones?
For the record, I am a Christian, but in the absence of much evidence available to me I don't have strong opinions either way about the effects of gun-related video games.
"Church-led education efforts"
I wonder what the 'Church-led education efforts to fight gun crime in the city' are? More anti-gun propaganda that they want Sony to fund?
"It's the guns and the video games that turn sweet innocent youth into drug dealers and gang members! Stay away from them kids, or Satan will get hold of you!"
