Church slams cathedral gun battle game's Bafta nomination
'Sacriligeous' Resistance: Fall of Man up for a gong
The Church of England is pleading with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) to remove PlayStation 3 game Resistance: Fall of Man (RFOM) from its Video Games Awards because the game depicts the alleged desecration of Manchester Cathedral.
Sony's RFOM: a shoot-out in Manchester Cathedral
The Dean of Manchester cathedral told The Guardian newspaper there was disgust among parishioners at the fact an intense gunfight takes place in the cathedral during the game.
Another church official said the award nomination is "like rubbing salt in the wounds".
However, a representative for Bafta has publicly stated that RFOM has been nominated for the PC World Gamers' Award, the only award voted upon by members of the public.
Bafta also said the category comprises the top-selling games on each platform, according to games charts published by Chart Track.
Sony and the CoE have been locked in a bitter battle over the game's depiction of Manchester Cathedral since RFOM was released in April. In June, the Church said it was considering legal action against Sony because the firm didn't obtain the Church's permission to use the interior of Manchester cathedral in the game. It also branded Sony's decision to include the cathedral "sacrilegious".
Sony later sent a letter to the Dean of Manchester Cathedral in which it explained that it didn't intend to cause offence by using a representation of the cathedral.
In its letter, however, Sony didn't accept there was 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 British Academy Video Games Awards take place on October 23. RFOM is currently fourth in the UK PS3 game chart.
COMMENTS
Funny
At least they're not afraid to use murder simulators to attract new members.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/08/whalo108.xml
What next
Ban a game for being in a church that is unrealistic (aliens)
what about.
Medal of honour airborne and band of brothers road to hill 30 for their "Defend the church levels in a WW2 setting"
Dawn of war for the level where you have to blow the doors to the cathedral and kill all the heretics.
Or the Battlefield 2 level that takes place round a mosque.
Oh wait they are all somehow defending the ancient belief system. Ahhh hipocracy in the church.
Well at least they aren't calling for a jihad or fatwa like some tolerant faiths out there.
Shoot 'em in the apse, kick 'em in the cloisters
I don't think churches are the best venue for "shoot-em-up" games. And Manchester's cathedral is tiny compared to others. It has a simple layout which would hardly be the stuff of BAFTA winning games.
For a few pounds the designers could take a tour of Buckingham Palace or Conw[a]y Castle. They'd be good settings for a game.
What about being surrounded by zombies in the Trafford Centre? No..wait.. that's already been done.
What, again ?
They were already offended last month, weren't they ? And we already laughed them off the stage then.
They're coming back for more ? What, did they think we gave them an encore ?
We didn't. And I am sick of hearing about religious fanatics, be they on my side or any other. Stay away from me, you nutters. You're the reason there is all the killing in this world, and you complain about some fantasy slaughtering in a church ?
Hypocrisy at its best.
