Konami dumps Six Days in Fallujah
p2pnet news view | Games:- “Six Days in Fallujah was an upcoming third-person shooter video game described by the developer, Atomic Games, as a survival horror game,” says the Wikipedia.
“It is the first game to focus directly on Operation Iraqi Freedom, mainly the Second Battle of Fallujah. The game follows a squad of U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion 1st Marines over the span of six days,” it says.
And ‘was’ is indeed the operative word because owner Japanese Konami Digital Entertainment has yanked it.
“Shortly after the announcement of the game, Six Days in Fallujah has been met with criticism by war veterans from the United Kingdom as well as a U.K. peace group, Stop the War Coalition,” says the Wikipedia, going on »»»
Reg Keys, father of slain Red Caps Lance Corporal Thomas Keys, stated that “Considering the enormous loss of life in the Iraq War, glorifying it in a video game demonstrates very poor judgement and bad taste… These horrific events should be confined to the annals of history, not trivialised and rendered for thrill-seekers to play out… It’s entirely possible that Muslim families will buy the game, and for them it may prove particularly harrowing. Even worse, it could end up in the hands of a fanatical young Muslim and incite him to consider some form of retaliation or retribution
Tim Collins, a former lieutenant colonel of the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, shared a similar disposition. Collins stated, “It’s much too soon to start making video games about a war that’s still going on, and an extremely flippant response to one of the most important events in modern history. It’s particularly insensitive given what happened in Fallujah, and I will certainly oppose the release of this game.”
“After seeing the reaction to the videogame in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and e-mail, we decided several days ago not to sell it,” Asahi Shimbun has Konami saying, adding:
“We had intended to convey the reality of the battles to players so that they could feel what it was like to be there.”
Konami had planned to put the game on sale in or after 2010.
Asahi Shimbun – Konami drops ‘Fallujah’ game, April 28, 2009
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April 28th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
ah, real life events could incite a revolt among certain ethnic or religious groups. ah.
Why suppress history?
April 28th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Looking at the limitations put upon Shakespeare as to what he could write plays about, this is nothing. And if this game comes out under another publisher, even with the notoriety it wouldn’t be as well remembered even 50 years after publication as, say, “Cymbeline”. (Yes I have chosen the least-well remembered of Shakespeare’s plays to be fair.)
April 29th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Well, I’m not quite sure wtf Shakespeare has to do with this but, moving on…. We have many WW1 and WW2 games.
So then, what is the time period before you can make a game about a war? 5 years? 10? It’s less than 40 obviously.
Sounds like the obligatory knee-jerk reaction to me.
“Considering the enormous loss of life in the SECOND WORLD WAR, glorifying it in a video game demonstrates very poor judgement and bad taste… These horrific events should be confined to the annals of history, not trivialised and rendered for thrill-seekers to play out… It’s entirely possible that GERMAN/JAPANESE families will buy the game, and for them it may prove particularly harrowing. Even worse, it could end up in the hands of a fanatical young NAZI and incite him to consider some form of retaliation or retribution”
STFU.
April 29th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Let’s see if I get this right, it’s OK to SELL a real and unjust war based on lies to the public, but it’s not OK to SELL a video game based on it!
April 29th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
SunKing took the words right out of my mouth. In addition to that, none of the people complaining about the game were going to buy it anyway, they should have ignored them and released it. I can still remember the HUGE outcry against Mortal Combat, which sold VERY well. Listening to the pissers, moaners, and hand wringers is not going to help you in the video game business.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
@Jason:
I hear ya!
What I find amazing is how people don’t pick up on that story, no matter how many ways you present it.
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