Dante’s Inferno is "not being offered" to Middle Eastern consumers by publisher/developer EA.
Surprised? No? Neither was After all, the game has you marching against the legions of a decidedly Christian Hell as an undeniably Christian Crusader, and presumably climaxes in a fight to the death with Beelzebub himself (sorry if I just spoiled it for you). In an area so steeped in tradition, Dante’s Inferno would be a lightning rod for public outcry.
What is interesting however, is the way that the industry has responded to political and social criticism as it rapidly becomes the highest-grossing entertainment medium in the world. For example, extreme violence has been present and largely accepted (but for a small, if vocal minority) in games for years, but romantic relationships have only been touched on superficially and by a handful of developers.
The industry isn’t entirely devoid of those willing to cross the line, however. The announcement of developer Atomic’s “Six Days in Fallujah,” a fictionalized retelling of violence in Iraq, was met with harsh criticism from both the press and the public; the game promised a "survival-horror experience" staged in modern-day Fallujah, a city with an extraordinarily violent past in Iraq. Not long after its announcement, the game was canceled after Konami pulled the publishing plug due to the PR disaster and Atomic suffered crippling layoffs, with whatever remains of Six Days probably gathering dust in some guy’s desk.
When you think about it, it’s kind of unfortunate that video games were denied this opportunity out-of-hand. The Iraq war is still a touchy subject for many to say the least, but books and films have touched on it in the past to great acclaim, even as recently as Voltage Pictures’ “The Hurt Locker.” Many would blame video games’ exclusion from the proverbial party on account of their interactivity: it just isn’t the same when you have to pull the trigger yourself. Still, it would have been interesting to see if Atomic could have handled the subject material responsibly, and if they did, whether or not the public could admit it if it was any good, especially since games that feature approximations of combat in Iraq without having the stones to come out and admit what they’re going for remain hugely successful. And that’s today’s market for you.
I’m not sure if Six Days was the right way for video games to breach more somber and delicate material, but I do think the medium has earned the privilege to try and demonstrate that it has the intelligence and grace to be respectful of the subject matter while still providing a top-tier entertainment experience.
It seems that the industry’s growth is being stunted by standards established decades ago when the mentality was that games were just for kids, that they didn’t have the potential to offer anything but a quick bit of fun; and when operating under that mentality, I can see why there was such a negative reaction to Six Days. Unfortunately that state of mind isn’t valid anymore, but I don’t have to tell anyone here that. Luckily, Atomic wasn’t our only hope; Quantic Dream’s upcoming “Heavy Rain” may provide Joe Consumer a softer transition to more serious material later this year. Hopefully it does.
… Hopefully something does.
Thanks for reading,
End_Boss.
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