Sony Europe/Insomniac versus the Church

Next thing you know the church of scientology will sue MS and Sony for portraying aliens in a bad light.

Yes this lawsuit is frivolous and quite ridiculous.

Old news too

Ed

What a load of old s***....

I think Resistance did more damage to Grimsby. I mean dirty, full of foul mouthed aliens.... Grimsby's nothing like that.... oh wait.......

I've actually got to agree with Jimmi on this one. It is about the equivalent of putting a school in an FPS. I can see how it might cause quite a stir.

And thanks for posting this. I couldn't figure out what the CAD comic was talking about.

GFLPraxis said:

I've actually got to agree with Jimmi on this one. It is about the equivalent of putting a school in an FPS. I can see how it might cause quite a stir.

And thanks for posting this. I couldn't figure out what the CAD comic was talking about.

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I just laughed and laughed. Why does the church care? $$$. That's it. Their a business too.

I can't seriously imagine many people were that upset. While putting in FPS in a school (especially one modeled after real life) is a little silly, it's still just a game.

bobber205 said:

I just laughed and laughed. Why does the church care? $$$. That's it. Their a business too.

I can't seriously imagine many people were that upset. While putting in FPS in a school (especially one modeled after real life) is a little silly, it's still just a game.

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Yeah but if Bully (Canis Canem Edit) barely got away with what THAT game has then a school on a first person shooter will just never happen, the media will go berserk.

In any case, I don't think putting a church in a shooter is that big of a deal.

bobber205 said:

I just laughed and laughed. Why does the church care? $$$. That's it. Their a business too.

I can't seriously imagine many people were that upset. While putting in FPS in a school (especially one modeled after real life) is a little silly, it's still just a game.

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Well, I can agree that it shouldn't be in there. I don't think the church should be eligible for any significant sum of money out of it though.

well on the one side i can understand the opinion that it's perhaps silly but on the other side it's _their_ property and if they don't like being used in a video game that's totally fine with me

my guess is that if they asked nicely before it wouldn't have been much of a problem

A Chinese student was removed from Clements High School in Fort Bend, Texas after parents complained he had re-created the school grounds in a game and uploaded the map for his friends to play. The boy was placed in the district's alternate education school and later arrested, as the police considered him a "terroristic threat". The Chinese community and the boy's mother have rallied behind him, saying the school has acted too harshly in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings. No charges were filed, though the boy won't be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies.

We don't have to point out how ridiculous this is to our Joystiq readers. How many people have created familiar surroundings using in-game editors? We once made a partial re-creation of our college in Dr. Lunatic Supreme With Cheese. Good thing nobody found out, otherwise we'd be blogging from a soft and squishy padded room right now.

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I guess now, we should just start arresting players and game makers alike eh?

This is just stupid. How many other games used a church/white house/whatever in a game.

Well if I was thinking what some people are thinking in this thread I would seriously believe video games really do influence killing...especially alien killings.

Yes this is old news.

Note: Sony reps said they had all the grants they needed to recreate landmarks so whatever.


Bless

raggedjimmi said:

Personally I think the Church should have handed this over to Manchester council. Folk seem really tied up in the religious and church aspect over it - when they've said themselves it's irresponsible of sticking an FPS in Manchester.

As I said before, it's the equivalent of putting *insert violent state's school here* in an FPS. It just so happens to be the church persuing it as they have Manchesters best interest at heart. I mean you'd think Insomniac would have done a bit of research first. It pretty much is a faux pas.

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I think its a ridiculous waste of resources and money. Frivolous lawsuits do nothing more than tie up the legal system and waste the taxpayers money. That is what this situation is, frivolous.

Frivolous litigation is a legal claim or defense presented even though the party and the party's legal counsel had reason to know that the claim or defense had no merit. A claim or defense may be frivolous because it had no underlying justification in fact, or because it was not presented with an argument for a reasonable extension or reinterpretation of the law, or because laws are in place unequivocally prohibiting such a claim

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Pretty much defines this situation...

Jimmi your comparisons are as ridiculous as the actions of the church.

Ed

They did do their research jimmi, you failed to do yours.....

But according to Alex Chapman of Campbell Hooper solicitors,"The Church will have an uphill battle in a legal claim against Sony, and indeed it is likely that there is no basis for a claim."

Chapman explained that there is a provision in the UK's 1988 Copyright Designs and Patents act which "explicitly states that it is not copyright infringement to represent certain artistic works that are on public display". This includes buildings and sculptures which are "permanently situated in a public place or in premises open to the public".

"Therefore," Chapman continued, "The inclusion of the Cathedral in the game could not be considered to be an infringement of any copyright in it."

He went on to add that due to its age, it is unlikely Manchester Cathedral has any copyright remaining on it - as copyright expires 70 years after the person who created the work dies.

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source

of all the atrocities that happened all over the world, especially the ones used in video games......THIS is hte one the breaks the camel's back?
a partial representation of a church used in an alien game.....are you serious?


Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Hiroshima, Nazi Germany, Communsit Russia, etc. etc, etc.
I guess its ONLY becoming an issue now, because "graphics" now are allowing for greater detail in games.

Its still absurd.

This is CRAP...grade "A" BS.


But then again its the Church so is anyone shocked at them for making stuff up to get money and power?

meh. This doesn't even come close to Postal 2's absurdity.

Your getting into emotional opinion, which has no clear cut right and wrong.......

If it was a coincidence, then I don't see the issue. If it was made right after the events purely for the sake of generating profits, then yes - it is distasteful. I think you are missing the point. Are the people that are actually playing this game the ones who are offended. Did they suffer losses after having flashbacks of gunfights with IRA Aliens? Are people now turning away from the church, because they can no longer walk in and feel spiritual?

Who is really offended/violated here and why?

again, this is absurd.

raggedjimmi said:

What would you make of an FPS being based in VT/Columbine? Would you not think it was a little distasteful following recent events?

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Distasteful and illegal are too different things

nm

I've played Resistance (on co-op) for a few hours, so I definitely didn't finish the game, but I don't remember the Church of England part anywhere in the game. Reading the article tells me that the Church of England was basically one level of the game. Umm... 'kay?

That doesn't sound like anything new in the world of gaming in the slightest. Rainbow Six: Eagle Watch (the first expansion for the first game) had many "real" locations. The Forbidden City, the Capitol, Big Ben, etc. Any complaints? Nope.

Tell me... Just because a video game uses a real place, does it mean that it "trains" you to be able to go postal in the real place? To me, it sounds like the complainers are telling me because a real place is simulated, it teaches you how to load a gun, shoot a gun, build bombs, and perform other atrocities. You guys in the same league as the anti-violent game people?

The concern that appears to be building because of Resistance seems to be this might invoke more violence. Well, um, video games don't make violent people. Sorry, guys. It may be distasteful, but don't blame the game for violence.