Sony upsets The Church of England

-snip-

The 100 or so action movies in which trinity church in New york is used spring to my mind...

I doubt they would have made such a big fuzz about it if it were a movie.

"oh no its a game, and since games are evil lets complain!!!11"

I always feel insulted by allegations like this. That they honestly think the average person cannot disseminate between a video game set in post-apocalyptic future where you fight aliens and real life. But then again I feel insulted by a lot of things about organized religion

Tomorrow:

“Chimera demand an apology from Sony for their portrayal in the game as “brutal, ruthless Alien invaders” and ask for a share on the title`s profits to build more breeding chambers.”

Apparently we are taking their concerns 'Very Seriously'.

I think it would set a terrifying precedent if the Church were to successfully prosecute Sony in any way. Trawling back through the last decade of games would probably turn up all sorts of stuff that had been ripped off, or was 'of a sensitive religious nature'.

Anyone remember the level in Hitman2 where you were running around outside a Mosque sniping Arabs? (Mazy will probably tell me it was one of his now).

Since this is a public thread let me just say these are my opinions not Sony's. /looks about nervously

The church are after the money and publicity. It's as simple as that.

There's no way the church of england will be able to go anywhere with this legally. I can see that the bishops are used to being able to tell people what to do, but since this is governed by the laws of the real world they just don't have a case.

Of course, they'll still probably manage to give Sony a bad rep among the Hardcore Whiner Community and maybe even get some of their followers to harass local merchants into not selling the game. So they'll at least achieve something "constructive" with their efforts.

Anyway

This is my first post by the way - hello everyone!

It's rather odd. You can't copyright the likeness of a building can you? Otherwise movie companies would be shelling out millions every time they filmed part of the New York skyline.

Perhaps there is a distinction between the exterior and interior in that regard though - I believe Resistance features both.

-snip-

Quote from e-freak

Seems like some really got the point *sarcasm* - the church as a such is a place of worship and of security. It is meant as the home-coming point for those who consider themselves as believers. All though i don't think that most people will understand this I do say the rebuild of that church in that aspect is an insult to personal feelings. The very same goes for a mosque or a synagoge or a buddistic temple or what ever "intimiate" place for a religion is out where. The problem is not the technical copy of the curch as a place of digital reallity but the context that perverts the values this church represents. I don't speak of crussades here - it is not what the church represents - but I do speak of charity and of remission in the way Jesus from Nazareth sermonized.You don't have to like the church or any form of organized religion - that's a different discussion. You don't have to believe in Jesus Christ or Jesus from Nazareth and you don't have to understand what the gospel is about. But you should respect the feelings and thoughts of those who believe (this is not an order but a matter of course (as i do respect you/them aswell) imho) and not try to stamp upon someones feet if not needed.

Art may criticise and even pervert but it should never be pointless and destructive and for the sake of perverting/injuring. Sony could have done the very same atmosphere in a castle or in a randomly fictious place. They did not need to rebuild a place of worship to make a good game.

There is a difference between legal and moral issues. Very interesting to hear somebody have a take on it from that perspective though!

Remember Ghostbusters when the Stay Puff Marshmellow man steps on the church? Bill Murray's character defends the church by yelling" "Noooobody steps on a church in my town!"

It's not really related, but maybe Sony can use that as an arguement.

:roll:

-snip-

Quote from e-freak

I wonder how Sony is going to get out of this - and what the f* did they put in that sequence?

I imagine it's a combination of this:

[Blocked Image: http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2006/315/928399_111206_screen047.jpg]

and this:

[Blocked Image: http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2006/291/928399_20061019_screen004.jpg]

e-freak, I respect your position, but this to me feels a lot more like the mayor of Las Vegas decrying Rainbow Six: Vegas as detrimental to the image of Las Vegas, where apparently taking the role of a counter-terrorist working to save a Las Vegas under fictional attack by rogue forces is terrible, while the weekly televised multi-murders, serial killers, and pathological crime of CSI is perfectly fine.

In this context, you're a fictional American soldier fighting alongside a fictional British Army against a fictional alien menace invading Europe. The use of a cathedral, real or fictional, shouldn't be considered any differently than in any movie, television show, or other game in with such a place is used as the backdrop.

The precedent people seem to be trying to set with this, the R6:V issues, complaints over GRAW2 from the mayor of Juarez (in which Juarez is embroiled in a fictional rebellious conflict as the player fights alongside Mexican Army soldiers to protect the city and drive out the rebel forces) and Mercenaries (which Hugo Chavez has claimed is anti-Venezuelan propaganda as it features guns-for-hire operating within Venezuela), is that games cannot in any circumstance use a real backdrop for fictional events in any context. Which is a bit troubling.

That said, it is true that movies and television shows generally have to get permission to use interior likenesses, there's probably some legal grey area there.

-snip-