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Student's Atheism game does more harm than good photo

History and common sense teach us all a valuable lesson in dealing with people whose religious beliefs don't parallel your own: violence is only acceptable if you're willing and able to decimate the opposition. It appears that a University of Virginia student didn't take that into account when creating what is reportedly a game with an atheistic bent in which you travel back in time to "nip the problem in the bud" by killing Abraham, Mohammed, and the authors of the Bible.

The video released by WSLS-10 reporting on the game and its creator seems questionable at best, especially considering the unnamed student's refusal to reveal his identity for fear of a violent backlash, and rightly so. What the developer apparently didn't learn in his time on this planet is that large groups of people prone to illogic tend to react badly when you threaten or desecrate something they revere. 

While I can sort of appreciate the foundation of the developer's sentiment, he isn't doing anyone any favors by making this game. He's made himself a target for extremists and provided pundits and mainstream media outlets with all the fuel they'll need for a week or two full of "violent gamers" coverage, something I, and hopefully you, resent. As such, I have a message for this mysterious radical. The next time you decide to show the world just how clever you are, we'd appreciate it if you used someone else's hobby as a medium. Gamers have got enough problems without adding accusations of attempting religious extermination to the list, thanks to thoughtless imbeciles with an agenda.

[Via GamePolitics -- Thanks, Justin!


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99 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Capn Birdseye's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:03
Capn Birdseye
I see your point, but the last thing I would want is people self censoring their work for fear of retribution from pressure groups.

If we do that, the terrorists have already won ;)
bruceleethree's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:04
bruceleethree
I want this game, NOW.
tornotlukin's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:05
tornotlukin
yeah, where can we get this game?
dtomek's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:06
dtomek
Do want?
tornotlukin's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:07
tornotlukin
yes i want!
Rhoq's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:07
Rhoq
Sign me up. This is a game I need to play.
Respectable Gentleman's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:08
Respectable Gentleman
This is a great idea. I would love to play this game. I guess what you're trying to say is that killing a religion is worse than killing just anyone. Still it's just a game. Let us believe, dammit.
Merry Ho's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:10
Merry Ho
This game crosses the line, you shouldn't mess with peoples beliefs, there should be no enjoyment taken in that.
CannibalCalvin 's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:10
CannibalCalvin
Well, I'll be sure to thank him for setting us back a few decades.
Cowzilla3's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:13
Cowzilla3
Uggg didn't this guy read my post on social activism? You gotta change how the game plays to make your point. Killing is out unless it means something.
tornotlukin's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:15
tornotlukin
Let's play the game and see if it sucks, cause if the gameplay is neo-retro, all is forgiven.
Drunken Haze's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:15
Drunken Haze
"He's made himself a target for extremists and provided pundits and mainstream media outlets with all the fuel they'll need"

So basically he is pissing of the people who deserve to be pissed of. Good on him.
Joseph Leray's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:16
Joseph Leray
Bahh, if had made a game as misguided and ill-advised as this one, I would self censor. Games with (anti-)religious overtones? Fine by me. But killing Abraham is just crude and pedantic, and probably the total opposite of good game design. I can see this guy attends the Ledonne school of development.

Obvious troll is obvious.
Funkiller's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:17
Funkiller
Do want.

Especially if it is just a skin mod for that Execution game from a week or so back.
Novakaine's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:19
Novakaine
I'm an agnostic and take up for neither atheists or religion, but I find it ironic that atheists can often be as hateful, ignorant, moronic, and have an inferiority complex just as often as the religious people they so hate. For crying out loud, people.
tornotlukin's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:21
tornotlukin
Let's play the game and see if it sucks, cause if the gameplay is neo-retro, all is forgiven.
topgeargorilla's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:22
topgeargorilla
sigh.....
Respectable Gentleman's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:25
Respectable Gentleman
@Cowzilla

What you're saying is that new ideas and art have no place in games. It should just be fun.
niacin's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:25
niacin
do you think we can convince uwe boll to make the movie?
Wexx's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:26
Wexx
Ugh... Really? When will the ignorance stop! Go back to xbox live playing halo, please!
KMCC's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:30
KMCC
This developer has effectively marked himself as a crude, shallow extremist in search of attention.

Obvious troll is definitely obvious.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:32
Holyetheline
That's too bad. Hating never got anyone anywhere.
Kia's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:32
Kia
A good read, but I'm a little insulted you act like illogical zealots are the only type of people that would be offended over this. While I'm not jewish, christian, or a muslim, I'm a pretty religious person and I still find this pretty offensive.
tornotlukin's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:34
tornotlukin
@ Novakaine
Either atheist or religious, you can still be a jerk and go overboard on your beliefs.
tornotlukin's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:36
tornotlukin
Wait a sec, this game is 3D? Sucky!
Eschatos's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:41
Eschatos
That is just stupid. Even if someone killed those people, someone else would just form new religions.
007's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:43
007
Heretic would love to play this.
Novakaine's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 16:50
Novakaine
@ tornotlukin: Aye, that's what I meant. I laugh at the people who say the world would be without war or conflict if it weren't for religion. Humanity causes the problem--religion, lack thereof, or personal beliefs are merely attempts at justification.
Rockhoof's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:01
Rockhoof
Wow, did you peg this one wrong Mr. Fulton.

The reaction of the fundies makes exactly the point he was trying to make. The Dev was playing a different game, and anyone who took him seriously or literally lost. If people make their shoddy religious ideas into a life or death struggle, then it becomes a duty to expose them. Hats off to this guy for doing exactly that.

Appeasement never works, just ask Chamberlain.
brainderailment's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:05
brainderailment
Fucking idiot.
Stahlbrand's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:11
Stahlbrand
I don't know, my first reaction was that this was BS neither gaming nor atheism needed right now (I count myself an active member in both groups). I would love to see both gaming and atheism carve themselves increasingly respectable positions in mainstream North American society, and shitting in the honey barrel doesn't help with that.

OTOH, self-censorship sucks, 'off limits' protection is BS, it wouldn't be the first bad taste game made by some dude from nowheresville, and its not like this is going to be published by EA anytime soon anyways. And like Rockhoof was saying, if this provocative act of imagination incites a actual violent reaction, then it just proves the kid's point and looks bad on the big religions.
Cowzilla3's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:15
Cowzilla3
@respectable gentleman

No. I was refering to my blog here where I argue that new ideas and social activism should come to games.
Rockvillian's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:20
Rockvillian
Anger, hate, and prejudice are products of fear. Christ taught us not to fear when stuff like this happens, that everything WON'T be easy and flowers and marshmallow ponies for those that believe. He didn't bring an olive branch, he brought a sword - and it's up to whoever follows Him to realize this and start loving people, or ignore it and fruitlessly try to reinforce the safety bubble they created for themselves.

Ignoring it is exactly what we see here folks, and this dude poked the embers and got exactly what he wanted.
Joe 100517's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:21
Joe 100517
I think that's a hilarious idea for a game... I'd like to see it have a ridiculous twist ending though. Also, it reminds me of that old MadTV skit where Arnold Schwarzenegger went back in time to save Jesus. That was actually pretty funny....
Oni's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:22
Oni
@Christiangamer: Amen, brother.
broonor's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:23
broonor
@Rockhoof, nowhere did I read anything about your interpretation. Maybe that'd have been your agenda, but your post is fail
Qais Fulton's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:25
Qais Fulton
@Rockhoof: You're right, appeasement doesn't work. But crudity works even less. I don't care that someone wants to promote an atheistic standpoint; in fact, I'm 100% for it. But for the love of God (hurr) be clever about it and don't feed into the stereotypes propagated by ignorant, media-shilling, attention whores.
Jetsetlemming's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:27
Jetsetlemming
That's one of the worst game concepts I've ever heard. Who does he think he is, a JRPG director?
The-Excel's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:32
The-Excel
@Christiangamer:
You and I should hang out some time. This is just going to pass over and be forgotten in a few weeks just like those other games.
007's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:35
007
So. Many. Idiots. In. This. Room.


Elitist atheists ftllllose
Jetsetlemming's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:35
Jetsetlemming
I wonder if he included Jesus in the game. Cause you know, Jesus doesn't fit under any of those three categories. I'll bet he did anyway.
Maybe he was smart enough to not include Jesus because Jesus would kick the player's ass with his mystical powers, while the other characters are normal humans.


Also brb making a game where Mohammad, Abraham, and Jesus and his apostles team up to travel through time and kill Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Hitler, Stalin, Stephen J Gould and George Soros.
At the end there'll be a Fear Effect style scene where they turn on each other and you have to choose one to fight the last boss, the creator of this game (who's actually the antiChrist) with. On hard mode you can choose Abraham and Jesus, Mohammad gets eaten by a shark.
Sharpless's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:45
Sharpless
Oh, hey, great! Now there's a companion to the Left Behind game! Killing people you disagree with is always the best solution, am I right, guyz?
Rockvillian's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:49
Rockvillian
@jetset

Where can I sign up for the beta of your game?
SunTzu's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 17:56
SunTzu
I have to play this game, if only because it includes the act of murdering religious figureheads.

I wonder what the ending would be like...
_dom_'s Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 18:11
_dom_
We have to defend the right to offend! I think it's awesome he released that game and I hope people continue to do so until those fundamentalist crazy people stop making a fuss. Because they are the problem, Qais Fulton, not the other way around.

Let me stress this: Fundamentalist religious freak = problem, people who offend fundamentalist religious freak = part of the solution!

You remember the danish mohammed cartoons? They weren't even meant to be offensive. But some demagogue decided otherwise to further his cause. So your solution is to quietly stick your head in the sand and let these people kill innocents. Well, you are part of the problem, man. These people (and by that I mean every fundamentalist cunt out there) have to be offended until they stop being violent about it.
Joseph Leray's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 18:12
Joseph Leray
@Christiangamer -- I don't think anybody here wants his game banned. I totally think that people should be allowed to make whatever kinds of games they want. I agree that the uproar will die down, and that he's probably enjoying all of the attention.

The real losers are gamers that would like to see these types of ideas (not necessarily atheism, but violence, philosophy, politics, etc ... ) explored in meaningful ways, not crude, shallow crap like this and Super Columbine/VTech.
betablocker's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 18:16
betablocker
This kid is an idiot. The premise of his game is flawed. If you kill a prophet before he gains a following, you make that prophet a martyr - thus making the prophet more powerful. Also, he says there are no spokes people who speak for athiests - you may want to check out wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_atheists
The Amazing Shenazin's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 18:17
The Amazing Shenazin
protip: being an atheist doesn't instantly make you smart
Violet Son's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 18:39
Violet Son
Yeah! If someone had killed Jesus, Christianity wouldn't exist!

Oh wait...
j0mb13's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/05/2008 18:42
j0mb13
I disagree with this writers post.. Interactive media perfect to express ideas like this.. Idea behind this game is what many have thought before. Art can be offensive and at times should be. I'd like to thank the programmer for taking one for the team and wish him well trying to stay alive.
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