Hindus Upset Over Asura's Wrath

[grigjd3]

This sounds like a marketing ploy more than genuine repulsion.

 

[l3o2828]

Either way, don't tell them about Digital Devil Saga, they'll have a breakdown.

My thoughts exactly.
While i do UNDERSTAND that people think religions need to be respected,I don't see what's wrong in Asuras Wrath,so far it doesn't seem like it deliberately trying to piss hindus out or anything so why complain?

 

[Eric the Orange]

I'm not particularly religious, so I always find it odd that some people who are get so easily offended about it. By this I mean that there are things that I hold in high regard but I don't really care if other people dislike them or disrespect them. But it seems that people are especially touchy when it come to matters of belief.

So you don't care if, for instance, people disbelieve evolution and use public funds to open young Earth creationist museums?

Yeah I would dislike that but for a very specific reason. You said public funds, meaning that it's being paid for by tax dollars. And I'm against pretty much anything that's not related to the direct running of the government being paid for by tax dollars, no matter what it is. My take is that if you want to get your research, art exhibit, ect. funded you look some where else. It doesn't matter if I agree with it or not. But that's getting off on a tangent.

In this case someone made a game that was funded by a corporation. So say if this game was about the "young Earth creationist" stuff, no it would not bother me. Or if someone made that museum with donations or investors would not bug me either.

 

[Chefodeath]

You know, I feel the Hindus here voiced their displeasure in a perfectly reasonable way. They didn't burn the developers in effigy or go rioting, just said that their game was grossly inaccurate and somewhat offensive. They even had the good graces to educated future game developers on Hinduism should they be interested.

Christians and Muslims could learn a thing or two from this.

 

[waj9876]

We need a game based off of Scientology if we want to be thorough on this.

Every game with aliens ever. There, there are your damn games with Scientology elements.

 

[Arif_Sohaib]

Okay. Asura's Wrath has us covered on Hinduism. Games like Dante's Inferno and Darksiders incorporate elements from Christianity. Prince of Persia takes at least a few superficial elements from Islam. Games have been borrowing from the ideas of Buddhist monks & Tao philosophy for years. Pokemon is essentially Shinto, and every robots-fighting-humanity story borrows from the Jewish folktale of the Rabbi's golem.

We need a game based off of Scientology if we want to be thorough on this.

Prince of Persia does not have any elements of Islam, the Forgotten Sands and the Solomon Army plot is not related to Islam(the Quranic version of Prophet Solomon is different). It has elements of 1001 Nights/Arabian Nights and some of those,(I think mainly Sindbad and Ali Baba) had some Islamic morals and the last(proper) game had the moral "turn the other cheek" when facing the last boss.

 

[DarthSka]

Probably not many. Cause Wolfwood is awesome.

As a practicing Roman Catholic for 21 years, I completely agree. As for this, religion has kinda always been botched by video games, but considering that it's not meant to be taken seriously, it's just never been an issue to me. I actually like his response and offer to game developers though. Way better than a useless boycott.

 

[Arif_Sohaib]

You know, I feel the Hindus here voiced their displeasure in a perfectly reasonable way. They didn't burn the developers in effigy or go rioting, just said that their game was grossly inaccurate and somewhat offensive. They even had the good graces to educated future game developers on Hinduism should they be interested.

Christians and Muslims could learn a thing or two from this.

I agree, especially with the educating them part. Islam asks us to do this unless they just keep insulting us or our religion ,just for fun, and thus encourage harm and redule/lies against us until then we are told to be peaceful but some uneducated Muslims(who don't even know that much about Islam and yet claim to speak for it) forget that.

 

[Don Savik]

*picks up phone*

Hello? Yes, me again. I'm going to need another fucking waaaaaambulance.

I'm sorry but if your buddhist and a video game is offending you unintentionally for using your religion as a baseline for its fantasy setting/storyline then you need to grow up.

Welcome to 2012.

Did the vatican demand a national state of emergency over the Diablo series? No they didn't. And they defend child molesting priests! Surely you can be the better human beings in this situation.

 

[happy_turtle]

Hinduism is the oldest and third-largest of the world's major religions, with an estimated one billion adherents around the world. Asura's Wrath [http://www.amazon.com/Asuras-Wrath-Playstation-3/dp/B003O6HLOK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331082930&sr=8-1] has a Metacritic score of 73, and is available now for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
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Hardly a fair comparison! What metascore does Hinduism have?

 

[Fuhjem]

Hindus Upset Over Asura's Wrath

instead, he said that he or other Hindu scholars "would gladly provide genuine seekers from [the] videogames industry the resources they needed for their study and research regarding Hinduism."

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Rajan Zed.
Pretty cool guy.

 

[TitanAura]

I find the title of this article to be purposefully misleading as a means to generate hits rather than inform a reader of the contents at a glance. What they're asking for is rather reasonable and their reaction was neither overblown nor disrespectful towards Capcom. In fact, I feel the hint that there is some flattery going on in that they recognize this as an opportunity to spread their ideals further through the medium and rather than attacking everyone as though they are enemies to be conquered, ala Christianity, they are addressing them as a friend who mistakenly used a racially insensitive comment and has offered to educate rather than punish.

 

[bz316]

Zed acknowledged that freedom of expression is "important" but added that faith is sacred, and game developers should be more sensitive when dealing with such matters. If developers cannot "accurately and authentically deliver religious imagery and symbolism," he said, then they should not "unnecessarily poke into religion."

"No faith, large or small, should be plundered," Zed said.

Funny, I don't remember this guy speaking up when Assassin's Creed said the 3 major monotheistic religions of the world were based on the effects of mind-control devices invented by Ancient Aliens...

 

[conflictofinterests]

What? A form of media is misrepresenting a group of people? SHUT. DOWN. EVERYTHING.

No, but seriously, while these Hindus are being pretty chill about it compared to most other religions when they catch wind of this stuff, media just doesn't give a shit. Especially concerning fantasy narratives. We're BORROWING from your religion. If I borrow your hedge clippers to make a shape in my hedge, that shape is not a reflection on you. If I make it a penis and give you your hedge clippers back, then the only people who are going to get legitimately mad at me is the homeowners' association or the landlord.

 

[Joel Bridge]

Thing it self alot America don't Hindusim in genral, i taking comparive relgion class right now, this faith has infinte soul, it tailer to person, in hindu there is several different path you take reach your spirial goal it amazing. Man offering to teaching the business about faith in scholarly light that beautiful. There way of enlightment in hinduism call the path wisdom or knowelege it made for scholar and intellectual gods are hard or even matter to the question the ask, there asking about question and mean of that and what is soul and self.

 

[Joel Bridge]

Thing it self alot America don't Hindusim in genral, i taking comparive relgion class right now, this faith has infinte soul, it tailer to person, in hindu there is several different path you take reach your spirial goal it amazing. Man offering to teaching the business about faith in scholarly light that beautiful. There way of enlightment in hinduism call the path wisdom or knowelege it made for scholar and intellectual gods are hard or even matter to the question the ask, there asking about question and mean of that and what is soul and self.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

I see where they are coming from, but I call overreaction. Sure, they're messing around a bit.

Then again, see Okami. It took a bunch of Japanese mythology and said that most of it was really a wacky fun joke story. Susano-o was not a great warrior. He was a middle aged dude with a beer gut who told everyone that he was a great warrior.

Again, I see where they're coming from, but I wanna say "loosen up a bit."

The thing with bringing up Okami, though...Okami is a Japanese game created by Japanese devs based on Japanese mythology and geared towards a Japanese audience (yeah, it was translated, but the original target audience was Japanese) - that means every aspect is Japanese, and there's no cultural appropriation, which is where a lot of problems can lie.

Point taken. I thought it would have been a plus that they could make fun of their own thing, but it can really go either way now that you say it.

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

I'm not particularly religious, so I always find it odd that some people who are get so easily offended about it. By this I mean that there are things that I hold in high regard but I don't really care if other people dislike them or disrespect them. But it seems that people are especially touchy when it come to matters of belief.

Why does it surprise you. If a person is passionate about something they will defend it. Though I found this article very refreshing, to offer advice to make the games less offensive to them instead of having a hissy fit. A lot of people religious or not could learn from this.

 

[SouthpawFencer]

I disagree with Rajan Zed's central premise, which I think is incorporated by the following statements:

If developers cannot "accurately and authentically deliver religious imagery and symbolism," he said, then they should not "unnecessarily poke into religion."

"No faith, large or small, should be plundered," Zed said.

Despite disagreeing with his central premise, I don't have a problem with this guy.

He doesn't seem to want to implement a legal ban on the use of religious lore in video games, even if they deviate from the common interpretations of the followers of that religion. He's just using his right to free speech to state that Capcom's right to free speech was used to produce a work he finds ignorant and offensive, and wishes that this was avoided in the future in regards to all religions.

He obviously holds religious beliefs in a higher regard that I, as an atheist, do. As a result, he finds gross misinterpretations of religious tenants/beliefs/lore to be more offensive than I do.

I found his statements to be mature, reasonable and both respectful and worthy of respect, even if I disagree with them.

 

[Joel Bridge]

It

I disagree with Rajan Zed's central premise, which I think is incorporated by the following statements:

If developers cannot "accurately and authentically deliver religious imagery and symbolism," he said, then they should not "unnecessarily poke into religion."

"No faith, large or small, should be plundered," Zed said.

Despite disagreeing with his central premise, I don't have a problem with this guy.

He doesn't seem to want to implement a legal ban on the use of religious lore in video games, even if they deviate from the common interpretations of the followers of that religion. He's just using his right to free speech to state that Capcom's right to free speech was used to produce a work he finds ignorant and offensive, and wishes that this was avoided in the future in regards to all religions.

He obviously holds religious beliefs in a higher regard that I, as an atheist, do. As a result, he finds gross misinterpretations of religious tenants/beliefs/lore to be more offensive than I do.

I found his statements to be mature, reasonable and both respectful and worthy of respect, even if I disagree with them.

Funny thing is you can be atheist and hindu.