Smite Dev Removes "Offensive" Goddess From Website

[Sarah LeBoeuf]

Smite Dev Removes "Offensive" Goddess From Website

Universal Society of Hinduism president wants Hi-Rez Studios to show Hindus "responsibility, respect, and maturity."

Hi-Rez Studios' online arena game Smite has attracted a lot of controversy with its use of religious figures. Hindus joined the protest [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118172-Hindus-Criticize-Smite-For-Trivializing-Their-Religion]. In response to complaints of its depiction of the Hindu goddess Kali, Hi-Rez Studios has removed the offending image from the game's website.

Hindu statesman and President of Universal Society of Hinduism Rajan Zed called this a "step in the right direction," thanking Hi-Rez Studios for being so understanding. However, Zed still wants to see the developer "show some responsibility, respect, and maturity" and remove Kali from Smite entirely, along with fellow Hindu gods Vamana and Agni.

Aside from removing the image of Kali from the Smite website, Hi-Rez hasn't commented on the controversy, so it's not known whether the Hindu gods will be taken out of the game as well. If not, this probably won't be the last time the self-proclaimed "battleground of the gods" is part of a religious controversy.

Permalink

 

[Saviordd1]

Ugh, Don't give in damnit! You have freedom of speech!

 

[Madkipz]

Oh yes. Lets give them a finger, and then watch as they ask for the hand next. Religious people will never be satisfied and why the Smite devs even bothered to try and cater to these people I dont even want to know.

This kind of deserves a darwin award on its own.

 

[McNinja]

Bad move on Hi-Rez's part. If they don't remove them entirely, then they will still get flak for it from uptight Hindus. If they remove the gods, then the game won't be what it claims and the hard work of the devs will be for nothing, not to mention that Hi-Rez has first amendment rights and did not have to remove anything.

 

[tmande2nd]

Developer: Are you going to buy our game?
Protester: No
Developer: Are you even going to PLAY it?
Protester: NO!
Developer: Then fuck off.

The only people who should have influence on a game's creation should be Developers, Publishers, and people who are going to buy/play the game.

 

[MrMunchies]

I don't get why these guys are complaining. It's not like they're going to play the game after all... It's not like they were interested in the videogame industry at any point during the last 40 years...

Keep
Calm
and
Walk
Away

 

[cynicalsaint1]

To be fair - I can completely understand the Hindu dudes being a bit pissed off about one of their chief goddesses being reduced to T&A for some videogame.

But really the whole game is kind crass in its concept - why start worrying about it now?

 

[1337mokro]

And humanity as a whole marches backwards into the primordial ooze it once came from.

The developer caved into religious uproar, removed it from their site... and now they want more. It's either out of the entire game or it's no good at all. If we start to dance around every single possible person whose feelings might get hurt by something we are never going to make a step forward.

As a response to such a request I would have put the image RIGHT back up there on the site and released the following statement.

"Apparently removing Kali from our webpage did not satisfy them, therefore we have decided to put it back up there. If they are going to be pissed with us until it is completely wiped from our game, why should we remove anything?"

To be fair - I can completely understand the Hindu dudes being a bit pissed off about one of their chief goddesses being reduced to T&A for some videogame.

But really the whole game is kind crass in its concept - why start worrying about it now?

You have seen images of Kali right? She basically is nothing but T&A with four hands in every single image made.

Here's a wikipedia example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kali_lithograph.jpg

Modesty is not Kali's greatest asset.

 

[kurupt87]

They need to add the Christian, Jewish and Islamic god too; they can be different skins of the same fella. Should probably add a laughing Buddha, for completeness. Sikh god too.

It is a bit unclassy to have the Hindu gods alongside those of dead religions; they actually should have to remove them or, preferably, add the other religions' gods to the mix.

 

[wizzy555]

Hopefully removing the image from the website is a fair compromise and they wont remove it from the game.

 

[GenGenners]

Remove the gods from a game about gods?

Let's also take the ball out of football, and the cars out of F1, and let's not forget to take the guns out of CoD while we're at it.

EDIT:
That Kali pic up there reminds me of the Asari.

 

[Denamic]

At least hi-rez' version of kali has a bra, unlike the 'actual' version of the goddess, which is usually completely bare breasted.

 

[dragongit]

Hey, how about the society show responsibility, respect, and maturity, by not being such a whiney ***** about their deity being represented in such a way. They don't have to play the game, and other sources of media have had them depicted in not a clear cut manner. I recall Southpark had an episode about it. Granted I've heard it's been "banned" but what can you do...

Here is my bottom line, if these gods were removed, would it encourage ANYONE from their religious society to play the game? Or would they simply forget the game ever existed, only having the knolwedged that they bullied a game company to do as they wished.

I'm Asatru, and having my gods depicted as badass is an honor. Go Odin! Perhaps we get away with it because the culture was raised to believe in honor in combat. Regardless, they are NEVER gonna play the game, the only reason they even go through the lengths is to bring attenton to themselves. I garentee you 90-95% of the people on escapist didn't even know of a Universal Society of Hinduism until this story was brought up.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

Seriously, why give in to cries for censorship? This is a bad move. They should've stuck with their guns and kept Kali prominently on the site. Games with stylised depictions of deities have been going for ages.

Heck, even real people, Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga has been both a hero and a (sometimes even downright demonic) villain in various pieces of fiction, you don't see his descendants (who are indeed out there) crying that they should ban all villainous portrayals of their distant ancestor.

For goodness sake.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Or maybe the Hindus could lighten up and not take their religion so seriously. Besides, nobody's forcing them to buy and/or play the game anyway. They should take a que from Jesus' brother Bob:

 

[draythefingerless]

They need to add the Christian, Jewish and Islamic god too; they can be different skins of the same fella. Should probably add a laughing Buddha, for completeness. Sikh god too.

It is a bit unclassy to have the Hindu gods alongside those of dead religions; they actually should have to remove them or, preferably, add the other religions' gods to the mix.

Jehovah/Allah is OP. wouldve been nerfed to powder after a week of uproar.

 

[DTWolfwood]

I am disappoint.

Never been a fan of Appeasement. To buckle under the demands of ppl who aren't even your customers is just terrible business sense. Also the PR from this "controversy" can only help to sell the game. If it wasn't for it, i'd never would have even notice such a game.

 

[McMullen]

snip

Absolutely agreed. If they got what they asked for and then demanded more, put that image back up. The studio is under no obligation here.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

Uh huh.

I'm gonna go beat my head into a wall for a few hours. Understanding this level of stupidity will take effort.