Monday, May 19, 2008

I dare anyone to play devil's advocate and defend the honor of this game!

I like the idea of bringing about awareness through the use of online games.  And I think that satirizing situations can be a very effective way of getting a point across.  But I think a line was crossed with the game Operation: Pedopriest on the Molleindustria web site.  Even though it is only a cartoon, it actually shows priests sexually abusing children, sounds included.  The game fails to inform the gamer of anything.  So the church tried to cover up pedophile priests, does this in turn demand that a game be created that provides an audiovisual of this act to inform people of it?  Absolutely not.  

I was unimpressed by the Molleindustria games in general.  I didn't play all of them, but after playing the ones that I did, I know it is impossible to play one of these games for an hour.  They may entertain for about five minutes, which is about how long it takes to beat each game, but after that, what more can you do?  There is no substance or challenge to these games.  In the "Stick it to the Man" article, it is stated that Paulo Pedercini, one of the Molleindustria game designers, believes that game play can be a a good way to let users understand the complexities of economic and social systems.  That's a great mission statement, but the games fail to meet this end.

3 comments:

Eli said...

Wow, I just played the pedophile game and am kind of in shock. What the hell is that about. It is disturbing, offensive and wrong on every imaginable level. Also it is not informative or fun in any respect. There is no reason for this game to be online. I don't want to see priests having sex with little boys even if it is just a cartoon. I especially don't want to help cover it up. I'm amazed that some sick person took the time to make this game.

Flajole said...

Aren't the reactions that you two have had positive- in the sense that you are profoundly offended by what you have seen?

Sara Capule said...

No, because it wouldn't be new news if the church was once again trying to cover up something, and the only reason I played this game in the first place was because I was required to for a class. This game fails to contribute anything.