Video Game Yanked for Being Offensive to Muslims

[WriteDown]

Source: Fox News

One of the fall's most anticipated video games for the PlayStation 3, Sony's "LittleBigPlanet," had to be yanked from shelves at the last minute Monday because it might accidentally offend Muslims.

"One of the background music tracks that was licensed from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Quran," Sony said in a statement Monday. "We have taken immediate action to rectify this and we sincerely apologize for any offense this may have caused."

The piece of music in question is "Tapha Niang" by the Grammy-winning Malian musician Toumani Diabaté, who sings and plays a West African stringed instrument called the kora.

Devotional music doesn't raise eyebrows in many Muslim countries, including several in West Africa including Mali, but it's a no-no for some strict Sunnis, who frown upon instrumented music of any sort....

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,441661,00.html

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Things are getting way to bizarre.

[JonLP24]

1. Story is true

I feel an obligation to vet Fox News. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/10/20/littlebigplanet.delay/?iref=mpstoryview

:hi: Though it is about 17 hours old.

[WriteDown]

2. Ha...

I was more interested in the upcoming video game. :hi:

[jayfish]

6. Actually It's About Three Days Old.

Delayed

Jay

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

3. Hell with them....

If it offends them why don't they take it back to the store where they bought it.

This reminds me of an SouthPark show when FamilyGuy "offensive" and the solution was to bury their heads in the sand.

[Poll_Blind]

4. My hunch: Sony's lying about the reason to cover for something more serious.

  If you have followed video games development and the downward spiral of video game quality, you know what I'm talking about. I find it extremely un-fucking-believeable that Sony is yanking all these copies because of the song.

  I think it's far more likely they discovered a serious fuckup somewhere and this is the cover story they're using.

  Remember, there has been no outcry (the game hasn't even been sold yet!) AND the licensing for this song has probably had it in the game for at least a YEAR, maybe more.

  I haven't checked out SlashDot yet but I guarantee I'm not the only one who potentially smells bullshit on this.

PB

[WriteDown]

5. you could be right...

let us know what you find out.

[MindPilot]

9. No. I know one of the testers.

The story is accurate. Sony is covering it's ass *before* the inevitable outcry.

[0rganism]

18. wouldn't be the first time a game was altered for a Muslim-offensive soundtrack

One of the all-time-greats, LoZ:Ocarina of Time was revised because some of the background music playing in the fire dungeon resembled an Islamic call to prayer or some such, and the mirror shield featured a crest which included a crescent moon and star. The religious nuts are very powerful, and apparently Japanese game developers respect that.

[progdonkey]

7. Ugh...

You have to deal with religious extremists like you deal with three-year-olds (since that's where they are mentally). You can't just immediately acquiesce to any of their stupid desires and demands simply because they throw a tantrum. All it does is validate that throwing tantrums is acceptable and effective behavior. "I want!!!!" (No.) "WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" (Okay, here you go.)

Whether it's Sony preemptively acquiescing to Muslim extremists who don't like instrumental music (I mean, what the fuck?!) or it's Dunkin' Donuts pulling their ads with Rachael Ray because she's wearing a scarf which insane right wing Jewish and Christian fundamentalists said was "obviously" a kaffiyeh and so she and DD were therefore surreptitiously advocating the destruction of Israel (it was a black and white scarf and it was around her neck, after all), all they're doing is saying that the crazies can get whatever they want if they just make sure to always get crazier and more violent.

Still Poll_Blind could be right. The reviews for this game have been amazing--and it looks stunning. Everyone's saying it's one of those "sales-driving games," like Halo for the original XBox where people will buy the system just to play the one game, so either Sony is extremely weak-kneed or they found an equivalent "Hot Coffee" sort of thing in the game, a game-killing bug, or something along similar lines. (Hot Coffee was the name of the hidden "pornographic" material in GTA: San Andreas that resulted in lawsuits, bad PR, etc.)

[MindPilot]

10. Agreed

I'm really sick up and fed with all the kowtowing to religious sensibilities. Nobody gives a rat's ass if an atheist is offended. If there is a cross on a mountaintop they say "don't look at it". Fuck 'em...they need to learn to deal with being offended just like the rest of us.

[NoodleyAppendage]

14. Muslim songs = bad. But, gratuitous, over-the-top violence is o.k.??

WTF? Give me a friggin' break. Sony doesn't dare offend anyone on religious terms, but I guess all religions are o.k. with games where you are disemboweled and you kill and maim with impunity. Come to think about it, that sounds about right. :|

J

[ACTION BASTARD]

16. I'm guessing your talking about Sony's

games in general? Cuz this game is too cute for words. I don't have a Triple, but if Sony comes out with more games like this, I'll be making room for it next to my 360.

LBP looks really noice!

[NoodleyAppendage]

17. Give "Dead Space" a whirl and get back to me. Fun, but damned gory and scary. n/t

J

[semillama]

8. I'm listening to the song now.

It's a very beautiful piece of music from Toumai Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra's 2006 release Boulevard de l'Independence. I highly recommend this album.

Weird to think they'd think that strict Sunnis would be playing video games in the first place...

[Godhumor]

11. The total delay is one week. This isn't a big issue

So the real story is the person who complained asked for a patch on the day of release so the song wouldn't be played during the game. The LBP had this all set to go when Sony decided to take it a step further and repress the games. Release date got pushed from 21st to the week of the 27th.

[WildClarySage]

12. So, for Sunni's, instrumented music =not ok, but video games=ok.

huh.

[JCMach1]

21. No, Fundamentalist Wahabis only...

[Fuzz]

13. Bah, I'm offended daily, but I don't try to make people remove shit.

[bperci108]

15. Yeah, but you're a rational human being.

:hi:

[Skittles]

20. yes

I am forced to witness fucking McCain/Palin signs in my area

[cobalt1999]

19. Fuck 'em.

and any other religious group that gets easily offended.