Tacky Video Game Ahoy: Man Designs Game For Atheists.
A graduate student at University of Virginia has set out to create a game especially for Atheists. That's right, atheists. This man wished to remain unnamed as he is likely to get some religious persecution for what he's doing, and frankly, I think he's kinda asking for it. He is asking you to stop the spread of organized religion.
Atheists have never really had anything to speak for them like this. It's the general atheist premise that the world might be a better place without some of those religions
According to the article, the 'goal' of the game is as follows:
The object of the game is to stop the spread of Christianity and Islam by murdering Abraham and the authors of the Bible, before beheading Muhammad.
I'm not sure how much "speaking for" atheists this does, so much as it is created to antagonize pretty much every major religion. My religious practices are not what I would call pious but I know a bad idea when I see it. Religious zeal is one of those things that you just have to expect, and considering that the focal point of most religious center around someone you have to kill in this game, you can bet they are going to raise a stink about it.
My guess is this is a stunt to get attention. No one in their right mind would simultaneously provoke every major religion. Seriously.
New video game's objective: Stop the spread of Christianity and Islam [WSLS Roanoke, VA Local News]
[via Game Politics]
Asterick
Posted to Video Games on 3 June 2008
· Comments (21)
Other stuff like this: atheism, poor live choices, religious zeal, university of virginia
Name: Dave
This is idiotic. Nothing about being an atheist should suggest a desire to murder anyone. Disbelief in God does not mean aggression to the founders of various religions. Leave the hating to the fundies. No doubt atheists everywhere share my disgust of such reprehensible "representation." I mean, make the game, by all means--it's a free country, but don't claim that you're "doing it for atheists" because you're not. You're doing it for self-promotion and probably stirring up antagonism towards atheists with a move like this. Way to go.
Growing up in rural West Virginia for all of my life and hearing "God Loves You" and "Faggots Should Go To Hell" in the same breath gave me needed alternative perspective on life. Homosexuals wouldn't get any shit for being homosexual if there was no religion, and I am hard-pressed to find a religion that didn't want me to die at some point. So, as an atheist, I would much rather have a main character in a game have a small blurb of an atheistic trait and then go right back to focusing on stopping a nuclear fallout or something equally epic (I also feel the same way about having homosexual characters like that too). So a game about going back in time and murdering people in the name of atheism would not be the best light to be portrayed in right now. I do not think having our own "Left Behind" is good tact.
Yeah, people like this make me embarrassed to be an atheist. Don't we get a bad enough rep as it is without people like this adding to the fire?
Would we have a problem going back in time and killing Hitler?
I'm not as familiar with stories about Muhammed, but the patriarchs of the Christian Bible did in fact commit genocide and other atrocities, usually at the behest of their god Yahweh. (The game might work better if Yahweh and Allah were the targets)
I don't appreciate anyone speaking for me, especially since atheism is a lack of belief which makes the idea of us sharing beliefs preposterous.
But I have been known to make brazen political art that is intentionally vulgar or off-putting to make a point. And I wouldn't really have a problem simultaneously provoking every major religion, since it really doesn't take much anyway. Just being gay and honest about it is enough to do that, and anyway religious people feel "provoked" whenever an atheist rejects belief, regardless of whether that atheist is hostile or not. All religions claim to be true and that every other religion and point of view is false, and dissenters are labeled heretics and infidels. Exactly why religion is so dangerous.
Oh but what a delightful opportunity to plug myself!
Here's my grad video on religion in video games, in case anyone's interested, and feel free to tell me if you think it's too hostile to religion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR8cQjmNlhg
Wow... this almost seems like a ploy to discredit the atheist movement. If not, and the guy is truly this militant, at least it proves that atheism can attract the same level of dogmatic lunacy as religious fundamentalism.
"I do not think having our own "Left Behind" is good tact."
I see this. And, I don't think having Left Behind is good tact. I think many people had issues with that game's missions of killing atheists and jews.
I'd like to think people will realize that because some people make this atheist game doesn't mean all atheists like or support it, just like the Left Behind game.
i don't think he should speak for atheist, but i don't see anything wrong with an anti-religious premise to a game. no one likes to say it, but when americans talk about fighting terrorism they are really fighting religion. many wars are based on religion.
if they had video games or super heroes back in the days of inquisition, they would be based on beheading religious leaders.
but alas, atheism =/= anti-religion.
Well, somebody better put a halt on the frakin Golden Compass game then (no, seriously, the game was terrible, somebody stop it). If they expand that series out to the other books, we'll get to play the kids that kill God, and I guess that would just be terrible too.
Yeah, the game is blasphemous and designed exclusively to draw anger, but sometimes you need to do something absurd to point out the lunacy of the situation. Making a game where you assassinate the Biblical Legends will (maybe... probably not though) point out the ridiculous nature of fundamentalist zeal.
Besides, Christians love when their idols get killed, so it'll only serve to further their love of their religion. You'd have to chop off the character's heads or use silver bullets or something to make sure they don't rise from the dead...
*thumps his head on the desk*
This man does NOT represent us, the more mentally sane members of... well, of the fucking HUMAN RACE as a whole.
Moron.
Seems to me it'd be a better idea to have the main character kill the actual gods (though that would kinda be like admitting they exist I guess) since plenty of games have you killing gods either fictional or not.
I'm an atheist, and I see no problem with this game, it's freedom of speech.
Plus, Assassin's Creed is all about an Atheist Assassin murdering Religious Zealots, and Knights Templar.
And, nobody seems to have a problem with that game.
Quit trying to make us believe in your fairy tales, and we'll quit bashing your "faith".
Yeah, lets forget 9/10 of the fight is showing that atheists aren't bigoted imbeciles, only through difference can we prove that we are in fact a different and reasonable path.
I am an atheist, but I can't remember a religious zealot pushing anything on me in a very long time, but remember plenty of atheists [people like Paul] pushing their unwanted opinions.
I believe religious people should mock people like Paul, hell regular atheists should mock people like Paul, whose opinion irks of "I really have to hate something" and are a glaring embarrassment to the rest of us.
You don't win people over by mocking their beliefs, how many have turned to god from been mocked as atheists?.
Describing "faith" in the speech marks for a start is an immediate turn away for any intelligent person, intelligent people realise faith is untouchable no matter how you choose to mock it.
It sounds hilarious!!! Let me play.
Actually Paul, Altair was Religious, each time he killed someone, he said something along the lines of: "May God Forgive you."
Wow, am I any less of a Christian for not being outraged by this?
Incidentally, religion wasn't fucked up because of GOD. It's fucked up because of people who can't discern God's will from their own personal bias.
Religion is just fucked up.
Frankly the title and reporting of this story seem a little bit suspect to me.
Thousands of people sit in their bedrooms designing games every day- I can't help but think this story has been somewhat magnified by people with an anti-atheist agenda. The fact that the game allegedly espouses an Atheist viewpoint, rather than its violence and deliberate provocation is evidently what bothers people like Asterick. A more intelligent, less violent game designed for atheists would most likly provoke the same level of disgust from theists- It dosn't matter how much you soft peddle your atheistic views, they'll still go bright red at the very suggestion that their supersitions are wrong.
And as for provoking every major religion, I think you'll find Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and others do it on a pretty much daily basis. I've been known to do it myself once or twice...
See? Crazy people come in all shapes, don't they?
Also, I love the concept of there being some giant cluster of Atheists. Like we have a Non-Church where we meet together and discuss non-religions.
Anybody with half a brain (the few left) should hopefully understand that this guy does not speak for all Atheists just like I'm sure a lot of Christians don't want Jerry Falwell speaking for them.
I totally agree with Randal. There is nothing I can relate to more than having self-promoting hateful crazies claim to represent me. It makes me happy to see a situation like this, which is intended to antagonize and divide, followed by reasonable discussion which instead causes people to realize that in a lot of ways we are all in the same boat.
Kudos Gay Gamer!
The only thing lamer than the premise of the game is the biased and mediocre reporting. He's asking for it? asking for what? a good beating from a red-blooded, god-fearing, American like them fags is asking for it when they're too "obvious" in public?.
Or maybe you just meant he's asking for criticism and anger directed at him. If that's the case, then we're already used to it, since our very existence is apparently offensive.
Personally, I don't need a "game 4 the godless," I'd rather it'd part of a regular game. Just like Dr. House's atheism is a part of his character but we don't see him fighting creationism in schools or anything.
Dawdle: "at least it proves that atheism can attract the same level of dogmatic lunacy as religious fundamentalism."
No, it proves that it attracts ignorant people who use asinine clichés like "Duh, atheists are just as dogmatic." What the hell is a dogmatic atheist? that's as moronic as an "avid NASCAR racing non-watcher." There are no dogmas in atheism. He could be a jackass or just a guy with a lame idea but not "militant" or "dogmatic" or "fundamentalist."
Lastly, for all the hippie fans of bullcrap PC: no, you DON'T have to respect everyone's beliefs, all you have to do is respect the rights of the person. Why do religious people demand that their beliefs, no matter how ridiculous, be granted automatic, unquestioned, respect and even admiration?.
None of those spineless lefties(lefties as opposed to liberals) complain when people say "the Yankees suck" or "Demcrats are bad on defense" or "the food at Alberto's is only mildly preferable to hunger." But when it's religion, everyone starts screaming "Hey! that's my belief, you can't question or criticise it." Why does religion get a pass when every other opinion, regardless of how precious it is to the person holding it is fair game?.
I'm gonna stop right here, since no one will ever read this =P Maybe I'll continue it in the forum. ^-^
A wise atheist once said to a catholic...
"Sir, you choose to believe. But, I choose to think."