First off, its censorship, plain and simple.

Secondly, banning a game for being too violent removes all possibility that video games
have the potential to make an artistic statement. Afterall, when Cronenberg makes a violent film
the critical response always runs along the lines of: Yes, its violent, but its art.
If videogames are not afforded the same latitude by the festival, then the festival is by nature
denying their potential to be art. Needless to say — this is a bizarre platform for a
festival promoting the genre.

Thirdly, Slamdance is supposed to be “on the edge”. Its supposed to be the festival that
is what Sundance ‘once was’ — before the big studios, corporate overlords and big brand
sponsors stepped in. Banning a game whose subject matter runs contrary to family values
is hardly …well.. “edgy”.

What will be left in the wreckage of this festival (after all those with any artistic
credibility leave) is a group of game-makers who:

a) Have no artistic credibility
b) Are selfish
c) Are morally high-handed sorts like the Christian Right and the Family Values crowd.

End Result?

All I can say is “nice festival guys”. You could have become something important in the gaming world.

Anyone who stays in the festival should be profoundly embarrassed.

I sure wouldn’t want to win this year.

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” - Mahatma Ghandi

What? There are no such things. In fact your use of the word sacred is quite telling in and of itself; you are caught up in nearly (or even perhaps literally) religious fervor.

But even more applicable to this particular event, he is not making light of the event. He developed the game specifically to make a statement about games as art and social commentary. The fact that you are complaining about it proves two things: one, that you are “part of the problem” when it comes to protection of the first amendment, and two, that you really don’t understand freedom of speech or the reason that it is encoded in our constitution.

Ryan, I think you’ll find at the foundation of American principles the exact opposite of that statement. NOTHING can be too sacred, there is no such thing as too sacred. Once you give that immunity to one idea, it’s a quick slippery slope to burning books and branding homosexuals. That may be sensationalist, but it’s an easy logical path.

You don’t have to agree with an artists vision or content to agree with his or her right to make that statement. You claim it was obviously intended to do nothing other than offend, but even if that is the case you cannot discount it’s right to be, or the creators right to offend with it. Many people have argued, and I would agree, that it’s the unpopular and offensive ideas that MOST need the protections American freedom offers.

Of course, if the game was removed from the festival for lack of quality, because it didn’t belong, that would be one thing. It’s patently obvious in this situation that the game did not suffer from that lack in the eyes of the judges. Having made it to the finals, it was removed for other reasons. Whether or not those reasons were motivated by pressure from the sponsors we might never know. Regardless, the whole situation stinks of censorship, which is about as un-American as you’ll ever get.

At least this game seems to be somehow sarcastic over what caused such an attack, but Left Behind just looks like the guys who made it are actually serious about it.