Faith Fighter: the Online Video Game April 28, 2009

Faith Fighter: the Online Video Game

By Guest Contributor
April 28, 2009

I don’t get why everyone gets so offended by every depiction of their gods. Especially when those gods have nifty attack moves.

Video game company Molleindustria released a free online game called Faith Fighter and they’re under fire as a result.

mogod

There are two versions of the game, normal and uncensored. One features Muhammad (fighting God in the image above). The other features the same character with his face blocked out by a black circle.

The obvious solution here is to remove the game from the Internet. (Because this game is the most offensive thing on it.)

‘This game is going out of its way to upset people and I think it should be taken off the internet,’ said Douglas Miller, pastor of the Link Church in Birmingham.

‘Playing violent video games will ultimately affect your behaviour and this game is deeply offensive and provocative.’

Oh, please. If this game encourages anyone to float in air or shoot a fireball at the opposition, I’ll bite my tongue.

You could also… you know… not play it.

I played as Buddha and beat the game in a few minutes.

A couple fun tidbits:

The final battle takes place against the *ultimate* religious icon.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster makes an amusing, random appearance in the game.

(via MediaWatchWatch)

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  • Great find. I’ll have to go looking for the FSM when I have a moment. Do you ever wonder if people take offense at these games just to draw attention to themselves? The games are trivial in terms of violence, and no one complained about the violence or offensiveness of the “Left Behind” video game (maybe someone should have?).

  • The game has been taken down from its home. To quote the site:
    “Today after an official statement by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) we decided to remove the game Faith Fighter from our site.”
    Of course, it’s already spread to many mirrors. I hope people realize that whatever goes onto the Web will probably stay there a very, very long time.

  • Update:

    In few hours this statement generated a way more heated reactions than the release of the game. We are not “bowing to the foundamentalists”, we have no sympathy for any religion but we are aware that muslims are victim of widespread racism in the western world. This islamofobia is functional to the imperial interests in Middle East and all over the world. We just want to make clear that the game was not intended to contribute to the media-assisted narrative “islamic world vs freedom of speech”.

    Darn right they should be criticized for taking it down. Muslims are not victims of racism. They’re not a race for starters. Islamaphobia is a joke, and it’s all about “accomdating” Islam because they have no sense of humour.

  • Colin M

    One site that still has the game online is here:

    http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/421199

    Google Cache also works.

  • flawedprefect

    I found one not-so-long-ago:

    http://www.playinggods.com/

    This one is an actual board game you can order.

  • andrew

    its weird that they say “Taking down the game from this website is a symbolic act: copies and documentation of Faith Fighter can be found all over the Internet.”

    What exactly is this a ‘symolic act’ of? is it symbolic of caving to religious sensibilities? or is it symbolic of allowing the mass media to drive private business decisions?

    id say its all of the above and not really symbolic at all: its literal.

  • DeafAtheist

    Reminds me of this one I came across several months ago.

  • Desert Son

    Dear Douglas Miller,

    ‘Playing violent video games will ultimately affect your behaviour . . . ’

    This is an empirical claim. Incidentally, which behaviors? I play video games (some of them invoke violence as part of the game play), and most of the behavioral changes I see in myself (n.b. anecdotal self reporting, N of 1) include things such as sedentary posturing (which, honestly, most people who work at a computer experience day-to-day), enjoyment of graphic innovations and game play styles and good (or not so good 🙂 ) writing, sense of tension-reduction that comes from a little time spent in some enjoyable activity after a long and hard day, and the likelihood of spending some time pushing buttons on a keyboard or game controller. Are there other behaviors you’re worried about, Doug? I sense there are – just a hunch. Please elaborate.

    Regardless, please cite those studies in the literature of psychology (and other relevant disciplines) that have demonstrably shown a link between “playing violent video games” and resultant changes in behavior (changes you fail to elucidate). I’d be interested to read them.

    By the way, citing addiction doesn’t count unless in the context of any number of behavioral changes, such as those associated with, for example, alcohol, sex, and gambling (to name a few). Video games may be a form addictive behavior takes, but the issue there is, well, addiction. Addictive behavior can take many forms.

    Thanks awfully.

    Yours in taking more personal responsibility,

    Robert

    P.S. I can quit anytime. Just one more round of Halo.

    P.P.S. I am reminded of this exchange from the excellent Aaron Sorkin production, Sports Night:

    J.J.: “The bomb threat was a hoax.”
    Casey: “What was it about.”
    J.J.: “Denny Denton.”
    Casey: “What about him?”
    J.J.: “They don’t like his radio show.”
    Dan: “I don’t like his radio show, either. You know what I do?”
    J.J.: “What?”
    Dan: “Change the station.”
    J.J.: “Would that the world were as enlightened as you, Dan.”
    Dan: “Oh, were that it would.”
    Casey: “‘Were’.”
    Dan: “What?”

  • If you don’t know them yet, check:

    Bible Fight – another fighting game, very interesting

    Operazione Pretofilia – “Operation: Priestophilia”… Catholic priests abusing kids are defended by “Vatican Silencer Agent”

  • Devysciple

    I hope people realize that whatever goes onto the Web will probably stay there a very, very long time.

    Daniel

    Well, it took those guys a looong time to figure out that the earth revolves around the sun, and are now trying to come to terms with this evolution stuff. Taking the current information resorption rate of garden-variety religions and extrapolating, I guess they will figure out how Teh Internets works in 400 to 600 years at the most 😉

  • They caved. I am greatly disappointed.

    It’s not “Islamophobia”.

    It’s a freakin’ video. Get over it.

    If you can’t deal with criticism, that’s your problem. It’s not racism, it’s not an attack. It’s humor.

    Religion is often devoid of humor – that’s one of it’s stranger problems. Humor is an essential part of the human experience. For systems which are supposed to make us more keenly attuned to our place in the universe, it seems profoundly disappointing to miss one of the most important of all ways of improving our perspective in life, comedy.

  • ThatOtherGuy

    Did anyone click the link and see what they replaced Faith Fighter with? They made Faith Fighter 2… and the irony they put in it is great, the guys clearly have a sense of humor.

  • HJ

    Yeah, Faith Fighter 2 is pretty good, even though it’s impossible. Which is totally the point, they did it well..

  • Ramon Caballero

    Oh, FF 1 is great, I tried it in the alternate site, I played GOD and Jesus, beat the whole way until Xenu and then beat him.
    Things that I learned from this game:
    -When faiths fight, people in the streets die
    -You can beat the game with any faith, there is no “the right one”
    -You cannot play as Xenu, only fight him/her/it
    -GOD and Jesus have the same punch called “The Holy Spirit”
    -You don’t “play” either the Flying Spaguetti Monster, but you don’t fight it either….is it really a faith??? 🙂
    And the most important:
    -When you beat the game, the world is completely destroyed

    Who said you don’t learn from playing videogames?
    -Ramon