Oh dear. Sony’s desperate last minute attempts to avert LittleBigPlanet controversy are coming back to bite it. While recalling the game in the eleventh hour was supposed to stop players being offended, one group is taking issue with what it perceives as Sony choosing to censor the game on their behalf.
Speaking to Edge, M. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the non-profit American Islamic Forum for Democracy, condemned the move as detrimental to freedom of speech.
“To demand that [LittleBigPlanet] be withdrawn is predicated on a society which gives theocrats who wish to control speech far more value than the central principle of freedom of expression upon which the very practice and freedom of religion is based,” the AIFD president said.
A background song containing verses from the Qur’an was discovered in the final review stages and this was flagged up by community members as potentially offensive. Jasser writes: “The fact that the music writer is a devout Muslim should highlight that at the core of this issue is not about offending “all Muslims” but only about freedom of expression and the free market.”
Or in other words, if you don’t like something, don’t buy it, and let that guide the market. It’s bad enough when the government decides what is and isn’t offensive without game makers trying to join in.
Out Nov 5 | £40 | LittleBigPlanet
