The first and most important question that comes to mind is: Why?
No, not why did Sony delay the release of the most anticipated game since Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet. The question is, why in the world would these lyrics be allowed in any video game:
- In the 18th second: “كل نفس ذائقة الموت” (“kollo nafsin tha’iqatol mawt”, literally: ‘Every soul shall have the taste of death‘).
- Almost immediately after, in the 27th second: “كل من عليها فان” (“kollo man alaiha fan”, literally: ‘All that is on earth will perish‘).
This is an ESRB “Everyone” rated game with these lyrics from the Qur’an. Again, the question that comes to mind is why? The only good thing that came out of all this is that Sony did the right thing by completely recalling the game and delaying it until October 27th. A lot of gamers are upset about the delay (for selfish reasons obviously) and don’t believe they should suffer due to other’s “beliefs”. I’m not surprised, really. This is a much bigger issue than “having fun” or “entertainment” or even what some believe are their “rights”. There isn’t a gray area here. It’s about as black and white as any situation can be.
The lyrics that are included in this game add nothing at all, and I now question the motives of the game writers. This is supposed to be a game about light-hearted fun and creativity, but Media Molecule felt it necessary to include Qu’ran lyrics regarding death and destruction to the entire earth.
Why?!?! Seriously, why in the world was this even considered let alone allowed? I could care less about the delay, in fact, I reiterate, that I encourage it. This game should not be released in its current form. I was part of the beta of LittleBigPlanet for about 4 days, and was very impressed with the gameplay. I’m saddened that this glaring mistake has tarnished the game forever. I don’t think I’ll have the same level of trust for Media Molecule or Sony ever again.
