The list of “Top Offensive Games” of 2009 & 2010 released by the Timothy Group contains some expected titles as well as a few head-scratchers.
The Timothy Plan is an investing option for people who are concerned only with putting money in companies which promote good old Christian values. In addition to providing a “Hall of Shame” of companies which are involved in activities which the Timothy Plan deems are devoid of morals such as abortion, cloning, gambling, alcohol and tobacco, the experts also provide a list of videogames to avoid having in your home if you support Judeo-Christian values. The list is pretty typical for this kind of fear-mongering (GTA IV, God of War III, Dragon Age) but I was surprised to see Nier and Alan Wake make the cut as one of the 25 most “violent and anti-family” games in the last 2 years.
The Timothy Plan said that Nier, a Japanese RPG that seemed to cater to the Western audience, has sexual content. “Flirtatious dialogue and romantic discussions occur within the game,” the report reads. “A female character is dressed in a skimpy outfit and shows her posterior and cleavage.” Someone should tell them that the character in question is actually a dude, or at least a hermaphrodite.
Alan Wake is the only game on the list rated T for Teen, but the Timothy Plan doesn’t care about that, only nudity. “Alan’s wife in the game was wearing her underwear when she disappeared, so when you see her in other scenes in the game all she is wearing is that underwear and a vest,” the report reads. What? A vest? How dare they?
To be fair, the Timothy Plan is not trying to censor games in any way and the list is just meant to be a guide for parents who might be concerned. “This is not an attempt to ban video games, or dictate whether people should play them,” the website reads. “This is purely meant to inform parents who are concerned with the moral content/issues contained in video games and make available to them information which is not easily found.”
I understand that not all parents have the desire or time to play through an entire game before letting their kids go to town, but I find the trite summations of these kinds of lists a little misleading. Gratuitous violence is one thing, but what if that violence is in service to your country, or if you must kill in order to save your child. Many games feature themes such as this but the narrative justification is never discussed in such a short list.
Source: Timothy Plan
Published: Dec 17, 2010 11:17 pm