The Fallout Fall Out
Krish Raghav -
Friday, October 24, 2008 3:54 PM
This is a bit strange.
The folks over at GamingIndians are reporting that the Indian release of Fallout 3, the third installment of the seminal post-apocalytpic RPG series (The first two are among my all-time favourite games) is being cancelled due to 'cultural sensitivities.'
A follow up, over at the Escapist, uncovers the reason, or atleast a possible reason: Cows.
Yes, Cows.
[Preview screenshots from Fallout 3 - Image courtesy Contrabando]
In the Fallout universe, there roam some contented, post-apocalypic grass munching cows called 'Brahmin'.
Being an open-ended role playing game, it is possible, though hardly common, to harm or attack these cows. Remember that its just a premise to make the world more believable, and it is not, as many people are quick to jump onto - a 'cow-killing game.' Grand Theft Auto suffered from the same problem - elements included merely for the purpose of creating a believable game world are often mistaken for central game mechanics.
It is, as of now, unclear if the Brahmin play a pivotal role in the plot (Which is...umm...let's just say rather unlikely) or if inflicting violence on them is essential for progression in a part of the game - but playing the 'cultural sensitivity' card is a first for game relases in India. A number of violent video games (with far more heinous cultural insensitivities) are sold on store shelves.
I'm all for greater accountability for content in video games - and I do believe game makers must shoulder the responsibility of maneouvering and facing political and religious subtext.
It would be a contentious issue if the game were deliberately mocking a certain community or religious belief - but 'The Brahman' (slight difference in spelling), however, is a REAL breed of cattle (Biological name: Bos primigenius indicus) - so Im not sure if its just the publishers playing it safe, or if there's another reason altogether for the ban.
Watch this space. This could get interesting.