Seems like you can’t even breathe in 2016 without someone or the other getting offended. After the whole Symmetra skin fiasco that followed Blizzard’s critically acclaimed competitive shooter Overwatch, Pokemon GO is in the news for hurting religious sentiments.
The high court in the state of Gujarat was asked to ban Pokemon GO because its images of eggs in religious places of worship are apparently “blasphemous” to Hindus and Jains. What is the world coming down to? What’s next, vegetarians being offended by a non-vegetarian talking directly to them, because they spew out air filled with meat?
Here’s what the petitioner’s lawyer had to say regarding the PIL (Public Interest Litigation) – “This game hurts religious sentiments of Hindus and various other religions since eggs are depicted at temples and other houses of prayers belonging to several religions. I moved the PIL to know what is the intention of this gaming company.” – I mean, seriously? Niantic has planted a secret chip in every location marked as a Pokestop, and when the time comes, it will be activated, causing the machines to rise and destroy all humanity. Because Niantic is run by Skynet, and Skynet is secretly controlled by the Reapers. Do what you can to stop them.
For those who are not familiar with the mechanics of the game – In Pokemon GO, certain locations are marked as Pokestops, where you can gather supplies and resources like potions and Pokeballs. Occassionally, you may also receive a Pokemon egg from these Pokestops which you can hatch by walking a specified distance. Now, these religious places in question may be marked as Pokestops, hence the issue with the eggs. But hey, today it’s Hindus being offended by Pokemon Eggs. Tomorrow, maybe Angry Birds will offend Muslims because it has pigs. Or maybe, lesbians are going to be offended by Minion Rush because the aim is to run and collect BANANAS. Sorry guys, mama don’t roll that way.
That’s not even the best part. Here’s where it gets more interesting. The court has actually asked the makers of Pokemon Go i.e. Niantic to respond to the charges. I think that deserves an applause, nay, a standing ovation. There will be a million pending cases lying in the court gathering dust, ranging from murder to rape to extortion to God knows what, but noooo, oh no, how dare you place a virtual egg in my sacred temple that only a few people can see IF they have a specific app installed on their phones? How dare you rob the sanctity of that place of worship by putting something there that doesn’t even exist in real life? Our judicial system is a joke. A JOKE.
They have also questioned the game saying that it invades the privacy of individuals and poses a threat to their lives who have to walk around to progress in the game. Well, I think they don’t really know that privacy on the internet is a myth, with the number of apps on your phone that are gathering your data. I’m pretty sure that all Google needs to annihilate a person is their face. Every other piece of information is already there in their database. And posing a threat to the lives? I don’t believe we’re still on this. It’s like blaming a gun for killing hundred people, not the psychotic shooter behind it. Get some perspective, shithead, this ain’t ‘Murica (no offense, hehe).
Video games cause violence. Video games are addictive. Video games hurt religious sentiments. You know what? Video games are works of art that require years of work, improve your reaction time and force you to make quick decisions that make an impact on the later stage, so you can think better on your feet. Not to mention, video games can actually put your morality to test, and you find out what kind of person you’d be if your actions didn’t have a consequence in real life. Think about that for a moment.
Rant over. Peace out.
*Obligatory link to check out more stuff at Gaming Central*
