Reply With QuoteI can't wait until she finds out about the existence of...every other historical boardgame ever invented.
http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2010/0...ame/index.html
The pushback to the game reflects a broader, continuing effort by Native American tribes to challenge images in society and popular culture, whether they're school logos bearing the likeness of scowling warriors or names of professional sports teams that they deem as offensive or connoting hostility.
But Schilling [Curt Schilling who owns MultiManPublishing), who won World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox, said historical events should not be whitewashed for fear of offending someone. King Philip's War helped forge early American identity, even if it "clearly exposed the horrible side of humans in some cases," he said.
"If everyone intent on keeping historical events stopped at content that might seem offensive, we'd lose sight of the horrific mistakes this nation, the world and the human race are capable of, and that would be a horrific thing," Schilling said in an e-mail sent through his publicist.Poniske [the designer] said he was taken aback by the reaction because he never viewed the game as insensitive. Still, bowing to the reaction, he has already agreed to changes, such as revising the written promotional material accompanying the game to delete a reference to the colonists as "our Puritan ancestors."http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2010/0...ame/index.htmlJulianne Jennings, an adjunct professor of anthropology at Rhode Island College and member of the Cheroenhaka Nottoway tribe, helped organize last month's protest to provoke a response from the company. She said she was initially concerned about the game, but has since discussed it with the creator and believes it can be a proper educational tool if it adequately incorporates the viewpoint of tribal members.
"We're not going to stop this game from coming," she said. "If we can't stop it, why not try to contribute to the content?"
Kind of the same old, same old, where some folks don't understand a game and the game designer doesn't understand the sensibilities of folks vested in the historical events. But Jennings strikes me as a bright lady. That's how people should deal with this stuff.
I can't wait until she finds out about the existence of...every other historical boardgame ever invented.
I think we can all safely assume we'd be surprised at the number of people who have no idea that historical wargames exist.
I've always placed the number at 100.00% with all war gamers falling into the statistical margin of error. This is of course, exactly where they would like to be. Viewed as a non threat they will be able to position their assets perfectly and gain world domination without wiping the cheeto dust from their hands, the grognard equivalent of firing a shot in anger. Appomatox Courthouse without a Fort Sumter, if you will.
I heart Flowers.
Yeah, when this is the phrase used to describe them:Originally Posted by Brian Rucker
you can be sure nobody reading that has any idea what they actually do. It makes it sound like they're scrabbling for orders for snuff films or something.MultiManPublishing, which specializes in games that simulate violent combat, plans to distribute the game as soon as it gets enough orders to justify it.
Stratego should clearly be banned. It obviously recalls the horrors of the Crimean War. Or is it the Napoleonic wars? Well, anyway, it glorifies extrajudicial assassination, and it's despicable and un-American.
And Risk! My god, realpolitik immoral movement of armies around the world with no moral or ethical reason for war, and no respect for neutrality or for the boundaries of sovereign nations!
Don't get me started on Parcheesi....
Yeah, I noticed that too. What are you going to do? Clueless.
We should be Clue-less, that game romaticizes murder.
Interesting that the actual interchange between the allegedly aggrieved party and the game designer is more measured and reasonable than the tone of the actual news article. Our media at work.
Possible sequels:
Cortez vs. Aztecs
Nazis vs. Jews feat. minorities alliance expansion pack
China vs. Tibet
Israel vs. Palestine
British empire vs. Quebec
Galatic Empire vs. Ewoks
Seriously though, who cares about the setting? If the game is good and balanced, then it would even depict the "indians" in a better light then reality!
"From what I've seen right now: totally inappropriate, highly offensive, nowhere near ready to be in production," said Annawon Weeden, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoags in Massachusetts, who says there are better ways to educate people about the war. "It's just a way to have fun reliving a tragedy."
Wargamers, the scourge of the earth, deriving endless fun from sadistically reliving every human folly that we have perpetrated on ourselves!
I've played this game before, I think it was called "The Arab-Israeli Wars" by Avalon Hill. The rules (though probably realistic to the conflict) were so heavily balanced in favor of the Israeli that the Arabs couldn't get within shooting distance of the Israeli positions before they were wiped out every try.
I think it's in the same collection as the Cortez one, where an overpowered minority beat a technically less advanced majority.
As with the console wars, Israel and Palestine fanboys are so annoying...
I wonder if the media will do a follow-up about the tribe's input into the wargame and subsequent adjustments and then how they all went out for beer and ribs and a good time? I'm guessing not.
I just wanted to mention that I'd be all over this if I got to play The Empire.
Also in a war game, aren't both sides depicted as bellicose? I can understand concern if this was some settler FPS where you have to kill waves of tomahawk-waving Native Americans or even if this was some type of single player board game. There's already a lot of crap out there that disparages Native Americans that most of us just shrug off. There are legitimate complaints and very real issues in both athletics and other liesure activities. However, this really doesn't strike me as one of them.
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