Games hit raw nerve as fact mirrors fantasy

By PETER GRIFFIN and REUTERS

Game developers, movie studios and artists - in a show of sensitivity for the victims of last week's terrorist attacks - have moved to strip inappropriate images from their products and titles.

Microsoft said on Friday that it would remove images of the World Trade Center from the upcoming release of Flight Simulator 2002.

While the best-selling simulator has in no way been linked with the attacks, the game has drawn attention for its level of realism and usefulness in familiarising people with the workings of aircraft.

While some European retailers have removed the present version of the game from shelves, locally, the top selling title, which allows players to simulate flights over major cities, including Washington and New York, has remained on sale.

Dick Smith merchandise manager Tony Paulsen, said the retailer would remove the game if Microsoft recommended doing so.

A salesperson for Harvey Norman said the title was still on the shelves, but was not sure what the company's long-term position would be.

Microsoft New Zealand managing director Geoff Lawrie described the recent media attention surrounding Flight Simulator as "quite ridiculous".

"Against the background of what is happening in the US, the focus on Flight Simulator is absolutely perverse," he said.

But he added that Microsoft was moving quickly to ensure it remained sensitive to its customers feelings.

"We're certainly changing the future version to ensure things that were appropriate a few months ago but aren't now, don't appear."

In the next couple of weeks the company will make a patch downloadable from its website allowing users to remove the towers from existing versions.

Auckland University media studies lecturer Dr Nabeel Zuberi said he doubted that the new-found sensitivity of some media companies would be longlasting, but added that blocking all fictional material related to the attacks may not be the answer.

"If it stops people talking about the issues in an open manner, then it's not necessarily a good thing."

British retailers have responded particularly cautiously with Virgin Megastores and Woolworths removing Flight Simulator from their shelves. Woolworths also stopped selling the Playstation 2 game City Crisis, which depicts players saving people from a burning building.

Games developer Electronic Arts has suspended "Majestic", its popular online interactive game that draws players into an X-Files-like conspiracy.

The company was concerned that one of the game's features, in which players receive recorded calls from actors portraying sometimes frantic characters, would hit a raw nerve after the attention given to phone calls from victims and survivors of last week's real-life violence.

Publisher Arush Entertainment is also evaluating a game in development that features legendary video game character Duke Nukem blasting his way through New York.

Other video game makers have said they are evaluating some titles that contain violence in a New York setting or that involve themes of fright and paranoia. Movie studios are also reviewing upcoming films with World Trade Center footage, in some cases pushing out release dates and pulling controversial trailers.

And US hip hop act The Coup have changed the cover of their new album Party Music, which depicted the World Trade Center's twin towers exploding.

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