PlayStation, Xbox, And Valve Called On Not To Sell Controversial FPS
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Featured Image Credit: Victure
As I'm sure you've probably noticed, Six Days In Fallujah, has found itself at the centre of a maelstrom of controversy since it was re-announced earlier this year.
For those who might not have heard, Six Days In Fallujah is a first-person shooter set primarily in the middle of 2004's Second Battle Of Fallujah. The FPS was previously cancelled in 2009 after being met with criticism from British war veterans, the Stop the War Coalition, and others who argued that the project was in poor taste.
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Developer Highwire Games and publisher Victure have insisted over the last few weeks that this new incarnation of the title will handle the topic of the Iraq War sensitively, though what we've seen so far has been met with frequent criticisms that it has once again missed the mark and fails to address many realities of the Iraq War, including the controversial use of chemical weapons such as white phosphorous by US forces during the battle.
Now, Eurogamer reports that Muslim advocacy organisation has requested PlayStation, Xbox and Valve drop the shooter entirely. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is the largest Muslim civil rights charity in the US. In a press release, they claim Six Days In Fallujah is an "Arab murder simulator" that would "only normalise violence against Muslims in America and around the world".
"The gaming industry must stop dehumanising Muslims," CAIR spokesperson Huzaifa Shahbaz explained. "Video games like Six Days in Fallujah only serve to glorify violence that took the lives of hundreds of Iraqi civilians, justify the Iraq war, and reinforce anti-Muslim sentiment at a time when anti-Muslim bigotry continues to threaten human life.
"We call on Microsoft, Sony and Valve to ban their platforms from hosting Six Days in Fallujah."
In an attempted defence of the game, Victure CEO Peter Tamte recently argued in an interview with Polygon that "almost all of the outrage" he's heard are from people who weren't in Fallujah.
"I think we live in a culture where we feel the responsibility to defend people, whether they want to be defended or not, on social media, and I am sure that there are people who are in Fallujah who will be offended," he said.
"But I will tell you that from my experience and conversations that I've had over 15 years on this project, nearly all want people to know what happened in Fallujah. Whether you are an Iraqi civilian or you are a member of the Coalition. Either side."
It's unclear when - or if - Sony, Microsoft and Valve will respond to these calls. What is obvious, is that the controversy surrounding Six Days In Fallujah is far from over.
Topics: Xbox, News, Valve, Microsoft, PlayStation