Sounds like something out of “The Ring” movies, but it was for “real” in L.A. “Play 
‘Dante’s Inferno’ go to hell” was a sign that a protester raised in front of the E3 tech conference in June. Another sign read, “My high score is in heaven.” Still another displayed “Hell is not a game.” The LA times covered the story:
A small group of 13 protesters had attendees gawking by one of the entrances to the Los Angeles Convention Center. The object of their ire? Electronic Arts’ upcoming video game based on the literary classic “Dante’s Inferno,” which is on display at the show.
The protesters, who came from a church in Ventura County, held signs with slogans such as “trade in your playstation for a praystation” and “EA = anti-Christ” as they marched and handed out a homemade brochure that warns, “a video game hero does not have the authority to save and damn… ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE. and he will not judge the sinners who play this game kindly.”
Matthew Francis, one of the protesters, said he and his fellow church members were particularly upset that Dante’s Inferno features a character who fights his way out of Hell and uses a cross as a weapon against demons.
Wow, some Christians go to some great lengths to stop questionable video games. The group made a website complete with video of some of the protests.
As it turns out, it was a hoax and the L.A. Times had to post a correction:
Electronic Arts Spokeswoman Tammy Schachter has confirmed that the “protest” was a publicity stunt. But that hasn’t stopped some journalists, including ourselves, from thinking it was real… It now appears that the protest against the Electronic Arts game “Dante’s Inferno” that we posted about Wednesday was actually a publicity stunt arranged by EA itself.
EA should have taken more heat for this. I am not a big fan of this viral marketing tactic. If EA used a similar angle, but used a fake Muslim or Jewish group there would have been outrage. This company lampooned a religious group while trying to promote a product.
Reporters really thought this was real and that is the problem. That is what this post is about. Is this how the rest of the world views Christianity? One blogger commented on this story by saying:
But, for those of us that are “in the family” [Christians]…well, it should break our hearts. It should break our hearts that they’re right. Their perspective is true and accurate. We really do behave exactly as they have portrayed us. Maybe not us personally, but that really doesn’t matter. As a group we really are more “against” than we are “for.”
Is it really true that we are more against than we are for?
What do you think?
*A big thanks to fellow Eastern University alum, Abbie Nixon Kiefer for sending me the link to this story. You can check out her blog, Please Pass the Pie on the culinary arts. She has some great recipes.
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