A breakthrough or asking for trouble?

#21 Basicly all religions are the same (similiar), but to tell you the truth I don't think that you will make something that it's not been made allready. There are a lot of comedy movies about religion (not just Dogma) and quite a few games (some of them were really bad). Games and movies are fiction and everybody accepts them that way, however books are different story. Lot's of people takes books for granted (I am not talking of Harry Potter).

Will this game even be published?

I don't see why not. If publisher can make money from it you can be sure that it will be published.

P.S. English is not my native language so I hope that you understand what I want to say here.

#22 I don't plan on making this a "gimmick game," I know that that's the wrong way to go (although it does obviously have some attributes about it). Everything in it that is meant to be humorous is... in a kind of off-the-wall way. For some reason, I keep thinking of the kind of feeling that was given off by the game "Earthworm Jim," if that makes any sense. No, I don't plan to use just one religion. In fact, I'm telling my friends to first research throughly any deities that they are going to work with, and second that I want to have as many deities in here as we can fit.
An example of the gameplay would be: Satan attacks with the seven deadly sins (he summons a group of seven poodles, each with a number/symbol, and each an embodyment of one sin). Jesus would counter with the Holy Cross (he jumps up and adheres to a cross, and then proceeds to po-go across the screen, crushing anything in his path). There will also be serious/dramatic attacks for each character (Jesus will be able to call uppon a group of archangels to attack his opponent). We will also have "unlockable" or "hidden" characters that aren't really gods, but are more like people of myth and legend. If that helps to define how this is working then... well... give me some feedback, I gues...

#23 At that level of satire, I think it would be hilarious to play!

#24 At the end of the day its a risk I think you should take, not because you could make a lot of money from being shocking (Although I bet noone would mind making some cash hehe) but because we need to be able to have a laugh at all aspects of life, people need to expand the bounderies of humour and without a being able to laugh at yourself then whats the point in living?
Well thats my little rant over and done with.
Oh while being humorous is ok there is a clear difference between comedy and racism the main difference is that Ive only been yelled at for some of my jokes but not sued yet :p

#25 If you stick with the gods of a long-dead religion, like the ancient Roman gods (think of TV's "The Amazing Legends of Hercules"), the stone heads on Easter Island or whatever the Sumerians worshipped, you will be okay. Or you can make up a bogus religion, like HP Lovecraft's cthulu cult or the pseudo-Satanic stuff that the Doom writers got rich from. But poking fun at the deities or sacred things of extant religions is, how you say, Definitely Not a Good Thing.

#26 Why not Ray?

#27 I realize that using "dead" religions is safer, but at the same time there is a different, and sometime more humorous level of satire that can be reached using the mainstream religions of this day and age. Some of them will be a little warped, true, but in the end everything will be accurate, in one way or anther. For example, Jesus will have two forms: pre- and post-appocalypse Jesus. His teachings were always meant to be peaceful, right? Then he won't really attack, but use magic, or some sort of "holy retribution" to do his thing. Then, when he becomes post-appocalypse Jesus, he will be more physically based, because this will be after this whole war that is supposed to end the world, right? The whole battle against evil thing? I mean, it's a bit of a stretch, but it still fits, right?
And as stated above "why not?" It will be fun to make as well as to play. I understand that some people might take it the wrong way, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Hell, I don't really care if I piss people off, or if I get hate-mail. The only thing I'm concerned about it getting sued for emotional scarring, or some crap like that. I mainly started this thread beacause of this very subject, and from what I have seen so far is that people might get angry, but nobody is going to take legal action. If that is the way things go, then there is no doubt in my mind that I will do this.

#28 I'm not angry by it. I don't see how any of it can be offensive to anyone. I just seen a movie last summer that had Jesus basically getting his ass beat for 2 hours straight. People crying in the theatre, and even I had to fight the urge to yell at the screen "STOP IT ALREADY!!!". You can't do any worse than that. And I honestly don't see how anyone can take any kind of legal action for something like this. I think it's a good idea. Go with it.
-Ajari-

#29

Quote: But poking fun at the deities or sacred things of extant religions is, how you say, Definitely Not a Good Thing.

Quote:Why not Ray?

In today's world?

Salman Rushdie wrote a book called "The Satanic Verses," a book that made fun of a contemporary religion, and there's now a fatwah out there, offering a reward to anyone who will kill him.

Alex may not be worried about getting people angry, or about hate mail, but he is concerned about getting sued or inflicting emotional damage. He may want to consider risking property damage or death threats -- not from me, understand, but from people who get angry enough at his portrayal of what they hold sacred to inflict, as they suppose, some kind of divine retribution. One man's satire is another man's sacrilege.

#30 I see what your saying Ray. But anyone who would go as far as to give someone a death threat for a few jokes is obviously very unstable. I'm not the kind of person that would let terrorists dictate my life and business. Death threats should be reserved for guy who hit your sister, or for someone who drank the last of the milk just before you poured you a huge bowl of Captain Crunch, but not for a few light hearted jokes.

In the end is it worth recieving a goat head on your door step? Probably not. Especially if it's not a mainstream game. But anything you make can get the same results. I've seen shows where they talk about actors recieving hate mail and death threats because they play an evil character in a soap opera. What are they spossed to do, stop acting?

Making a little game may not be that big of a deal but if the reason you decide to scrap the project is because your worried about terrorists then your letting them control you without them even knowing it. Basically punking yourself. If I go through life scared to drive to work or the grocery store because I'm worried I'll get in a car accedent and die, and then scared to walk around the corner because I think I'll get mugged then how far do you think I'll get in life?
-Ajari-

#31 @Ajari, you're right, of course. In the end, it's all a matter of how much we're willing to risk.

Regards
Ray

#32 Last night, I told a friend of mine that I hadn't seen for a while about this idea that I had. He put his hand on my shoulder and said "Now Alex, I hope you realize that if you do this... You're going to be damned to EVERY hell that there is, right?" We both had a good laugh over this, and came to the conclusion that: If god/s is/are all-knowing and all-powerful, then wouldn't they be able to laugh at themselves a bit? Ok, this really doesn't tie into the topic that much, except for that it deals with this topic. I just thought it was funny.

#33 Hey, no problem. All you need is one of these!

#34 That is absolutely hilarious! I actually wanted to do something like that once... It would have been a ready-made contract, specifying that the first person to sign it (party A) gets to keep all, or part, of the soul of the second person to sign it (party B). Whatever, it's all good.