After having two Sony PSP’s but then buying a Nintendo DS as it was more geared towards my eight year old daughter because most games feature cute ponies and the like. Now I would never imagine the Nintendo DS to feature a video game about how Nazis tortured children, but this is what Luc Bernard, a 21-year-old British video game developer wants.
The game is called “Imagination Is the Only Escape” and it follows “a young boy in eastern France during the German occupation who seeks escape from real-life horror through a fantasy world”.
It is said that the U.S. has banned this game; do you agree that children should not know about certain parts of our history or they should not know within games?
Source: NYTimes
9 responses so far ↓
1 Cole // Mar 13, 2008 at 1:23 am
This is bold idea, and should have been allowed.
Nintendo has already broadened the genre of gaming, why shouldn’t the DS be used as a educational device for events in history, or dealing with social issues at a level children can safely understand.
2 craig // Mar 13, 2008 at 11:38 am
If we hide from the past we are doomed to repeat it.
Although this game shows a horrible part of the past im sure it will not be rated for your 8 year old and even if it is you don’t have to buy it. And gaming is a great way to expose children to these types of issues and some games can be quite educational about such issues.
3 Eddie T // Mar 13, 2008 at 11:52 am
To put this in context this game hasn’t even been completed yet and I believe it’s still in the early development stage. The plot seems to me to have some similarity to the film pan’s labarynth.
Nintendo has been trying to broaden the audience for video games for many years now and all though the Nintendo DS does have a number of games containing, puppies, ponies, kittens etc it also has games of a more adult nature with zombies, murderers and psycopaths. I personally feel the Nintendo DS has the most broad appeal of any console at the moment.
In regard to this game being released, if games such as call of duty or medal of honour that give a realistic example of fighting in world war 2 (and always from the allies side)or games like GTA which reflect modern day serious crime then why not take it a step further with this game. If it is educational fantastic, but I don’t think this should be a prerequisite for it being released. As long as a game is entertaining and doesn’t promote Nazi idealism or teach children how to torture one another then it should be welcomed.
4 Archaon6044 // Mar 13, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I think that it is good idea to teach the events of the past to children, to try and help them avoid making mistakes etc etc, but i think there are far better ways to do this, than in a game. while i feel it should have been banned, i think that prehaps they are justified in doing so, but for the wrong reasons. America particularly they seem to live very sheltered lives
5 hayden // Mar 13, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I dont see the reason to ban it. . I’d play it
6 Rob // Mar 13, 2008 at 3:01 pm
The U.S need to teach there children what ACTUALLY happned in the past. All they get taught is the us point of view! And film such as U571 actually change the facts! Granted we shouldn’t let kids see everything. But if we hide what happend to these people it will all be in vain, At least we can learn from other people’s mistakes
7 John // Mar 13, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Actually your writer needs to get their facts right as the game was not and has never been banned by nintendo.
This is an old story that is soley based on roumor!
8 DekuScrubby // Mar 14, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I’m sorry, but assuming that the DS is geared towards ‘your eight year old daughter’ proves jsut how ignorant you are when it comes to videogaming. You are the kind of person who buys a game based on grahpics. You are the kind of person who only plays drivers and shooters. You think Nintendo is ‘kiddy’ despite it’s incredible sales, those of the DS nearly double that of the PSP.
No. Nintendo is not kiddy, Nintendo is expanding the age range of those who play videogames - much more than Sony is doing. Why buy a PSP when almost ALL of it’s exclusives (and this goes for the PS3 as well) involve driving and shooting. You know what that’s called? no variety. Try knowing about something before you write an article judging it.
9 Daniel // Mar 14, 2008 at 2:11 pm
More children play the Nintendo DS than adults, thats why it outsold the PSP. The Sony PSP has more adults playing it than the DS…FACT.
Although I agree with you that the DS is aiming at more variety now, but this is only just starting. For gaming the DS is better for gameplay and not Graphics. The PSP has way more in variety when it comes to gaming, GPS, Skype and more…thats what I call variety.
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