Church attacks Resistance BAFTA
Says row helped sales.
The Church of England has called on BAFTA to pull Resistance: Fall of Man from the nominations for this month's British Academy Videogame Awards.
The Dean of Manchester Cathedral, the Very Rev Rogers Govender, says he asked BAFTA not to recognise Resistance following controversy over the depiction of Manchester Cathedral in the game.
"There was disgust at the virtual desecration of Manchester Cathedral," he told The Guardian newspaper.
"I plead with BAFTA to send a signal to the industry and to Sony and withdraw Resistance: Fall of Man from the nominations."
After the initial outrage last June, Prime Minister Tony Blair said in parliament that corporations like Sony should take responsibility for their content and be sensitive to social feelings.
According to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the Church has said that the nomination is a further insult following the furore, and that the associated publicity has only helped boost sales for Sony.
"We had to resort to legal advice to get Sony to a meeting and the row... Helped sales," the spokesperson claimed.
"The game has been nominated because of how well it's done in the charts. This nomination is like rubbing salt in the wounds."
