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The Turkish government has launched an investigation into the fiendish digital threat that is... Minecraft. Why?
on grounds that it encourages violence, especially against woman. The investigation aims at inspecting whether or not the game contains motives to trigger violence in its players.
Hurriyet explains:
The range of monsters the player has to fight in order to keep playing include zombies, skeletons, spiders, witches, giants, dragons, guardians and killer bunnies.
In the higher levels of the game the player may need to kill women, allies and even friends for survival reasons.
The ministry has received many complaints regarding the violent elements, especially against women, in the video game and thus launched an inspection.
The article looks to the US for support: "Minecraft, which had been sold to Microsoft for $2.5 billion, had also caused debate in the U.S. for containing elements of violence."
What could result?
If the ministry’s investigation decides that the game encourages violence, the ministry will proceed by opening a law suit against the game for a country-wide ban.
Once again, cyberfear always has the capacity to elicit policy responses.
That emphasis on violence against women, as opposed to violence against all targets or against children, is interesting. Perhaps it ties into the Turkish government's return to conservative Islam. Maybe it aims at the United States and its resurgent gender politics. Whatever the cause, let's see if the theme continues.
(link thanks to Son of Infocult; photo by Tim Pierce)
Game players might confuse the living with the dead, argues a very strange lawsuit in California courts. Let TechDirt explain with full Gothic flourishes:
CMG Worldwide lawyers are necromancers.
Wait, let's rewind a bit.
We live in a strange world, folks. How else can one describe an era in which intellectual property has morphed into a form of publicity rights necromancy, in which dead celebrities haunt the living to the tune of lots of dollars? First it was the CMG Worldwide's quest against Twitter on behalf of James Dean. Now CMG has shaken its summoner's staff in the direction of Maximum Games, siccing none other than General George S. Patton (zombie) on them.
More:
if you somehow think that I'm being unfair in calling this world a stupid place, please understand that the estate of George Patton, who has been dead for just shy of seven decades, is suing the video game maker claiming false endorsement. Yes, the use in a game of a historical figure who died roughly just as the computer was being invented, has been construed to potentially confuse people into thinking that Patton was endorsing the product personally, from the grave.
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(link thanks to Todd Bryant; statue photo from Wikipedia)
"Dolls Replace People in This Deserted Town" is the title of a National Geographic short. It's about dolls becoming the dominant life form in a remote town.
Welcome to Nagoro, Japan. Human population: 37. Doll population: 350. Ayano Tsukimi lives in this small village on Shikoku, one of Japan's four main islands. When villagers die or move away from Nagoro, Tsukimi makes a life-size doll and places it in a spot that was meaningful to that person.
Are these creepy dolls? Their faces are cloth, uneven, not smooth. Their clothes and accessories are human.
But the uncanny valley is always possible.
(thanks to Ann O'Mynous)
Southern Gothic meets creepy dolls: police found dozens of dolls tied to stakes and buried in an Alabama swamp.
The dolls were atop bamboo stakes and had been placed in Bear Creek Swamp, close to County Road 3, the dirt road that travels through the wetland. The swamp is located between Prattville and Autaugaville. The majority of the dolls are porcelain and have the appearance of antiques. Many had the faces and hair covered in what looked like white spray paint.
Was it part of a ritual? Art project? Or teens in high spirits:
Bear Creek Swamp is a massive bog with a bit of a reputation locally. As a rite of passage, generations of teenagers have entered the area at night looking for creatures and haints said to roam the mist-covered realm. And it's not unusual to hear reports of loud booms coming from its depths.
Bonus points to a local for coming up with a Gothic combo:
"If somebody says they've seen a clown out there putting up dolls, I'm never going to Autaugaville again," said Jan Taylor, who had business in the courthouse Tuesday.
(thanks to David Aelfric)
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