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PlayStation (Games) Entertainment Games

Canada Dismayed Over Quebec Terrorist Game Plot 105

Posted by simoniker from the mais-non dept.
Thanks to Canoe.ca for their article discussing the Canadian reaction to the in-game plot of Sony's forthcoming PS2 title Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, which has a level in which "...the [terrorist] Quebec Liberations Front has taken control of one of Toronto's underground subway tunnels." This is "an apparent reference to the Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ), whose kidnapping and murder of Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte in 1970 led to the imposition of the War Measures Act." A spokesperson for the Toronto transit commission has suggested: "The fact is someone is putting the Toronto subway as a terrorist site, that is a very dangerous thing to do", while a group of Quebec sovereigntists have commented: "It's difficult not to be made to feel like a target when you have a game inviting players to shoot at separatists." Update: 10/23 23:25 GMT by S : According to CTV.ca, Sony have now agreed to change the game, "rather than face a real-life storm of angry Quebecers."
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Canada Dismayed Over Quebec Terrorist Game Plot More

Canada Dismayed Over Quebec Terrorist Game Plot

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  • "It's difficult not to be made to feel like a target when you have a game inviting players to shoot at separatists."

    It's not very difficult to reach for my credit card when you have a game inviting players to shoot at separatists.

    • LOL! And Alberta too:)

      Seriously, they need to get over themselves. Nobody stops to think about when the muslims or whatever are targets in a game. No, killing them is just fine. It's total hypocrisy.

      As someone who lives in Alberta, blowing up Toronto and offing hardline Quebecers... Well, it'a a dream come true really innit:)
      • Don't ignore the maritimes. They want their chance too.

        There actually is another piece of land on the Eastern side of Quebec, and they aren't all fishermen (or fisherwomen etc.).

        The maritimes probably had the most to lose if Quebec became their own country.

      • I'm a Quebecer and I am separatist. Yes, I do want Quebec to be a state on its own. However, I want this process to be democratic and without violence. It there something wrong with that? I think not. Staying in Canada, getting out of Canada, what makes one better than the other? Rationally, nothing. It's a matter of opinion. I'm just totally blown away that this post (the parent to this reply basically saying "LOL! Yeah I'm from Alberta and it's a dream come true to shoot those separatists!") is getting mo
        • If you notice, there's a smiley in my comment originally. I of course do no advocate shooting seperatists, but I do think you're all clinically insane. Canada should let you seperate, then sever all trade links with you.
          • > but I do think you're all clinically insane

            I never heard one good reason to stay in Canada (spare me the "we are together", "don't break the unity", "economically it's better for both parties" and other non-sense) so I'm not clinically insane. Maybe YOU cannot imagine why someone would want to go away this beautiful country that you love but heck try to change the situation and let's say Canada is totally full of frenchies... wassup? You don't like Canada anymore? Maybe you would also like to create a

  • Sony already changing it? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by alphaseven ( 540122 ) on Thursday October 23, 2003 @06:11PM (#7295965)
    CTV is reporting that Sony has already agreed to have the game changed [www.ctv.ca]. (Video linked to on the page).

    Funny part is, I was just watching a Canadian reporter talking to an actual retired Quebec terrorist, and he kind of liked the idea, he thought it might make young people a little more militant.

  • Bah (Score:3, Insightful)

    by daeley ( 126313 ) * on Thursday October 23, 2003 @06:12PM (#7295975) Homepage
    A potential terrorist target is a potential terrorist target whether or not somebody says it's one. In fact, you're worsening the danger by *not* pointing out something like that, since likely not enough will be done about the problem otherwise. "...dangerous thing to do"? Bah. It's not like there's some Separatist at an underground cafe right now slapping his forehead and saying "Sacre merde, the subway! Why didn't we think of this?"

    • Re:Bah (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Chasuk ( 62477 ) <chasuk@gmail.com> on Thursday October 23, 2003 @07:30PM (#7296457)
      Actually, no.

      When suicides are widely reported, the incidence of suicides go up. That's why Toronto, at least in the past, didn't/doesn't report suicides (or at least omits the information that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted).

      Sensationalism of kidnaping inarguably leads to more kidnaping, and sensationalism of skyjacking leads to more skyjacking.

      This has been known for years, and I don't see why it wouldn't apply to terrorist acts, as well.
      • Perhaps, but there's a big difference between "widely reported" and "appearing in a video game that no one would have thought twice about if it weren't for the super-sensitivity about terrorism lately."

      • Re:Bah (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Danse ( 1026 )

        So you're claiming that because suicides increase when a suicide is reported, terrorism will increase because a game contains a plot that has you fighting terrorists? I think I'm going to cry now...

        • Terrorism is an act performed by those who are so obsessed with enforcing their worldview that they are willing to commit murder.

          These people are already mentally unbalanced, so I don't think that it is too implausible that one of the nutcases might be inspired by the plot of a game.

          I'm not suggesting that Sony should have modified it, but I am suggesting that, when considering the insane, the possibility of a causal connection between what for us might be diverting entertainment and for them a recipe for

          • Re:Bah (Score:2)

            by Danse ( 1026 )

            Nutcases have immense amounts of inspiration available to them. Books, movies, the nightly news, it's all full of good stuff if that's what they're interested in. The thought that a computer game would be any kind of significant influence in light of all the other major media out there is silly. Even if it did serve as an inspiration, that's hardly something to condemn it for. Think of all the other prescient works out there that could be reviled for this very reason. If it were truly the heinous act t

      • Sensationalism of kidnaping inarguably leads to more kidnaping, and sensationalism of skyjacking leads to more skyjacking.

        See also: "Bowling for Columbine".

      • When suicides are widely reported, the incidence of suicides go up. That's why Toronto, at least in the past, didn't/doesn't report suicides (or at least omits the information that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted).

        Yeah, better to make people think there are lots of murders. :P

    • Now i don't know if this actaully would fit in right here, but in the orginal one for PS1 the first level happened in street level then moved into the subway to kill the terrorists and defuse at least one bomb. so its not like the subway think hasn't been done before, i think its just the use of the group.

  • Blame Canada! they are not a real country anyway! (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    What does the American Ambassor has to say about this?

    Am. Ambassor stands up, fixes his tie.

    -Fuck Canada!

    Canadian ambassor: "Hey! Fuck you buddy!"

    "South Park: bigger, longer and uncut"

    -p.s.
    Just kidding! ;D hey someone has to be a villain demographic, and frankly they were tired of arabs and nazis. Its just a game guys! they can shoot "terrorist from Jersey" for what I care!
  • Newfoundlan man fails attempting a terrorist attack on Toronto, Ontario.

    More Information available here [isa-geek.com]

  • hmmm (Score:1)

    by rwven ( 663186 )
    "Counter-Strike"? sounds like much ado about nothing...
  • If you cave into Canada, who WON'T you cave into?

  • ... you insensitive clod!

  • What's with the PC BS? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by pkhuong ( 686673 ) on Thursday October 23, 2003 @06:59PM (#7296269) Homepage
    I'm quebecois, and i don't give a ****. Hell, i'd probably have a lot of fun with the game if i had a PS2 :) However, I think it's a bit sad that the FLQ is only remembered for their one(and last) mistake. They did many things before the kidnapping-and-murder mistake, and it was very clean; it involved blowing statues representing the british domination, etc. While it was costly, but it made their point and didn't physically hurt anyone.

    BTW, re the inflammatory comments: not all of us are like the hardline PQ, just like not every anglo's like Alliance-Quebec(or whatever their name is) people. Thank you.
    • ...with their "very clean" actions involving bombs and gunfire. Perhaps you should do a little reading on the FLQ.

      Their bombing of the Montreal Stock exchange injured 27 people. They planted several mailbox bombs which injured several people, some critically. Their bombs killed three people, and their guns killed a couple more, and that's not counting M. Laporte's death by strangulation.

      They were terrorists, and they hurt people. Yes they targeted itms that were symbolic (to them) of what they considered to be an opressive regime, but the collateral damage destroyed peoples lives. They scared people because of those injuries and deaths to further their cause. That's what terrorism is, and terrorists is what the FLQ, or at least the more extreme elements of the FLQ, were. Do a little reading on the FLQ's

    • it involved blowing statues

      Lucky statues!

  • A game based on Sherman's march to Atlanta?

    War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out. ~Gen. Sherman

  • Whoa people! (Score:4, Funny)

    by M3wThr33 ( 310489 ) on Thursday October 23, 2003 @07:45PM (#7296544) Homepage
    Don't be so quick to blame Canada for this one. Queubec shouldn't even be considered part of the provinces. It's sort of like Texas, but without the cowboy hats or guns. ... Make that just without hats.

  • Ahhh, Sony tucks tail (Score:3, Insightful)

    by DesScorp ( 410532 ) on Thursday October 23, 2003 @07:59PM (#7296627) Journal
    How rediculous. There IS a Quebec seperatist movement. Some of them HAVE used terrorism in the past. This is comparable to using IRA terrorists in a game, and then backing off because Sinn Fein complained.

    Someone at Sony needs to grow a sack, and tell these PC assholes to shove it.
  • "rather than face a real-life storm of angry Quebecers."
    Sheesh, they are probably angry for being called Quebecers.

    Acording to Google...

    Searched the web for Quebecois. Results 1 - 100 of about 792,000. Search took 0.32 seconds.

    Searched the web for Quebecers. Results 1 - 100 of about 29,500. Search took 0.15 seconds.

  • Prior art (Score:3, Informative)

    by jtheory ( 626492 ) on Friday October 24, 2003 @12:47AM (#7297854) Homepage Journal
    There's a book called Infinite Jest [barnesandnoble.com] in which Quebecois separatist terrorists play a pretty central role in the plot.

    It takes place in the future, and the Quebecois want to secede more than ever partly because the US has taken to lofting all of their radioactive waste into an area right on the Quebec border... and Canada proper didn't object. Apparently the wasteland is prowled by feral giant fetuses and such.

    I don't imagine the PS games has much else in common with the book... but David Foster Wallace certainly gave no apologies for his plot, so why should they? Who complains about terrorist plots anywhere else, for however outlandish reasons?
  • Man, it's getting so you cant kill anyone anymore...

  • The hypocrisy of North Americans never ceases to amaze me. It's quite allright to label every Arab in the planet a hardcore terrorist, but if someone lets out a game where there are North American white terrorists, an outrcy is instant. I thought Jamaican limbo dancers had gone as low as man can go. Sadly, I was very wrong...

  • ..Canadians aren't dismayed. Militant Quebecois who love to take offence are dismayed.

    Slightly OT, but have you ever noticed that in almost every SF story or RPG that mentions Quebec, they always seem to break away and turn Communist?

  • I find it strange that shooting at Quebec terrorists is labeled offensive, yet it perfectly acceptable to make games where you can shoot at Middle Eastern terrorists or Latin American guerillas.

    Does anyone else find this strange?
    • ABBA

      In general, I think this is acceptable because the popular view is most terrorists are Arabs, however, we must remember that most Arabs are not terrorists.

      Take Command & Conquer Generals for example. The GLA (terrorists) were Arabs because, face the facts, we are fighting terrorists of Arab background (Al-Qaida and the boys).
  • So sad that Quebec takes more tax dollars per capita than any other Province now they have to take what sounds like super-fun battle in TO subway game levels from us. Damn you Quebec. Damn you straight to the very small trough the rest of us have to feed from.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • FLQ Story 1, happened this week [www.ctv.ca]Police said they caught the men as they were trying to cut down a federalist symbol at the townhall with a chainsaw. Investigators said they later found several homemade pipe bombs in a suspect's car.

    The graffiti included the words Canadians Go Home, Quebec Libre (A Free Quebec) and Fusion Montreal.

    The letters FLQ, which stands for Front de liberation du Quebec, were also spray-painted onto the building. The separatist terrorist organization was responsible for the murder of

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