Halo 2 Offends On So Many Levels (pun intended)

Here's Dawn Kawamoto's article from C|NET:

Microsoft is delaying the release of Halo 2 for Windows Vista after partial nudity on the game was discovered, the software giant said Friday.

Halo 2 for Windows Vista is now expected to hit the stores sometime in the first week of June, approximately two weeks behind the revised May 22 schedule. The game was originally scheduled for release on May 8, but was delayed due to some technical problems, Microsoft said at the time.

The software giant attributes the most recent delay to an "obscure content error" found in the initial production of Halo 2's map editor. That error was partial nudity. Despite the error, Microsoft said it would be difficult to stumble across the offending content.

"This file is not in the game itself, nor will someone who simply plays the game ever encounter it," Microsoft stated.

The company has no plans to change the rating of its game, given it affects only the initial run of games and not subsequent shipments. Warning labels will be placed on packaging for the affected games, and Microsoft has developed a patch that can be downloaded to remove the content in question.

----------

So when is a game product rife with absolutely violent mayhem suddenly unacceptable? When it contains partial nudity of course! In this case, Halo 2 contains nudity which is almost impossible to access. The nudity doesn't even touch on pornography by all accounts (and there are darn few accounts if truth be fully told). Rev. Jerry Falwell may have cast off his earthly coil, but evidently his Moral Majority (who apparently all play nothing more contentious than Mah Jong) live strong in all their present-day righteousness.

I think Microsoft is just too big a target. I also think Microsoft is not the villain here. I think Microsoft reacts rapidly to expunge every shred of whatever currently riles up the prudish and evil-tempered watchdogs. I think other companies are reacting quickly in similar situations as well. I think that even the largest good companies are rapidly going to tire of backing away from logical absurdities. I think the battles we all have to fight against the shockingly strong voices of warring principles promoted by hundreds of warring lobbyists and special interest groups is reaching the point at which developmental and creative gridlock is going to set in. When that day comes, there won't be any Halo and there won't be any Mah Jong.