Tony Blair comments on the Church of England’s complaints against Sony

Everyone has their own say about the Church of England’s dispute against Sony, and earlier we’ve just covered a game developer’s insight about it. Now, it’s none other than Prime Minister Tony Blair putting his own two cents into the matter. And it looks like he agrees with the Church as far as companies like Sony should start acting more responsibly is concerned.

The topic about cathedrals being shown in videogames popped up just today, in a recent session of Prime Minister’s Questions – with Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd putting forward the question himself. Here’s his exact question, just so you see how he asked it – it’s interesting to see that he cites Sony’s legal tactics before going into the actual heart of the matter.

When large organisations like Sony find their copyright has been breached, they’re very quick to use the law.

Would the Prime Minister agree with me then that when Sony used images of Manchester Cathedral as part a game which extols gun violence, this was not only in bad taste but also very, very insulting to not simply the Church of England, but people across the land who think it’s inappropriate that big corporations behave in this way?

What’s more interesting is The Prime Minister’s response to it. Here it is, verbatim:

I agree with my honourable friend. I think it’s important that any of the companies engaged in promoting these types of goods have some sense of responsibility and also some sensitivity to the feelings of others.

I think this is an immensely difficult area, the relationship between what happens with these games and its impact on young people. I’ve no doubt this debate will go on for a significant period of time, but I do agree. I think it is important that people understand there is a wider social responsibility as well as an interior responsibility for profits.

While he doesn’t exactly agree on the Church’s stand, he does agree about the part about companies being responsible about its impact on the youth. And with the actual point of contention here being whether the Church of England, as a whole, was put in a bad or defamatory light by one of its Cathedrals being displayed in Resistance, there’s going to be a lot of debate as far as who’s ultimately in the right is concerned.

What do you readers think? Agree or disagree with the PM’s opinion on the whole deal? Let us know by your comments.

Everyone has their own say about the Church of England’s dispute against Sony, and earlier we’ve just covered a game developer’s insight about it. Now, it’s none other than Prime Minister Tony Blair putting his own two cents into the matter. And it looks like he agrees with the Church as far as companies like Sony should start acting more responsibly is concerned.

The topic about cathedrals being shown in videogames popped up just today, in a recent session of Prime Minister’s Questions – with Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd putting forward the question himself. Here’s his exact question, just so you see how he asked it – it’s interesting to see that he cites Sony’s legal tactics before going into the actual heart of the matter.

When large organisations like Sony find their copyright has been breached, they’re very quick to use the law.

Would the Prime Minister agree with me then that when Sony used images of Manchester Cathedral as part a game which extols gun violence, this was not only in bad taste but also very, very insulting to not simply the Church of England, but people across the land who think it’s inappropriate that big corporations behave in this way?

What’s more interesting is The Prime Minister’s response to it. Here it is, verbatim:

I agree with my honourable friend. I think it’s important that any of the companies engaged in promoting these types of goods have some sense of responsibility and also some sensitivity to the feelings of others.

I think this is an immensely difficult area, the relationship between what happens with these games and its impact on young people. I’ve no doubt this debate will go on for a significant period of time, but I do agree. I think it is important that people understand there is a wider social responsibility as well as an interior responsibility for profits.

While he doesn’t exactly agree on the Church’s stand, he does agree about the part about companies being responsible about its impact on the youth. And with the actual point of contention here being whether the Church of England, as a whole, was put in a bad or defamatory light by one of its Cathedrals being displayed in Resistance, there’s going to be a lot of debate as far as who’s ultimately in the right is concerned.

What do you readers think? Agree or disagree with the PM’s opinion on the whole deal? Let us know by your comments.