A “Morally Responsible” Guide to the “Most Offensive” Video Games

Wed, Dec 3, 2008

GamePolitics has unearthed a fascinating company called The Timothy Plan, a Florida-based "Christian Financial Planning" group claiming to offer "a biblical choice when it comes to investing."

The group has just published its "Inside Look Into Video Games," available for download in Basic and Graphic versions, just in case even descriptions of video game content might offend you. Both versions of the document contain extensive score cards tallying up the potential offensiveness of scores of games released over the last two years. The Graphic edition also features a guide to the top offensive games of 2007 and 2008, a list that, according to Art Ally, president of the Timothy Plan, contains "some of the most violent and offensive video games ever to be available in my lifetime." Interest piqued?

Several of the games to make the list should come as no surprise. The top three most offensive games, Grand Theft Auto IV, Saints Row 2 and Fallout 3, all deal out their fair share of drugs and violence. One thing that GamePolitics found surprising, however, was the guide's strong undercurrent of homophobia. In addition to the fairly standard sex and nudity ratings, the Timothy Group has added a Gay/Lesbian category to its list of offenses with violators including Mass Effect, all the Sims 2 Expansion Packs and Army of Two -- Army of Two being faulted not for any actual depictions of homosexuality, but because "[s]omewhat homo-erotic undertones between the two main characters are present."

One choice I found particularly interesting was that of Fable II (another Gay/Lesbian offender) for its "Strong Sexual Content:"

Players can engage the main character in adultery, group sex, bigamy and polygamy with members of the same and opposite sex. In addition, divorce can be initiated by either the spouse or the player. Unprotected sex with a same sex partner will also lead to pregnancies.

What the report fails to mention is that negative repercussions abound for many of these activities, including the potential loss of social standing in the community and the potential to contract sexually transmitted diseases via unprotected sex. The game also rewards you with morality points for using protection when engaging in sexual activities. Also, I'm not so sure that unprotected sex with a same-sex partner actually results in pregnancy. At least it didn't in my experience, and I had a whole lot of lesbian sex in that game.

In addition to all this, The Timothy Group site also offers a free "moral audit on your mutual funds." Simply enter your contact information and the names of any potentially questionable mutual funds you own and the group will alert you to any "objectionable companies" in your portfolio. What sorts of companies might be considered "objectionable?" Any companies "contributing to the moral decline of America" by "becoming involved directly or indirectly in any of the following: abortion, pornography, anti-family entertainment, alternative lifestyles, alcohol, tobacco and/or gambling." For your convenience, the group has compiled top offenders into a "Hall of Shame" featuring a handy grid denoting which offensive activities each company takes part in.

Hankering for a "moral audit" of your financial and video game choices? Visit TheTimothyPlan.com for the guide and so much more.

GamePolitics, Holiday 2008 Gift Guide, Politics

This post was written by:

Marie Kare - who has written 152 posts on GameCyte.

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3 Comments For This Post

Zak Says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I like to use this sort of report as a "games I should play next" guide.
Marie Kare Says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:17 pm
@Zak AGREED.
Sebastian Says:
February 8th, 2009 at 3:31 am
Never listen to these kind of christians. It is clear that they do not understand the art of gaming.

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