It's an announcement for a new video game, and the website is totally deadpan.
I can't find the company "Prayer Works Interactive" on the web, which gives me some hope that this isn't real.
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More articles by PZ Myers can be found on Freethoughtblogs at the new Pharyngula!
This is satire, right? Please tell me it's a joke.
Category: Gadgets • Weirdness
Posted on: November 17, 2009 2:59 PM, by PZ Myers
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Comments
Posted by: lose_the_woo
|
November 17, 2009 3:06 PM
Perfect. That will open up a lot of real estate when the churches all go broke because of their attendees staying at home.
Posted by: H.H. | November 17, 2009 3:07 PM
I would have sworn this had to be a parody, but according to G4, this is a real product. Poe's Law strikes again: http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/700768/Nugget-From-The-Net-Mass-We-Pray-Trailer.html
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | November 17, 2009 3:08 PM
Yeah that's parody. I'm just not sure if I'm glad or a bit disappointed that it is.
Posted by: H.H. | November 17, 2009 3:09 PM
Oops! I'm wrong. G4 says they wish it were real. My bad. It is a parody. Phew! I knew the optional kneeler sensor was too over-the-top to be true.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | November 17, 2009 3:10 PM
H.H. your link seems to go against what you are saying.
Posted by: woozy | November 17, 2009 3:10 PM
Hearing that the brother and sister can play "Holy Matrimony" kind of creeped me out.
Posted by: AF Comm Guy | November 17, 2009 3:11 PM
Grrr.... another website blocked under the categorization of "none." Curse you Department of Defense and your cyber security! I shall have to wait till I get home to check it out.
Posted by: Glen Davidson
|
November 17, 2009 3:12 PM
Well, I couldn't play it here, and it was extremely slow there, so I gave up before seeing much.
They claim to be a "new company," started in 2007. Don't know if that would explain not finding it on the web or not.
But wow, I can go to church every day now? Who wouldn't jump at the chance?
Parody or not, I kinda like it.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/mxaa3p
Posted by: Kristian Käll | November 17, 2009 3:12 PM
I really can't tell.
Posted by: eddyline | November 17, 2009 3:12 PM
PZ, where do you FIND this stuff?! Definitely stranger than fiction, especially if bro and sis can 'marry'...considering most fundies' reactions to incest....
Posted by: Michelle R | November 17, 2009 3:14 PM
That's a great parody... Lol. Oh my gosh in wiiland.
Posted by: SWH | November 17, 2009 3:15 PM
If it's not a real product yet but someone thinks they can make money it will be out by Christmas. Who knows, lose_the_woo could be right and this could be a blessing disguised as a parody.
They could make denomination-specific versions? No reason the Catholics should get all the fun, the baptismal tub accessory might be entertaining.
Posted by: Sastra
|
November 17, 2009 3:16 PM
Ya. My satire detector is so finely calibrated, it caught the fact that PZ was only pretending to be unsure if this is satire or not.
Posted by: chaos_engineer | November 17, 2009 3:26 PM
I'd still be a Christian if they'd had video games like this when I was a kid.
I mean, how could you make a fun video game about atheism? It would just involve sitting in front of a blank screen and observing that it's blank.
(I suppose you could downplay the atheism and make it a game about Humanist ethics instead. Like maybe you could fight Nazis or evil space aliens or something. But even so, that doesn't sound nearly as fun as this game.)
I'm also impressed by the controller. The rosary beads work like the wrist strap on the Wii controller; they make sure it doesn't slip out of your hand and break your TV screen.
But how did the guy who invented the original rosary beads know to add a feature that wouldn't be needed until centuries in the future? I think the simplest answer is Divine Inspiration.
Posted by: No More Mr. Nice Guy! | November 17, 2009 3:27 PM
This could be really big - they could combine it with a weight loss product like you see in those late night infomercials. "Praise the lord and lose the lard."
Posted by: bbgunn | November 17, 2009 3:30 PM
I'm somewhat disappointed that exorcism is not included in the basic package or the add-on.
The censor and holy water spray were nice touches, though.
Posted by: Tulse
|
November 17, 2009 3:35 PM
I didn't see a controller for altar boy buggery -- is that not part of the game?
Posted by: mas528
|
November 17, 2009 3:36 PM
Looks like a combination of Morel Orel and the Lego games.
Posted by: Nick | November 17, 2009 3:41 PM
No console announced, no distributor, no technical specs; when you're used to seeing sites about game releases, this one's fishy from the get go.
Poe it may be, but check out all the happy, white clones in the pews. If it's a satirical commentary, it's one I like.
Posted by: Smoggy Batzrubble OM4Jesus | November 17, 2009 3:42 PM
What a wonderful game. I wonder whether Floyd Rubber and I can purchase the franchise. If we can we will add challenging levels involving:
Exorcism
Sodomising altar boys
Mortification of the flesh
3D re-enactments of crucifixion
Reliving inquisitorial interrogations
Condom ripping
Enjoying life in garish opulence
Christian methods for destroying science
Atheist hate drills
The promotion of poverty for the ignorant
Become a virtual pontiff, complete with seventeen different silly costumes
Excommunicating the families of raped children
----------
Why, there are more possibilities than you can shake a censer at.
Posted by: tsg | November 17, 2009 3:49 PM
Yes. It's the same controller.
Posted by: James | November 17, 2009 3:50 PM
I saw the rating RP and first thought it said, Rated Pedantic rather than Pending
Posted by: jolly | November 17, 2009 3:58 PM
Don't forget killing abortion providers. It's all so holy.
Posted by: Alan E. | November 17, 2009 4:10 PM
The mom looks an awful lot like Amy Poehler from SNL and Parks and Recreation. I couldn't get a good look at her since she was turned sideways to the camera most of the time.
Posted by: Angie | November 17, 2009 4:12 PM
Has to be a parody, and a funny one at that. :) Thanks for sharing!!
Posted by: Geral | November 17, 2009 4:14 PM
Who would want to do that??
.. oh.
Posted by: Brock | November 17, 2009 4:26 PM
You can tell it's a joke because they don't mention the system(s) it's on. I mean, that's clearly supposed to be a modified Nintendo Wii remote, but they don't have a Wii or Nintendo logo anywhere.
Games don't just get released into the wild with no hardware.
Posted by: spudbeach | November 17, 2009 4:37 PM
Definitely a parody. One of the songs was "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God", a _Lutheran_ hymn, but all of the action in the game was _Catholic_. A real game developer would be able to keep it all straight, but us poor parodists are completely over our heads. It takes a lifetime of study to keep this arcana straight folks!
Remember, every christian is 100% correct on the theology, but they all disagree.
Posted by: Richard Eis | November 17, 2009 4:42 PM
So, shouldn't that be Wii-pray?
Posted by: teammarty | November 17, 2009 4:49 PM
woozy #6
Ith's better than the farther and son playing altar boy
Posted by: Paul Lundgren
|
November 17, 2009 4:51 PM
But will it be out in time to compete with Dante's Inferno?
Posted by: xebecs | November 17, 2009 4:54 PM
I wonder if they support Purity Balls? I mean, you have to do something to get Daddy involved.
Posted by: JJR
|
November 17, 2009 4:55 PM
It's definitely parody...they're riffing on Gameworks Interactive, which was behind the Medal of Honor series on Playstation, etc.
I LOL'd at the kneel pad....too funny.
Posted by: Eric Paulsen | November 17, 2009 4:55 PM
I worked with a bunch of guys at EDS and we were tossing around the idea of creating a video game where you started off as a local parish priest and in each level you had to avoid nuns, journalists, and parents while capturing and sodomizing the alter boys (extra points for use of candles or the rosary as anal beads for example). If you got caught by a parent, journalist, or nun the game didn't end you just got moved to a different parish and had to start over. Every time you cleared a level you were moved up to a bigger church and greater authority. When you finally cleared all of the levels the ground would open up, Satan would grab you, and drag you screaming off to hell.
Posted by: Geoff | November 17, 2009 4:56 PM
Poe or not poe. I couldn't stop laughing all the way through it.
That's all I care about.
Posted by: Ryan | November 17, 2009 5:11 PM
I'm almost certain that the narrator does English dubs for Anime so I'm guessing it is satire.
Posted by: Nathan | November 17, 2009 5:35 PM
Has to be a spoof...the kids aren't even crossing themselves correctly at the beginning.
Posted by: woozy | November 17, 2009 5:38 PM
Very deadpan satire. Really doubt xies have the wherewithall to build actual hardware controllers.
Posted by: moioci | November 17, 2009 5:46 PM
I'm definitely downloading the Transubstiantiation module tonight!
Posted by: Zeno | November 17, 2009 5:51 PM
That is damned clever! The simulation of waving the censer (complete with burning incense) was right on the money. Excellent.
I wish I had had that when I was a kid instead of actually being an altar boy!
Posted by: Greg Laden
|
November 17, 2009 5:52 PM
This is not real, but Super Smash Mario Church is.
Posted by: JT | November 17, 2009 5:54 PM
Does this game have online multiprayer?
Posted by: Greg Laden
|
November 17, 2009 5:54 PM
Well, actually, Super Smash Mario Chruch is not real either.
Posted by: Stuart | November 17, 2009 6:43 PM
If only it was called 'Mass Wii Pray'... it would have been so much better
Posted by: Shawn Holland | November 17, 2009 7:18 PM
Order this one first... you might as well listen to some good tunes while you're in church!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euQ7BEPjBj4
Posted by: Daniel | November 17, 2009 7:26 PM
#1 made me think, what WOULD be a good use for an ex-church. In my home town there's an old catholic church turned into a condo, and in Manhattan there's the famous (now closed) Limelight.
A School? A Library? A Bookstore? An observatory?
Posted by: strange gods before me ॐ homintern radfem
|
November 17, 2009 7:49 PM
Blasphemer! Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM have brought millions of young people to humanism!
Posted by: strange gods before me ॐ homintern radfem
|
November 17, 2009 7:56 PM
Actually that is standard with Bible games. Nintendo won't license them, so they in turn can't use Nintendo's trademarks or logos. So this ad was accurate in that respect, whether by accident or intelligent design.
Posted by: Olowkow | November 17, 2009 8:05 PM
Circumcision kit?
Posted by: Silič O'Nopolitanopoulos, Färschdbischuf Beesknees aus Ulm und Klein Elguth, Elector Pharynguline.
|
November 17, 2009 8:11 PM
Not real.
If it were, there'd be an altarboy move akin to no. 4.
Posted by: Mark N. | November 17, 2009 8:30 PM
I just checked Snopes and the search results were null. I'll check again from time to time. Not being a gamer, I do not know if this is legit, but it is listed on gametrailers.com.
Posted by: mythusmage
|
November 17, 2009 8:38 PM
Silly, very silly.
Posted by: chuckgoecke
|
November 17, 2009 8:42 PM
This fulfills the definition of good Poe to me; you can't tell.
Posted by: My Lord! | November 17, 2009 9:27 PM
The kneeling accessory was choice. So funny. The narrator can't quite keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
Posted by: That Darn Satan! | November 17, 2009 9:56 PM
You *can tell. The site doesn't mention what console it's for, and we can presume they don't have the capacity to make one for just this game. If I were the eeeevil mind behind this, I'd have made sure everyone knew that it was Wii-exclusive for the holiday season.
Posted by: Rowen
|
November 17, 2009 10:05 PM
#37 Actually, they crossed themselves the way that the Orthodox cross themselves.
This has to be a satire, because all the stuff mentioned is heavily Catholic (though a mix of Roman and Orthodox/Eastern Rite). Catholics don't buy stuff like this. And the folks who WOULD would be highly offended at all the Catholic stuff going on.
Posted by: Blondin
|
November 17, 2009 10:09 PM
I wonder if somebody could create a version of Whack-a-Mole but with moles played by Ray Comfort, Casey Luskin, Bill Dembski, Ken Ham, Kent Hovind, etc. If I had Teh Flash Skilz I would do it.
Posted by: Kristine | November 17, 2009 11:00 PM
Um...wafer? Where's the WAFER?
No virtual holy communion?
Posted by: anonymous | November 17, 2009 11:16 PM
It's a parody on the upcoming Project Natal system by Microsoft. Same music, family setting, and everything. Youtube it..
Posted by: Tophe | November 17, 2009 11:22 PM
[blockquote]Where's the WAFER?[/blockquote]
I heard some University of Central Florida student took it.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 17, 2009 11:50 PM
It's been done.
Posted by: Quinx | November 18, 2009 1:08 AM
lol , that was hell funny. its a parody rite?
I see no the rape alter boys game...or proclaim condoms are evil, or live in opulent luxury while people starve game.
Posted by: Meathead | November 18, 2009 1:33 AM
Cntr-shift-uparrow-downarrow-Cntr-shift-M unlocks Benny Hinn's Holy Ghost Machine Gun.
Posted by: Eric | November 18, 2009 2:25 AM
it doesn't matter when games like bibleman are actually real
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXsHPLl-zFY
my creationist stepfather has my brother playing this crap.
Posted by: flashbazzbo | November 18, 2009 2:41 AM
Are you kidding me? Not one heads up to JT's "online multiprayer"??? I,for one ,think that particular comment,was chock-full of satirical awesomeness.A giant bucket of comedy goodness.I am somewhat dismayed at the lack of recognition by the local peanut gallery.Screw em all,JT,I say,WellDone!!!!
Posted by: latsot | November 18, 2009 4:02 AM
You Americans and your faulty irony gene...
Posted by: Eric Paulsen | November 18, 2009 4:25 AM
#61 - Thanks for the link... Well THAT sucks! The main difference with ours was that it would have been in 3/4 view and the characters and environments pre-rendered in 3d, kind of like Fallout. Other than that same basic idea.
Posted by: AKobold | November 18, 2009 4:53 AM
What? No molesting-the-altar-boy minigame? than it is definitely fake.
Seriously, this is a classic POE. It doesn't matter how ridiculous a parody may be, there will always be someone that will take it for real.
Posted by: rwtwm | November 18, 2009 5:10 AM
Wow PZ, thanks for finding this!
I'm going to have a field day on my games blog!
By the way it's clearly a parody, complete pisstake of the wii with it's wireless remote and balance board. I wouldn't be surprised to see the campaign twisted in come way later on to promote a different (real) game.
Posted by: Cat | November 18, 2009 5:46 AM
"I mean, how could you make a fun video game about atheism? It would just involve sitting in front of a blank screen and observing that it's blank."
Well in Final Fantasy Tactics Atheist is a status effect you can gain when your faith reaches zero, it makes you immune to all magic (including healing magic, sadly). It takes a lot of work to become an atheist, but with persistence and the right classes you too can lose enough of your faith for atheism to be just a chant away.
While it's not the norm for this type of game to be completely godless (depending on your definition of "god" of course), but Tales of Symphonia and a lot of Japanese RPGs feature churches that may look all good and caring when you're just sort of worshipping their religion but they're really run by some evil dude out to take over the world. Really, with the exception of the Dragon Quest series, where the church is your save point you can pretty much assume that any church that appears in a Japanese RPG will be evil. Although, even Dragon Quest has had its evil churches.
In Final Fantasy X you've got a conflict between the heavily religious Church of Yevon and the scientifically oriented Al Bhed (who needless to say don't believe in Yevon or any of the church's teachings). Turns out the church had been subverting the truth for centuries in order to further its own power and with the result of keeping the world in a cycle of death, sacrifice chosen people of high magic power, rebuild, 10 year lull, repeat. And the highest members of the church were actually flagrantly violating their most sacred teachings (the one against letting undead continue to walk around, it's funny how your perspective shifts when it's your own not really mortal coil at stake).
Posted by: asd | November 18, 2009 7:37 AM
hmm
0-day expansion pack
what a ripoff
@cat
same goes for breat of fire2
and who could forget SMT-series and spinoffs in some of which you actually get to kill god
Posted by: Mike | November 18, 2009 8:46 AM
OK PZ if you have time to find this stuff you have too much time on your hands. GET BACK TO WORK. Also should this not be "Wii Pray"?
Posted by: Svlad Cjellilad Cjelli | November 18, 2009 9:23 AM
As a videogame enthusiast and tvtropes geek, I can safely say Did Not Do The Research.
Posted by: Tammy | November 18, 2009 2:09 PM
It's not for Wii... it's for the PRAYstation 3!
Posted by: Alan Bombria | November 18, 2009 3:02 PM
Mass We Pray is an anagram for Warm ass, yep! It's obviously a secret message from the mothership to cover our asses with tinfoil.
Posted by: johnb300m | November 18, 2009 5:46 PM
The dad totally looks like Todd Palin.
hmmmmmm
Posted by: ceu | November 18, 2009 7:05 PM
I did 12 years in Catholic school and I say parody. The rosary controller is a hoot. And the kneelers...! I couldn't stop laughing. My sister attends mass and they removed the kneelers a few years back, with much scandal. This type of Catholicism gives me much joy, child abuse catholicism, not so much.
Posted by: Jochen Bedersdorfer | November 18, 2009 7:42 PM
It always amazes me how people don't realize that invoking Hitler is a non sequitur.
It does not validate or invalidate one bit the mechanisms of evolution! It is completely irrelevant to the actual theory!
Imagine that Hitler had discovered general relativity. It would still be true, regardless of the evil deeds of this man.
Posted by: Jochen Bedersdorfer | November 18, 2009 8:05 PM
Err, wrong thread. Is the commenting system broken?
Posted by: dan | November 20, 2009 11:33 AM
its viral marketting for EA's dante's inferno game.
Posted by: Slightlymadscience | November 20, 2009 12:33 PM
@dan 80:
+1
Did anyone click the links? It's all about Dante's Inferno - a game. I'm going to hope the links didn't work earlier rather than no one (other than dan) didn't CLICK anything to investigate further and just had a knee-jerk reaction.
Nevermind, the thread already seems hijacked towards different topics. Carry on.
Posted by: Torrie | November 21, 2009 2:38 AM
If it is real and a lot of people buy it, I have lost hope in our progression away from religion. That video is funnier than Hell!
Posted by: knoxchik
|
November 21, 2009 10:07 AM
The dead giveaway that it is satire was the way the children are crossing themselves - backward. No catholic would cross herself backward like that.
Posted by: Justen | November 23, 2009 12:28 AM
Am I the only person who realized that this is a viral marketing gimmick for the new EA game "Dante's Inferno"? Follow the link at the bottom of the site PZ linked to.
Posted by: Souldiah | November 23, 2009 6:36 AM
What Justen said. It took me two clicks (first one to get to the website, then another one on the preorder button) to find that out.