A debate has raged around this month’s release of Shadow Complex, the critically-acclaimed (and now bestselling) platform-adventure game based on a series of science fiction books by Orson Scott Card.
Though he is the very successful author of Ender’s Game and many other books, Card has long held extremely anti-gay views, even recently seeming to argue for the violent overthrow of the U.S. government should the state of California continue to legalize same-sex marriage: “How long before married people answer the dictators thus: Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down.”
Card has also argued that gay people should be put in prison, writing, “Laws against homosexual behavior should remain on the books, not to be indiscriminately enforced against anyone who happens to be caught violating them, but to be used when necessary to send a clear message that those who flagrantly violate society’s regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens within that society.”
But Shadow Complex does not include any of Card’s anti-gay views, and the author himself reportedly had little to do with its creation.
Still, it is based on his work, and he does receive money from the sale of the game. In simple terms, some gamers don’t want to give their money to a man whose views they despise. And they’re suggesting that others withhold their dollars as well.
A similar controversy swirled around Dragon Quest, because Koichi Sugiyama, the composer for all editions of the game, is a Japanese nationalist activist who openly denies of the Rape of Nanking.
But the reaction of many gamers to the call for a Shadow Complex boycott has been openly dismissive. At neogaf.com, accusations ranged from “Holy crap, it’s just a game” to “I keep my gaming and my political / personal opinions separate. Therefore this kind of thing doesn’t get in the way of me playing an excellent game.”
At one point, a moderator even shut the thread down, claiming the whole idea of a boycott was “stupid.”
And it’s worth asking: are an artist’s personal views relevant when judging his or her art? Are the calls for a boycott violating Card’s rights to free speech and free expression?
“Card’s political beliefs sure didn’t come up during the game’s development,” Mark Rein, vice president of the company that makes the game, told Kotaku. “Even if they had, we don’t discriminate when hiring or choosing partners based on people’s personal beliefs. Heck, Gears of War was made by Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and even a few Canadians like me. It takes all kinds to make great creative games.”
But no one is saying that the company didn’t have the right to make the game, or that others can’t choose to buy the game. They’re just saying that they personally find Card’s well-publicized views and open anti-gay activism offensive. And that by supporting him and his work, you’re supporting his views.
No one has a “right” to have their views go unchallenged, especially if they’re as bigoted as Card’s. The call for a boycott is also a part of free speech.
Indeed, part of the boycott, and part of the general push-back against Orson Scott Card is to stigmatize and marginalize him and his opinions. That’s also part of what free speech is about.
“Money is important, but far more important to [Orson Scott Card], and to history, is his legacy,” writes GayGamer, who has mixed feelings about the boycott. “You can tell from his reactions how much being called a homophobe rankles him. Increasingly and through his own work, the line on Orson Scott Card has moved away from ‘respected science fiction author’ to ‘kind of insane about this whole gay thing.’ As his views become more and more fringe, and we continue to gain the rights he’s fighting against, he’ll retreat further into a conservative ghetto.”
GayGamer also has what many are calling the perfect compromise: “I think if you’re obviously too disgusted to enjoy the game, avoid it, and speak out. However, if you want to play the game, play it. Enjoy it, but offset the hate: if you buy Shadow Complex, donate $5, $10, $15 if you can spare it to a gay charity. Let them know why you’re giving the money. Card won’t get nearly that much per game. In message boards or user reviews, in blogs or tweets, if it comes up, let people know exactly what Card has said on the matter, and where, and damn him with his own language.”
![[Bloglines]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
![[Digg]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Fark]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/fark.png)
![[Google]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Oh yeah, Orson Scott Card…Lord, what a lunatic. No idea how he wrote Ender’s Game, a very good book.
I’ve enjoyed some of Orson’s work over the years. Some of it I’ve disliked…he *is* a bit of a sausage factory when it comes to his novels, and he’s happy to flog a horse to death to get the most mileage out of it.
I knew of his religious views when I started reading his novels. “Whatever” I thought - a person’s beliefs are their business not mine, and I really enjoyed Enders Game, Speaker For The Dead and Seventh Son. When I first got online in the late nineties I even posted on his site.
For a few months.
After that I was pretty disenchanted with Orson’s political and religious views, which he proclaimed and expounded on…at great length….on his site. The pretentious and rabid regulars on his board were kind of off-putting also; especially if you held views in contradiction to Orson, which as an atheist, left wing, gay man I most certainly did.
Then his politics and religion started to filter into his work and I started to really dislike the tone of hsi work. It was starting to remind me too much of Terry Goodkind’s right-wing propaganda. When his latest remarks, the ones cited in your article Brent, hit the news I decided then and there I would never support Orson and his world view again by buying his books.
Just my personal stand. I support his right to say and believe whatever the hell he wants - but I won’t pay to have him spout it to me in a novel, and I especially won’t financially support someone who preaches those views to a young and impressionable teenage market.
Make your own decisions about supporting him financially. I wont be.
This is very similar to a spat that erupted a few weeks ago when John C. Wright posted a virulently homophobic blog about Syfy’s desire to be more inclusive vis GLBTQ. How do you deal with writers whose political beliefs who find difficult or abhorrent? So, I think GayGamer has a good solution to the problem.
That little controversy creeped me out. Are there really people who are otherwise “intelligent” who are that bigoted about gays? Geez.
Sadly yes.
Orson has in the past written sympathetically about gay characters, and for the most part kept out of making judgmental remarks about gay people specifically.
The rabidity crept in around the definition and defence of the term “marriage” which he very clearly believed was a blessing conveyed on a man and a woman by the church and which the state had no place in defining.
It saddens me that young gay sci-fi and fantasy nerds will come to his site and be exposed to a lot of negative stuff about being gay, and though it may make no diference to Orson’s pocket, I wont give him money to fund a platform to warp young minds.
I first read Ender’s Game in college and fell absolutely in love with the story, and called the book one of my top 5 favorites of all time for years. I even called Card a literary hero.
Then I found out about his views on gay people. I don’t think I’ve ever been disillusioned so fast. I tried to distance Ender’s Game from the man who wrote it, because I didn’t want to be denied the story, but I found I just couldn’t. It actually hurt when I tried to start reading it again, so I threw away my copy.
It just makes me sad more than anything.
He’s hateful, insane and megalomaniacal. I refuse to provide financial support to anybody like that.
I remember that once my uncle (republican) emailed my mom (liberal, I guess democrat) an article where a “true democrat speaks out” and it was written by Orson Scott Card, We were like “dude, this guy rights for the alternative newspaper in our town” the The Rhino Times, Greensboro publication, “we know he’s not a democrat.” Apparently his views in there are rather odd and strong as well, I found Ender’s Game interesting yet disturbing when I read it, not surprising since I was only in the 8th grade…
I’ve learned to make it a practice not to learn anything about an author whose work I am currently enjoying. An author’s too-weird, egocentric, potentially violent, or otherwise disruptive personality does make a difference to me. Sorry, it just does. As was posted above — I believe everyone has a right to their own opinion, and I also believe in my own right not to financially support what I don’t agree with.
That being said, I’ve always thought the only good thing Card *ever* wrote was Ender’s Game, so I’m not sorry to find he’s such a putz..
If its not your way its wrong? That seems to be every ones opinion here.
Actually Bob, I think I made my personal position fairly clear.
Orson is free to have whatever opinions he likes, and to express them in whatever way and medium he wishes.
I choose however not to support him, and by extension his views, financially by buying products he is associated with. Just as I would do the same for an author who expressed racist or misogynist views. I’m exercising my discretion as a consumer to do so.
Everyone has an opinion on everything. Why does anyone who isn’t gay care? More important things to worry about like cancer research and the economy. I think his books are great and I’ll continue to buy them regardless. So what he don’t like gays I don’t like it when the toilet seats cold. Hes a great author regardless. Saying his opinion isn’t right because you don’t believe it don’t make you right. Carry on with the flaming.
Gays have a charity now? I want a handout for being straight its not fair.