Nintendo is not blocking the release of Holocaust-themed Nintendo DS game Imagination is the Only Escape -- in fact, they have yet to discuss the game at all with publisher Alten8.
The New York Times reported that Nintendo was unhappy with the game's dark themes and would not be releasing it in the United States, but a spokesperson for Alten8 explains, "[Imagination is the Only Escape] is only in its early stages. No one has blocked it, and it has no definitive time scale for release."
"We have not even discussed [Imagination] with Nintendo as of yet," the spokesperson said.
The game, created by artist Luc Bernard, places players in the role of a young boy in Eastern France who uses his imagination to escape the horrors of war during the German occupation of World War II.
In posts on his blog, Bernard insists that he did not create Imagination to be controversial, but rather to show that games can be educational. Bernard also writes that he's not trying to offend anyone, and that he'll be donating any profits he receives from the game to "try and stop the genocide in Darfur."
The exact gameplay of Imagination is the Only Escape remains somewhat unclear, but Bernard told the New York Times, "There will be no on-screen violence in this product. I don't see war as a game. I don't find that amusing."
Myrna Shinbaum, spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League, told the New York Times that she couldn't comment on the tastefulness of Imagination without seeing it, but that "We certainly believe that we have to find new ways of teaching lessons of the Holocaust as new technologies are being developed."
Creating videogames that touch on serious subjects is nothing new to Bernard. His current project, Eternity's Child for WiiWare, deals with its own sampling of controversial themes, such as genocide, pollution, and global warming.
Videogames can be an excellent medium to educate players, particularly children, about topics that might be too dry or overwhelming for them to learn another way. Given the alarming number of people who believe the Holocaust to be a hoax, Bernard's game seems like an especially good idea.
"No one has blocked" Holocaust DS game [Eurogamer]
