DoorQ.com [The Gay SciFi, Fantasy and Horror Site.

In these parts, the deluded, superstitious homophobia of dapper dumbass Orson Scott Card is well known. We've covered his various screeds against equality and acceptance of gay people time and time again, arguing doorQs shouldn't support his work with their pink bucks, lest that money be filtered into anti-gay efforts.

Card is also attached to the recently releasedShadow Complex side scroller, currently burning up the charts at the Xbox Live Arcade. According to background information about the game, he provided the back-story and setting for the "American is in a state of Civil War" game, even writing two novels about it. (Empire and Hidden Empire.)

Outside of that, he has very little to do with Shadow Complex game. Much of the heavy lifting was done by Peter David, a straight writer-geek who is about as gay positive as you can get. And while the Empire universe Card created depicts a "...A radical leftist army calling itself the Progressive Restoration [that] takes over New York City and declares itself the rightful government of the United States," by most accounts, the game itself is very apolitical, and might, according to some writers, even subvert that entire premise.

What are our obligations here as game fans and gays and lesbians? Should those interested not purchase the game over its involvement with Card and his dementia?

Gaygamer argues buy the game but donate to a pro-gay cause, too.

Gus Mastrapa at Wired takes a different view, believing the game should be boycotted, especially since there are "dozens of talented science fiction writers" who could have been brought onto the project, all without the baggage of Card.

Christian Nutt at Gamasutra isn't quite sure what to do, wondering if honesty and moral integrity means also forgoing a lot of other products and projects based on the political associations of those involved.

What about you? What do you think? Side-scrollers aren't really my thing, so I wasn't going to purchase the game anyway. Given the location of Epic's offices and its head honchos long term association with Card, I can't shake the feeling* that money might be going to anti-gay causes anyway. If I was interested, I'd probably forgo the game based on that.

As I said, what's your take? Purchase the game? Boycott it. What say you?

8/25/2009 3:23:00 PM | permalink | comments (3 | add) |

Comments (add comment)

	Anonymous commented on June 3rd, 2010 at 6:36 PM
	There's also the online SF magazine that carries this idiot's name: . How authors and artists with an alleged brain in their heads can continue to submit their work here and have their names associated with this non-member of a sentient species is beyond me. delete

	D.t. commented on August 26th, 2009 at 7:31 AM
	Boycott both the game and his books. message

Mike M. commented on August 25th, 2009 at 5:59 PM

I think the thing any DoorQ can do that will make a serious impact down the road is to write a letter to the game company. Express disappointment at their inability to find someone who isn't as positive as possible about all minorities. You don't have to boycott to effect change. Maybe the execs who picked Card and his ilk had no idea this kind of thing matters to us. So tell them. Do it in a reasonable tone and let them know in the future you would consider other games over those who's writers and creators are discriminatory. a stack of letters can change minds as long as they aren't shrill and ranting. Offer them some suggestions of writers and creators who are known to do good work and are not raging homophobes and bigots. We could resort to signs and shouting but now that its been done, maybe its time try a new tactic.

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