Ever heard of a game called SMITE? It’s an upcoming free to play title, that has players engage in some DOTA-like tower defense with a wide variety of deities, including a few from the Hindu pantheon. And that very selection of revered gods has one religious leader a little hot under the collar, claiming that SMITE is being insensitive.
Rajan Zed, who happens to be in the news regularly for various self-promotion gimmicks and events, wants Kali, Vamana and Agni removed from the game, which is currently being developed by Hi-Rez Studios.
And while practically all deities are up for grabs as part of the public domain, Zed believes that the manner in which they are being used belittles them and the faith. Truth be told, if my fervent devotion to the Invisible Pink Unicorn was getting the stardust kicked out of it by the Flying Spaghetti Monster, I’d also be upset.
Still, does Zed have a point? Bear in mind, this isn’t the first time that Hindu characters have appeared in video games. Final Fantasy has long been the home of a shapely summon, using Shiva, while recently,Asura’s Wrath had players pantheon-punching everything in site, from god to beast in the process.
Our solution? Get some devoted followers to study the game day and night, using their deities to layeth the smackdown on all the other religious icons, to show who has the best religion after all.
I’m still not certain whether or not this is a publicity stunt from Zed or the developers behind SMITE, but if it is, it’s working brilliantly on me so far.
Last Updated: June 27, 2012
