Shadow Complex is a recently released Xbox Live Arcade game that takes its gameplay inspiration from classic titles like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. It’s an engaging, enjoyable side-scrolling platformer that’s well worth the $15 asking price. Unfortunately, Shadow Complex takes its atmospheric inspiration from Empire, a novel from noted science fiction author Orson Scott Card. Card, however, is also noted for his staunch opposition to equal rights for gays and lesbians. He serves on the board of directors of the National Organization for Marriage, a group trying to prevent the legalization of same-sex marriage. Even though Card had no direct involvement with the development of Shadow Complex, his association with the franchise is causing some people to call for a boycott.
I wasn’t aware of these issues before I downloaded Shadow Complex. If I’d known, it would certainly have given me pause. Anyone who knows me knows how repulsive I find this type of discrimination. As a friend of mine so eloquently put it, “Denying someone rights on the basis of sexual orientation is no less reprehensible than doing so on the basis of race or religion.” However, I don’t think these issues would’ve prevented me from purchasing the game. This is not because I disagree with the boycott, but because I have absolutely no faith that it would do anything but hurt me, the consumer, and Chair Entertainment, the development team.
Consider this analogy. I’ve been a strict vegetarian for about 13 years now. I don’t judge anyone who isn’t a vegetarian, because I don’t necessarily think that eating meat for survival and nourishment is wrong. It’s more so the abhorrent ways our society treats livestock, the disfiguring genetic engineering it uses to force increases in productivity, and the gruesome ways in which the killing is actually done that I take issue with. If given the choice between a typical chain restaurant and a restaurant that caters exclusively to vegetarians, I would certainly choose the latter in an effort to support an ethical standard that I agree with. However, if I were to boycott all large chain restaurants instead of simply choosing a vegetarian option from their menu, the only person I’d be hurting is myself.
In the end, it’s not that I disagree with the boycott of Shadow Complex. I’m just as dissatisfied with Card’s involvement in the game, however minimal his contribution was, as those who call for the boycott. It’s just that I’m no longer idealistic enough to believe that my purchasing decisions actually have any effect whatsoever on situations like this one.
This shadow just got a whole lot more complexer!
Well put. I completely understand your perspective. And I was actually hoping that a vegetarian would see my entry and respond to my burger stand analogy. I think it helps to demonstrate that many of us have our personal causes and beliefs that are of particular importance to us. It’s not always about having an impact on the outside world, so much as it is about making decisions that we feel are consistent with our beliefs. You are a vegetarian, but don’t boycott chain restaurants that serve meat, though given the choice, you’d support another restaurant. I think that’s pretty similar to my perspective on Shadow Complex. I’m not about to go buy any of Card’s books, but I decided that buying and playing Shadow Complex doesn’t violate my personal code of ethics with regard to where I stand on marriage equality. If someone else decides that it does violate that code for them, however, I can respect that.
Thanks for writing about this issue.
I have really, really enjoyed reading different ideas in this discussion… I think it’s an important topic to engage. I’ve kind of stayed out of it, though as I never planned on buying Shadow Complex in the first place (not my type of game). I feel like saying we should or should not boycott would sound strange coming from someone who wasn’t interested in the product at all.
Nice analogy and I enjoyed reading this.