1950s Manchester as depicted by Resistance: Fall of Man

The Church of England has criticised Sony for the depiction of Manchester Cathedral in the science-fiction action game Resistance: Fall of Man. The church is angered by the use of the Cathedral in one of the game's levels and has called for the PlayStation 3 game to be withdrawn from sale.

Churches of course have long been the settings for battles, you'll have to look hard for a WWII book, movie or videogame that doesn't feature one, but Manchester Cathedral seems to be unusually angered by the depiction of its building in the game.

"I think they are going to be in for a surprise because we are not going to let this one go," said Canon Paul Denby, Manchester Cathedral Subdean and Administrator. "One million people are visiting Manchester Cathedral through this game."

The Bishop of Manchester, the Right Rev Nigel McCulloch, has also called on Sony to withdraw the game. "For a global manufacturer to recreate one of our great cathedrals with photo-realistic quality and then encourage people to have gun battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible," he told The Times (open in new window).

Of course, they may as well lower haystacks from the boat deck of the Lusitania for all the good it will do.

Sony is having none of it.

"It is game-created footage, it is not video or photography. It is entertainment, like Dr Who or any other science fiction, it is not based on reality at all," Sony's David Wilson said. "It is based on an alternative history. It is not realistic. Throughout the whole process we have sought permission where necessary. Our normal process is to seek all the necessary clearances."

Personally I'm rather sad at Manchester Cathedral's attitude here as a Mancunian, Christian and of course - gamer. Surely rather than condemning the game it would have been an excellent opportunity to discuss Manchester Cathedral on the world stage, using the church's inclusion in this science fiction game as a contact point with the young - who sadly are less interested in spiritual matters these days.

Instead the quotes I see in the papers give the impression of a church not being very well informed about this game or the culture surrounding it - and in effect will only serve to further alienate a young adult audience from the established church. I also wonder at the church's attitude in general - no criticism of seeing Manchester in ruins, just the Cathedral itself, as though it is separate from the city and the community. Perhaps these days this is the case, but it is sad to see this attitude.

The cynical might think it's just a way to drum up some more money through the Cathedral gift-shop cash register.

I've written to Canon Denby and about the issues the church has raised and hopefully I'll have a reply from him to add to this story at some stage.

You can judge some footage of the game's Manchester Cathedral sequence in the video below.