Binge Gamer

When I first read this I thought it was some kind of damn joke. Apparetly there is a game in development for the Nintendo DS called Imagination is the Only Escape. The game is centered on a Jewish boy living in France during the German Occupation of WWII who escapes from the obviously drab and frightening existance into a world created entirely in his imagination. While the idea sounds pretty original (if not just a shade like Psychonauts), the time period and supposed references (direct or otherwise) to the Holocaust is just a bit too much for some, because it’s being reported that the game will not be seeing the light of day in the US anytime soon.

The New York Times is reporting that the game has been blocked from a potential US release due to it’s controversial subject matter.

I, for one, hope Nintendo not only approves this concept idea, but embraces it. While the subject matter may be more than a bit taboo, it’s titles like this that help expand the image of video games away from simple, childish timekills and into a serious, professional artform. You may not like the subjects it covers. Hell, I may not like the subjects it covers. But to keep this idea buried is ultimately unfair.

UPDATO MAGNIFICO! (an update before the story’s even finished. Damn)
The game’s publisher, Alten8, has come out today and said that the game has not been blocked by Nintendo. In fact, according to a spokesperson from Alten8, the publisher has not even spoken with Nintendo about the game.

It’s interesting to note that the game’s developer, Luc Bernard, already has a game well in development for Nintendo: Eternity’s Child, which is due on WiiWare late this year.

via Gaming Today (update via EuroGamer)