So indie developer Tale of Tales is making an “art game” based on Oscar Wilde’s play about Salome, daughter of Herodias, who danced seductively before her stepfather Herod Antipas, and then at her momma’s behest, asked for the head of John the Baptist.

That first paragraph not convoluted enough for ya? Let’s dissect a bit, shall we?  (after the break…)

First, the developer. Tale of Tales is a Belgian company, responsible for “games” for the PC, which are generally dark and creepy in nature. I’ve personally never played any of them, although the trailers for their most recent “game” entitled The Path makes me somehow think someone decided to make a screensaver after playing a Team Ico game while delving into their gothic lolita fetish inside Tim Burton’s mind and then watched The Ring over and over.

Next comes the play itself.  Never heard of it, but from some accounts, dramatic liberties are taken to the level of necrophilia.  Hooray.  And finally, all the “quotes” I’ve used in this write-up.  Maybe I’m nit-picking… maybe I’m just validating all the anti-Christian sentiment on the comments left over at Kotaku.  But speaking of Kotaku, the thing that bothered me about this posting of theirs wasn’t the content of the game itself, really.  People making “art” based on something dark: neither original nor unexpected.  People making some form of twisted media based loosely off a Biblical concept or moment; also not new or rare.  People making fun of Christians because some of us go a little crazy when something attached to our faith is demeaned or otherwise attacked… understandable.

What I don’t get is why Kotaku put quotes on the word “historical” when quoting the official post from the guys at Tale of Tales.  Their words:

“”Fatale” is based on the legend of Salomé, who, 2000 years ago, demanded the head of John the Baptist as a reward for dancing for her stepfather, King Herod. Oscar Wilde’s 1891 interpretation of Salomé as a young woman in love with the prophet is the main inspiration for the project. In “Fatale” you will be able to explore the scene of this momentous historical event, experiencing the story through the emotions and thoughts of the characters involved.”

Okay, so maybe Kotaku’s put the quotes on “historical” in a sense of ”fictional take on it”, rather than “the Bible’s not real history despite Josephus and other secular historians backing it’s events up with fact and witness account” sense…  I’m all for experimentation in the medium of gaming.  I think we need it more.  I think artistic, emotive experiences can come from games just as easily as other forms of entertainment media, and if nothing else, the Tale guys are at least being more creative than “Studio Awesome presents: The Same FPS Over and Over Again“.

But I ask you, gaming believers… how do you respond to such things?  Dan Brown movies are more wide-spread in their exposure, and the general public has their own strong reactions to such things.  But when such potentially blasphemous or otherwise Biblically insulting projects go interactive…

Is this a media storm of Jack Thompson proportions waiting to happen?  Or is the market for such a product so small the teeming masses won’t notice?  Do Christians deal with these types of games the same way as with books or film?  How do we dissolve the notion in other gamers that we’re just that easily offended and reactionary?  Should we even bother?

Post your thoughts in the comments.