The Sony PlayStation 2 video game Hanuman: Boy Warrior has come under criticism from the American Hindu leader Rajan Zed, who has asked the company the withdraw the game from stores.
Zed adds that the game "trivializes" Lord Hanuman, a highly revered deity in the Hindi religion.
Sony responded to the claim saying it will not withdraw the game from the market, and has no plans to.
In the video game, players get to control the destiny of Lord Hanuman, while in the real world, religious believers put their own destinies in the hands of the deity. "Controlling and manipulating Lord Hanuman with a joystick, button, keyboard, or mouse is denigration", added Zed.
The game is only available in India, and Sony says that "prominent Indian scholars were consulted at every step" of developing the game. The game was created to "encourage young Indians to celebrate the stories of Lord Hanuman and to help bring the key lessons to life" adds the company.
Sony responded to the claim saying it will not withdraw the game from the market, and has no plans to.
In the video game, players get to control the destiny of Lord Hanuman, while in the real world, religious believers put their own destinies in the hands of the deity. "Controlling and manipulating Lord Hanuman with a joystick, button, keyboard, or mouse is denigration", added Zed.
The game is only available in India, and Sony says that "prominent Indian scholars were consulted at every step" of developing the game. The game was created to "encourage young Indians to celebrate the stories of Lord Hanuman and to help bring the key lessons to life" adds the company.
