An achievement in "Dante's Inferno" call "Bad Nanny" hit a nerve with a prominent nanny organization, and a spokesperson for The International Nanny Association (INA) is thoroughly unamused by the idea of rewarding players for killing unbaptized infants. In fact, their reaction has prompted calls for action among the group's nannies.
"The name of the trophy or achievement, 'Bad Nanny,' is offensive to our association in that we strive to promote and educate the public regarding the selfless work nannies do to support families by providing quality in-home child care," the INA's public relations chair Nettie Weber wrote in a comment thread on UGO.com. "We have urged our membership to take action concerning this issue through the appropriate channels, as well."
In addition to the personal offense taken at the title of the Achievement, Weber accused the game of promoting real-life violence.
"INA is opposed to video games that promote and encourage players to 'kill' babies, even in fantasy play," she said. "It is our opinion that this type of play may promote violence towards children."
The ESRB responded to the INA's concerns, stressing that its role is not to censor media.
"[I]t should be understood that our job is not to censor potentially tasteless or objectionable content nor dictate to publishers what type of content they may include in their games," the ESRB said in a statement, according to GamePolitics.com. "ESRB’s role is to objectively evaluate a game’s content and assign age and content ratings that will be helpful in allowing consumers to make informed choices."
The INA joins voices like lawyer Jack Thompson, who believe that in-game activities translate into real-world crimes. That claim is a stretch for many, but no matter how successful or unsuccessful call for bans or laws may be, such irreverent content as the "Bad Nanny" Achievement will surely provide talking points and publicity opportunities for their accusers for years to come.
Do you think the "Bad Nanny" Achievement will inspire baby killings in the real world? How dangerous do you think video games are to the public at large? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.