14 DAY TRIAL // One member of the European Parliament has spoken out against the open world gangster based video game Mafia II, which was developed by 2K Czech and published by Take Two, because of the way it appears to glamorize the criminal actions of the organization.
Sonia Alfano, who is a member of the European Parliament, has asked the Commission to take into account such radical action as banning Mafia II because of the way it glorifies the actions of Mafia members even as the organization is still conducting business in Europe.
Sonia Alfano also heads Familiari Vittime di Mafia, an organization that protects the interests of those who have loved family and loved ones to real world Mafia activity, and has lost her father in 1993, when the criminal organization killed him.
Alan Lewis, who is the vice president of corporate communications and public affairs at publisher Take Two, has stated, “Mafia II tells a compelling story about organized crime in America - a subject that for decades has been featured in award-winning movies, television shows and novels such as The Godfather and The Sopranos,” before adding, “We fully and completely stand behind our creative teams and products, including Mafia II.”
Mafia II was also attacked at launch by an organization that represents Italian Americans, who were worried that the ethnicity was unfairly represented as being inclined towards crime.
It's pretty unlikely that the European Commission will take any action to ban Mafia II in Europa, especially considering that the action of the video games takes place in the United States and that video game development is an important industry in the European Union.
Mafia II takes place after the end of World War II as one Italian American former soldier finds that a life of crime is the only way to repay debt.
The game was not well received by the public when it was released.