What is really at stake in the row between Sony and Manchester Cathedral over a violent video game? Simon Barrow looks at it in terms of Christendom, 'redemptive violence', image as commodity and the onset of the hyperreal.

The Church of England faces an "uphill battle" if it pursues legal action against Sony over images of Manchester Cathedral in a wargame, says a lawyer. The Church is being called on to promote peacemaking instead.