Space Invaders/Sept. 11 art exhibit stirs controversy [update]

An art installation that features Space Invaders aliens attacking an image of the World Trade Center is beginning to draw ire from the mainstream media. Kotaku was the first site to call attention to the exhibit, which was part of a larger tribute to the classic game's 30th anniversary at the Leipzig Games Convention. A Games Convention press release calls the installation an "an articulated and critical commentary about the current war strategy" and "a social tale that can be related to historical tales without losing its poetic power." The New York Daily News ran with a decidedly different take, though, calling the exhibit a "disgrace" in one headline and featuring outraged reactions from families of 9/11 attack victims, who called the game "distasteful" and "disgusting."

The story has been slowly leaking into the mainstream from there. News wire UPI basically echoed the Post piece, while Fox News posted a surprisingly balanced take on the controversy. International wire AFP's story, meanwhile, doesn't seem to see anything wrong with the exhibit at all. So is this piece a triumph or a travesty? Watch the video and decide for yourself.

Update: Taito just dropped a very serious statement into our inbox. Read it here.