Year: 2011
Platform: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, XBox 360, Steam, Windows,
Genre: Sports
Publisher: Tru Blu Entertainment
Developer: Sidhe
Notes: Following the success of Jonah Lomu Rugby, JLRC is a rugby simulation game. It features Māori content by virtue of the NZ rugby team - the All Blacks, who utilize the Ngāti Toa haka “Ka Mate”; and by realistically depicting a sport which is one of the few ways that Māori and Polynesian people have traditionally been allowed to succeed in modern NZ society.
The game spawned two sequels - Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge 2 (2013), and Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge 3; all developed by Wellington-based studio Sidhe. The third in the game franchise is dubbed the “Jonah Lomu Edition”, and was released the year after Lomu’s death. There isn’t too much to criticize in terms of Māori content in this game, but it bears thinking about the ethics of continuing to depict a deceased person through this medium.
Overall Rating: RIP Jonah.