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Berlin Wall 'Death Strip' Game Sparks Outrage In Germany
gzipped_tar writes
"According to Spiegel Online, 'A new computer game where players assume the roles of border guards and shoot people trying to escape from communist East Germany has unleashed a storm of controversy in Germany. The game's creator says he wanted to teach young people about history, but he has been accused of glorifying violence. ... The name of the multi-player FPS game, 1,378 (kilometers), was inspired by the length of the border between East and West Germany. ... [Players] choose between the roles of the border guards or would-be escapees: the escapee only has one goal — to get over the wall, but the border guard has more options, and can shoot or capture the escapee. He can also swap sides and try to clamber over the border defenses himself.' By choosing to play the border guard and kill the escapee, the player would win an in-game medal from the government of East Germany. But then the guard would time-travel forward to the year 2000, where he would have to stand trial. Jens Stober, 23, designed the game as a media art student at the University of Design, Media and Arts in Karlsruhe. He said that his intention was to teach young people about German history."
Except, from what I've seen and heard of Germany, they aren't just forgetting, they're actively trying to ignore it. Perhaps this game going against that unhealthy culture of repression is the best thing.
And it sounds tactful to me, it sounds like the clear intention of this game is to try and teach people the lessons of the past. It sounds like, far from glorifying violence, it demonstrates that violent actions have very real consequences.
Remember, in Communist countries like Holland, the history books are written by the State.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
*woosh*
Lot of that today. Must be bloody windy.