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It has been a poor few months for the public image of videogames, in a year that has seen Manhunt linked with the murder of a teenager, and various Daily Mail ‘Ban This Sick Filth!’ style headlines. It is fair to say that the industry as a whole would probably like a quiet period, whereby some respect returns to our favourite pastime. Scottish developer Traffic clearly does not share this sentiment, and has released a self-proclaimed docu-game entitled JFK Reloaded, the premise of which is to prove that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman.
The questionable game, a $9.99 download from the official website, claims to be a faithful recreation of the infamous day and goes further by offering a top prize of up to $100,000.00 to the person whose in-game bullets most closely resemble the path the real bullets took on that fateful day, as calculated by the game’s server (cross-referenced against the official report of the crime).
A spokesman for Senator Edward M. Kennedy (brother of the late JFK), called the game “despicable.” It is unclear if moves to block sales of the game are to be made. With the offering of a monetary prize for polygon killing, however, has this stepped over the mark of what constitutes ‘harmless’ entertainment? And if it is a success, what next – will Traffic’s next ‘docu-game’ pit you as the Oklahoma bomber?
Stay tuned to Pro-G for further news on this intriguing story.
