Does "Muslim Massacre" game show a need for Internet regulation?

[The Canadian]

Do you want a totally censorship-free Internet or one with guidelines and regulations in place? A new Web-only game called Muslim Massacre could help you make your mind up.

As a gamer, I defend the rights of adults to play what the hell they like. Even if it?s a video game that sees the player shooting people for no apparent reason or even hacking them to death, I will defend the fact that it?s merely a videogame and not real life. However, games released on consoles such as the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii are subject to regulations ensuring they aren?t offensive or harmful in any way.

Playable games on the Internet are another matter altogether, with absolutely no limits against what can be put on the Web for anyone and everyone to sample. This issue has been brought back in to the limelight by the release of a Web-only game cMuslim Massacrere which, as the title suggests, sees the aim of the game being to wipe out the Muslim population.

The game, which has its own website, puts the player in control of an American soldier on a mission to kill every Muslim on earth. There is debate over whether the game is intended as a hate-filled anti-Islamic effort or merely a parody of American foreign policy, but either way, the game is out there, and available to play by absolutely anyone with an Internet connection.

According to The Guardian[/Muslim Massacrere sees you assume the role of an American soldier who uses machine guns and rocket launchers to kill Muslim people. These range from civilians to terrorists, and even includes Osama bin Laden, Muhammad, and Allah.

The game was created by a freelance programmer called Sigvatr, who posted a link to the game on the Something Awful (http://forums.<< filtered for offensive content >>/showthread.php?threadid=2884255) forums. He also defended the nature and subject matter of the game:

Ultimately it?s just a game where you blow the gently caress out of Arabs?I don?t even know how to interpret it myself any more. The bottom line is that I enjoyed making it and it?s fun to play.

The Muslims represented in the game aren?t meant to be based on actual Muslims. If I was to try and come up with a meaning for the game at this moment, it would probably be something along the lines of metaphorically destroying the stereotypical depiction of a Muslim.

Which sounds like backtracking to stop the vitriol against the game to me.

This game is only the thin end of the wedge when it comes to the subject of Internet censorship. Laws still govern what can and cannot be put on to the Web, so child pr0n is rightly illegal and the purveyors of it tracked and arrested, but there is a line where laws don?t intervene but something can still be very offensive to many people.

I am an advocate of Internet freedom, which means I have to accept thMuslim Massacreuslim Massacre are going to exist and will be lapped up by a certain section of society. It?s just a shame that there is always someone sick enough to produce this type of thing and make it available on the Internet in the first place.

Source: Various Sites

Edited September 14, 2008 by The Canadian

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

It should be shutdown ASAP. It is racist and disgusting.

[PENGUINwithM4A1]

It should be shutdown ASAP. It is racist and disgusting.

I totaly agree

[Eric Veteran]

It should be shutdown ASAP. It is racist and disgusting.

Where do you draw that line? Who decides? I find your campaign signatures offensive. Should I demand you be censured? (They DO violate Neowin's sig size rules, BTW.)

[aither]

If you don't enjoy it, then pay no attention to it and move on with your life.

Lets not regulate the internet please.

[naap51stang]

But if there were a game that had islamic terrorist blowing up buildings, shooting non muslims,

and you tried to censor it, the media, C.A.I.R. et al, would be all over you for trying to stifle

free speech.

Once you take away ANY freedom, you never get it back.

Do I think a game that has someone blowing up/shooting another group is a good thing?

Nope, I would never play it, never go to the website. It's the same as all the porn crap

all over the web. I don't care for it, but, once you start tinkering around with what is

and isn't allowed, where do you draw the line? It's the same thing with the political

correctness garbage. Call a spade a spade and quit beating around the bush.

It should be shutdown ASAP. It is racist and disgusting.

[Xenomorph]

It's a fun game.

[Julius Caro]

It probably is illegal to host something like that in whichever country it is hosted. It's jut "internet regulation", it's common sense!

[mollick2]

well if it was a muslim shooting americians i bet it would be taken down in no time. why should this be any different?

[Arpit]

i personally think the line is drawn when you're creating something particularly with the intent of hurting someone else, and not just some fictional groups. for example, it's one thing to have command & conquer, or shooting games where your enemy could be anyone/anything but in such games you either have the choice of playing both sides or your enemy tends to be some fictional group to keep things fair.

to keep things fair if you're creating a game against muslim people and feel indifferent about it, you should have no problem if a game is created where you are a muslim person and killing everyone else on the planet (but that will probably be seen as an act of promoting terrorism - i don't know how this is any different)

it is a true fact that most recent terrorist activities have been linked to islamist extremism but that really doesn't represent the whole billion plus population of muslims themselves or their views and what this game is doing is essentially ostracizing them from the global society by particularly aiming at all muslim people only (not even just terrorists)

the right to freedom of speech/creation is one thing but there's also a sense of decency/morals/ethics which isn't a written law but something that is expected of a person living in any society.

[shihchiun]

Why do people have problems with a Muslim-killing game and not the dozens of Nazi/Communist-killing games?

[Rudnartim]

Should be also abolish porn and smut shops. I mean nobody is forcing you to play the game, so why worry about it, just don't go to that site

[altermind]

ppl are pathetic to even contemplate creating such a thing..... give my industry a bad name =/

[Arpit]

Should be also abolish porn and smut shops. I mean nobody is forcing you to play the game, so why worry about it, just don't go to that site

i think this will be the other thing. i believe the game is inevitably going to create popularity. the problem with this though is that it might give some non-muslim people some very anti-muslim ideas based on nothing which could spur hate crimes. (we can go into another discussion as to how people should be old enough to take responsibilities for their actions or parents should keep an eye on their children and so forth but the point is, since we don't have control on that, we won't have control on the increase in hate crimes.) just because you don't go on a killing or vandalizing spree doesn't mean that other people won't and the end result is just going to be senseless deaths and public outcry.. then retaliation and escalation of violence (remember paris suburbs in france?).

i suppose if you're okay with the potential consequences of this whole thing then sure, support the game and whatever but then you won't be in any place to bitch about violence in your neighbourhood should something happen.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Where do you draw that line? Who decides? I find your campaign signatures offensive. Should I demand you be censured? (They DO violate Neowin's sig size rules, BTW.)

For one thing they do not. They are not negative. Secondly what is someone were to come up with a game called "Hang The Blacks" would that be OK?

[Sethos]

"http://creation.lunarbreeze.com/suspended.page/

Visitors, we are sorry, however, this site is experiencing difficulties at this time. Please return later."

Ah, I wanted to try it :(

[-Hiroshi-]

For one thing they do not. They are not negative. Secondly what is someone were to come up with a game called "Hang The Blacks" would that be OK?

It's still violating Neowin's sig size limit, and regardless, it's extremely distasteful.

[DrCheese]

Does "Muslim Massacre" game show a need for Internet regulation?

No. If you truly believe in free speech you can't pick and choose what can and can't be published. It's not breaking any laws.

[That Guy Veteran]

Heh, looks like some of the more angry users of the web (or ethically correct, depending on which side you stand :p) have already 'regulated' this website, it's down.

At the risk of calling people over-sensitive, I'd say you just gotta ignore idiots like this and get on with life.

Can't go around sorting out all the bad apples in the world.

(Just for the record, I agree this is disgusting.)

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

No. If you truly believe in free speech you can't pick and choose what can and can't be published. It's not breaking any laws.

+1

If you don't like it, don't use it, and if you really want, say why you don't use it.

[Amnesia]

Sadly a lot of people have used the term 'freedom' to mean that we have the right to disrespect each other, but why?

It's all about respect at the end of the day.

I see so many games where a Mosque is used as a 'scene' for shooting games, but when a Church was used in that other video game, Sony were forced to stop it.

We don't live in a fair world but I'm very glad to see that there are a lot of neowinians who have shown that they understand that wrong is wrong.

[ATGC]

Nothing can be done about it and no one should even bother.

This is just giving the game more popularity to make some $$$.

[Sethos]

I see so many games where a Mosque is used as a 'scene' for shooting games, but when a Church was used in that other video game, Sony were forced to stop it.

1) Which games? ( Mosques )

2) How could Sony "Stop it" considering the game was already released?

[Richard Hammond]

I believe it was Resistance fall of man there was a church from Manchester in it and the Church complained to Sony, it never got removed either.

[Eric Veteran]

For one thing they do not. They are not negative. Secondly what is someone were to come up with a game called "Hang The Blacks" would that be OK?

I will not debate the content of your signatures as this is not a political forum, but they do seem awfully large and are enough for me to block photobucket.

It's still violating Neowin's sig size limit, and regardless, it's extremely distasteful.

Not to mention sexist... ;)