Finally: Jew-hating journalist — the video game

posted at 6:22 pm on February 6, 2007 by Allahpundit

It’s all here. Write sensational reports about massacres that never happened! Stage photos of weeping Palestinian women! Devise new and ever more creative euphemisms for “terrorist”! Commission editorial cartoons of Ehud Olmert drinking Arab infants’ blood! Then advance to the Bilal Hussein Round, where you’ll embed with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade as they stage daring raids on Israeli kindergartens! The game is over when Palestine is Judenrein and you get an offer from Al Jazeera.

Believe it or not, you can actually set a bias level:

A game based in the midst of the conflict in the Palestinian territories is set to be the latest release in the trend of politically-conscious gaming…

The player must navigate between different Palestinian and Israeli sources to get to the truth of a story.

“You can take a pro-Palestinian angle, a balanced angle, or a pro-Israeli angle,” said Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen, of Serious Games Interactive.

Yeah, I know, the article’s old. But the game’s due for release shortly. Hence the news angle.

Exit question advice: Don’t play against anyone from the UK. Click the image to watch.

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Is there no sound, or was that a problem with me not having some sort of plug-in?

RightWinged on February 6, 2007 at 6:28 PM

there was no sound

does the journalist get to say allah akbah at all?

Defector01 on February 6, 2007 at 7:02 PM

What is it with these people…first, the game and then the idiot with the cars. Typical loon, money for cars tatoos and probably bimbo’s. Wow.

sharinlite on February 6, 2007 at 7:12 PM

It’s like the MidEast version of Grand Theft Auto, GTA-Gaza. Except, in this case, GTA stands for Give Terrorists Acceptability.

Sorry… it’s been a long day.

SailorDave on February 6, 2007 at 7:26 PM

Or a pro-Israeli angle?

Points off for lack of realism.

Mark V. on February 6, 2007 at 8:12 PM

Hey, I mentioned this a couple of days ago in the comments of that other video game post.

I see how it is… ;-)

DaveS on February 6, 2007 at 9:30 PM

Find out how much you really hate the Joos.

JaHerer22 on February 6, 2007 at 9:35 PM

You Americans make me laugh. This game isn’t even out and no previews have been set, nor any reviews, and already you jump to conclusions.

If the game is honest to it’s word, meaning that you can take a neutral, pro-pali, or pro-isreali stance, it could be very educational. It could show the world how easy it is to make one picture tell a completely different story or the type of manipulation that goes into creating a story.

Assuming, of course, the game description is true.

MarkyX on February 6, 2007 at 11:18 PM

MarkyX… I guess we Americans just believe them when they describe their game like this…

The Middle East is far away. This is your chance to get closer. Play a young journalist that has just arrived in Israel, and shape the region’s future in a peaceful direction. You must complete your assignment at all cost navigating between Palestinians and Israeli sources to get your article. Will you be able to stay objective and maintain trust on both sides as the conflict escalates. What happens when people become much more than just your sources…

Maybe it’s an American thing, but we (most of us) don’t believe that it is the job of the press to “shape the future” or to push any sort of agenda.

DaveS on February 6, 2007 at 11:34 PM

Find out how much you really hate the Joos.

JaHerer22 on February 6, 2007 at 9:35 PM

8. Jimmy Carter’s use of the term “apartheid” in his new book is:

c) more of the same from the putz who put Andy Young at the UN

HaHaHaHaHaHa!!!!!!!
Priceless! And true!

RedinBlueCounty on February 7, 2007 at 1:05 AM

Play a young journalist that has just arrived in Israel, and shape the region’s future in a peaceful direction.

As if a journalist would want to help bring peace to the region. That would destroy most of their sources of death and destruction, wouldn’t it? What journalist would help to put themself out of a job?

maintain trust on both sides

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I wouldn’t want to gain the trust of people that strap on bombs and blow themselfs up crowded areas. How would you respond the request of a terrorist asking you to” hold this package for me, ok?”

RedinBlueCounty on February 7, 2007 at 1:13 AM

You can take a pro-Palestinian angle, a balanced angle, or a pro-Israeli angle

Ask yourself this:

Who would you rather have sitting next to you on an airplane, an armed Israeli or an armed Palestinian?

Hint: No Israeli has ever hijacked an airplane.

RedinBlueCounty on February 7, 2007 at 1:33 AM

“You can take a pro-Palestinian angle, a balanced angle, or a pro-Israeli angle,” said Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen, of Serious Games Interactive.

Who wants to bet that the ‘balanced angle’ is based on reality?

And the reason we don’t trust this, MarkyX, is that we understand that no one does this sort of thing without an agenda. We also know what the most common agenda regarding the Middle East is.

Wolfman on February 7, 2007 at 5:09 AM

And the reason we don’t trust this, MarkyX, is that we understand that no one does this sort of thing without an agenda.

Like money?

It’s pretty obvious that not a lot of people are hardcore gamers. Companies always produce games based on importent events, that’s what gives them attention. Look at other games like KUMA WAR that use real life events to create missions, or Battlefield 2 with Americans and the “Middle East Coalition”. Nobody complained about those.

If the game is a completely anti-Israel, reviewers will point this out. I am interested in the game, as it seems to remind me of old Sierra adventure games like King’s Quest, but I’ll admit if you are forced in a linear path because the designer think supporting Palestine is “right”, it’s going to suck. And it’s going to suck not just because of the message, but because predictable linear games suck.

I’m willing to give it a chance.

MarkyX on February 7, 2007 at 7:51 AM

One of the quotes was from a 16 year old who claimed to have learned more about history by playing this video game than from the last 6 months in class. Sadly, I don’t doubt that she’s right, and, in writing this, I intend no praise of the video game.

morganfrost on February 7, 2007 at 11:39 AM

Companies always produce games based on importent events

That’s really stretching it!

Pacman was based on an important event? Wow, who knew? What event was Pong based on? Or Final Fantasy? Or most of the other games that are based on similar themes? I’m still trying to figure out what important event Donkey Kong was based on.

BTW, here’s a game you should try:
http://www.turbocafe.com/play-5546-Bin_Laden_Liquors.html

RedinBlueCounty on February 7, 2007 at 11:58 AM

Pacman was based on an important event? Wow, who knew? What event was Pong based on? Or Final Fantasy? Or most of the other games that are based on similar themes? I’m still trying to figure out what important event Donkey Kong was based on.

In fairness, neither one of you is right. Companies don’t always base games on important events but many of them do. There are a couple of companies that make wargames (WWII based) that allow you to take command at squad, company, or entire army levels. You can refight famous battles, or try to change the outcome of the war. There are a lot of quality flight sims that came out in the late 90′s and early 2000s for WWII that are quite impressive from fighter to bomber levels. Ubisoft has a really impressive sub simulator as well. Now if you really want to have some fun, there is a game called Tropico that came out a few years ago. You play the president of a small caribbean island. You get to choose the political system that you govern with. Will your people love you, or revolt? I don’t think these are the types of games Marky had in mind, but there are games out there for serious minded people.

As far as this journalist game, it could have been a lot more fun if they allowed you to play as either the IDF or the terroris…er Palestinians. Leave the journalist in there and let the AI play him; give the player updates in the form of newspaper articles to chronicle their atroci..er progress. Given the mayhem that ensues in the Grand Theft Auto games, I daresay the journalist would not want to report too close to the action as carnage tends to be a bit on the indiscriminate side.

austinnelly on February 8, 2007 at 1:30 AM