A New Online Game Allows Players to Attack Hong Kong’s Protestors
Hi everyone, this is Chaewon, a multimedia journalist at Coda Story. This week’s Disinfo Matters is about online propaganda and a new game that allows players to beat up protestors in Hong Kong.
I am not a big gamer myself, but I am okay with watching others playing games. During holidays, when my younger brother and I are both at home, I sometimes sit next to him while he plays “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” or “League of Legends” on his computer. And I guess watching him has kind of helped me understand what he means when he tells me that video games relieve him of the stress of schoolwork.
Helping people manage their stress levels doesn’t seem to be the intention behind the anti-protest game aimed at the protest movement in Hong Kong, called “Everyone Hit the Traitors.” It can be played for free at www.dalaoshu.net/, which means “rat” in Mandarin.
While it isn’t entirely clear who is behind the game, or how popular it is, the gameplay seems quite simple. Players can attack protestors with a weapon of their choice, including hands, a flip flop, or a baseball bat.