It’s not often that a game is made with a proper political cause – in fact, it really goes against the grain as far as entertainment goes. I’m sure that had iPhones and other smart phone devices had been available during WWII we would have had some fun blowing up Hitler, but as things stand we have to settle with battering the heck out of Joseph Kony who’s gained recent notoriety for his evil acts of violence towards the people of Uganda and Congo.
Now, Kony may not be someone you’re familiar with so it may shock you to find an app that depicts his likeness, which you can then proceed to whack in a variety of ways. Although this method of raising awareness does stick in my throat as I am not fond of violence, neither are the game developers (Iconosys), but I do see that it may be just the way to bring the message home and raise awareness of this warlord. However, I’m not convinced it will make much of a real difference to the average game player and could possibly fall on the other side of taste.
In either case, this app allows you to hit Kony with a Roundhouse, a 1-2, a left, a right, and finally, a big hand to the face. Once you feel satisfied with your handiwork you can then share the gruesome results with everyone on Facebook.
Regardless about the rights and wrongs of this, for me, the best part about this game is that the creators have decided to not profit from this and generously donate the profits to charity which can hopefully do some good in repairing the lives of those affected by Kony’s actions.
Positives
- It helps raise awareness of Kony and the plight of the civilians in Uganda and Congo.
- Offers satisfaction from venting your day’s frustrations.
- Raises money for charity.
Negatives
- Violence and depicting it perhaps is not in the best of taste.
- Only having a limited selection of moves to choose from is a little restrictive.
Great post Rollo!