Holocaust game causes row

A computer game developed in Britain recreating the Holocaust has been criticised for being 'exploitative'.

The game, called Imagination Is the Only Escape, is the creation of Luc Bernard, a 21-year-old video-game developer who claims that the game is educational rather than violent.

The game casts players in the role of a young boy in eastern Europe during the German occupation who seeks to escape from the horrors of the Nazi persecution through a fantasy world.

Bloggers have said the concept of the game is disgusting and exploitative.

Bernard, the game’s principal developer, writing in his blog said: "The profits that I make from this game I plan to donate to try and stop the genocide in Darfur."

The game is being produced by Alten 8, a small British game company that is licensed to develop games for Nintendo UK.

Paul Andrews, chief executive of Alten 8, said he hopes to have the Holocaust game ready for distribution in Europe by the end of this year. However, it is unlikely to be released in the US.

"At this time, there are no plans for this game to be released for any Nintendo platforms in North America," the company said in a statement.

Bernard, who is of Jewish descent, says he had to battle with Alten 8 to have swastika symbols, which they removed from the game, put back in.

Responding to criticism, he wrote in another blog entry: "I’ve studied World War Two for a long time and yes, I see this game as an educational game, which will prevent children from growing up being racist or having bad thoughts."

Do you think that games such as this are profiting from human suffering or that they can be educational as the developers claim? Have your say at www.webuser.co.uk/forums

www.nintendo.com/ds
www.alten8.com
www.destructoid.com/blogs/lucbernard