CNM Editorial
Media | 08/09/2006 4:00 am EDT
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Interactive media is fantastic, the future of digital entertainment – this much we know already. But there is a downside to the industry: hate and terrorist groups are usurping online chat, immersive 3D shooters, casual games and other innovations for their own twisted purposes. The problem is very real, but I wouldn’t necessarily take it as far as Leo Adler, Canadian director of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, who believes that there’s a direct link between such games as Ghost Recon and the rise in violence worldwide. "These games are easily warped into targeting Jews, Christians, Muslims, you name it," he says. "More importantly, they’re clearly a way of dehumanizing people and making it more acceptable to take a gun and solve your issues." However, there’s no doubt that some 3D shooter game engines are being reskinned or modded and used for nefarious purposes – the
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