For the past
two weeks, several people posted links via Facebook to a website
that had a trailer for a game called โSlavery: The
Game.โ
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>For the past two weeks,
several people posted links via Facebook to a website that had a
trailer for a game called โSlavery: The Game.โ
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>The trailer allows gamers to
go back to the 17th Century, telling players to, โbuy
slaves, discipline them, exploit them (and) become the most
powerful slave trainer.โ The video displays several
weapons to choose from in order to discipline the slaves. The
trailer was shocking and it was hard to believe that anyone could
even think that slavery should be turned into a game.
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>Because of the gameโs
controversy, there was a press release last week where it was
revealed that the trailer and the game are both fictional. They
also added that fact to the actual website, where it had previously
stated that the game was slated for release in the spring of
2012.
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>The press release also
explained that it was all a part of a Dutch viral ad for a
documentary series about slavery that will air on Dutch public
broadcaster NTR.
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>NTR claimed the purpose of
the video was to confront slavery and to inform people that the
issue is still in existence today. Carla Boos, editor in chief of
public broadcaster NTR said, โIt was by no means our intention to
hurt people with the trailer.โ
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>While the trailer was
effective in drawing attention to the TV series, it was done in
poor taste. NPR was perfectly aware of what they were
doing.
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>For the better part of two
weeks, people believed that the game was either an ill-conceived
joke or an actual game. If it had explained that the
video was advertisement for a show from the beginning, people
probably would not have gotten as upset about it.
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>NPR was most likely working
under the belief that all press is good press. The stir that was
created brought a large amount of traffic to the website. It also
caused a lot of commentary from bloggers and others. However, NPR
sat back for a couple of weeks before they tried to backpedal and
do damage control with the press release.
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>โRight from the moment of its
seeding on September 1st, the trailer spread like wild fire across
the Internet โฆit was even mentioned on international radio and
television. The video has been watched for over 400,000 times on
YouTube and hundreds of websites and blogs wrote about the
disputable topic,โ said Boos in the release.
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>In response to the press
release, the motives of NPR have been questioned. They claimed that
the video was released as a well-intentioned way to educate people
about slavery. Several statements that Carla Boos made in the
release have aided in the questions. At one point she said, โWe
chose this approach to create maximum awareness for slavery in
general.โ
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>Looking at how the video was
presented, one wonders how NPR did not see controversy looming and
if the NPR went too far. They feel like they did what was needed to
make people think.
โfont-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;โ>The documentary series was
created to educate the Dutch about their past and present
involvement with slavery. The Dutch series โDe
Slavernijโ or โSlaveryโ will air every Sunday from Sept.
18th until Nov. 2nd.
- Noma Vilane, Staff Reporter