Kill 'Em All

Mr E

From today's Indo:

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1699790&issue_id=14723

Fury over 'kill 'em all' web game set in Limerick

A TEXAS high school teenager who invented a shoot 'em up internet game involving a sniper shooting people around Limerick has attracted the wrath of the city's mayor. Chris Alvares created the game 'Sniper on High' which allows players to shoot and kill targets on the Munster town's streets and buildings.

People or 'stickmen' could be shot at some of the city's most famous landmarks including the Shannon Bridge, the Clarion Hotel and O'Connell Street.

Internet users are given one minute to shoot as many stickmen in Limerick as possible. The figures appear at different locations superimposed on the computer image of the city.

A double score is rewarded for a shot to the head which qualified as an instant kill.

Limerick Mayor Joe Leddin said the game did not portray a true picture of the town.

"This game is in poor judgment and is ignorant of the real Limerick," said Mayor Leddin.

"There is little identity with it. It is true that we have a crime problem here, but the same as any other city. Anyone who comes across this game should not support it," he said.

The US youth said he did not realise an internet game could cause so much controversy. Mr Alvares found the image of Limerick which he used for the game on the internet.

"I liked it because the city looked nice, and the figure could easily blend in to the picture," he said.

The inventor said he was not aware of the ongoing warfare between the city's feuding gangs which has claimed six lives. The Texas student, who is in his senior year in high school, said he was surprised at all the Irish media attention the game attracted.

"I did not know I was doing anything wrong at the time. Now I realise my mistake and want to say that I am sorry," he said.

Limerick city councillor John Gilligan said he did not see "anything remotely funny or light about this".

"No matter how inadvertently this has happened, that is the image of Limerick that people got. If somebody put up a game about shooting kids in a school in the USA, they would be arrested."

"Limerick has been the butt of too many snide remarks and jokes but we have to challenge this," said Mr Gilligan.

The shoot 'em up game attracted an unprecedented number of callers yesterday to local Limerick radio station Live 95FM.

Producer on the 'Limerick Today Programme with Ed Myers', Anne Marie Geraghty, said the vast majority were irate listeners condemning the game while others called in to say it was only a "bit of fun" and "not to take it so seriously".

The internet game has since been taken off the world-wide web by its hosts: www.addictinggames.com.

bullets

The Game is still knocking about. Because of the
media coverage the game is actually being passed about MORE
now.

A big song and dance from the media about nothing IMO.
Seen the same game with different backgrounds loads of time.
All that it different is the background is an ariel pic of Limerick with the
docks and clarian in view. Nothing at all to do with the so called "toubles"

The same site that originally hosted it has games about killing your boss and other such violent things but they are not taken off the site.

~B

Rabies

For anyone that wants to take a look at the game click the below link.

http://www.gamehacked.com/play-5244-Sniper_On_High.html

Having just tried it out, I can advise you don't play it. You will waste 60 seconds of you life on a pile of ****e.

There should be more media attention on how a terrible game like this got hosted for public play.

NewsWire

i cant even believe the game has gotten any reaction.It's one photo randomly picked off the internet to be used in a teenagers game who is based on the other side of the world..pointless story.

bazz26

There are 2 things so lame about this:

1. The game itself.
2. The media attention it received. Obviously Thursday was a slow day on the news front.

kyp_durron

I only got 28 points.

100% acuracy though

It's a great game, better then bf 2142 I'd wager.

bullets

bazz26 wrote:

There are 2 things so lame about this:
[*]The media attention it received. Obviously Thursday was a slow day on the news front.[/LIST]

speaking of slow day on the news front.....

There was another story during the week that made me go What the hell!
It was a good sized write up about a single fish that was dead as it was caught in a shopping trolly thrown into the shannon. They went on about witnesses, if the fish was put there or did it get there by accident. (cant remember which paper one of the free ones maybe)

I'm a huge Animal/Wildlife lover and felt sorry for the pitbull (another cruelty story)
that was hung but one single fish I was a bit apathetic about.
I think they made a bit of a song and dance about.
Maybe it was the fact the trolly was thrown in the river may have sparked something
in the media.

Limerick Dude

Wow, limerick people are getting too easily offended these days.

billy the squid

There's an election comming up Limerick Dude, attention whoreing of this nature by local politicians is going to be common place.

The way I look at it, the game is a work of fiction. not meant to make fun of anyone in particular. You don't see the likes of New York or Miami or Las Vagas being too bothered by series such as CSI being based in their cities. Its because they are not poking fun at the crime in these cities, it is because they are basing works of fiction around ficticious crimes in these cities.

This could have been a big coup for limerick City, some great viral marketing potential here for the city, and the politicians had to line up and make eejits of themselves because of it just spoiled the whole thing.

motormouthmable

billy the squid wrote:

This could have been a big coup for limerick City, some great viral marketing potential here for the city, and the politicians had to line up and make eejits of themselves because of it just spoiled the whole thing.

"Why going to NY? Why seeing the Bronx? Arrive directly from the US in Shannon and come to Limerick! Enjoy Moyross! A drive-by shooting just 20mins away!"

Delphi91

billy the squid wrote:

This could have been a big coup for limerick City, some great viral marketing potential here for the city...

How exactly could a game where you have to shoot stick figures based on a photo of Limerick be a source of marketing potential???????

Poxyshamrock

He didnt do it on purpose, he said he typed "city" into google images and that was the image with the best cityscape so he chose it. I typed that in and Limerick was the third image on the list!

limerick_man

Yeah, i must agree.. this is the weirdest story i've ever heard of... i mean i know limerick politians make a deal outta everything but the kid didnt even know of Limerick City, it doesnt say Limerick its titled 'docklands city' on 'riversidecity.ie'.
although one cool that that i've noticed because of this story, in google terms.. limerick is the worlds third city! haha... screw you galway!!

Liam Byrne

Yup, when I heard Limerick Today mention the game, I did a search and I reckoned it was the riversidecity.ie image.

Wonder if they know that the image that they used for their website is being used like this ? Serious breach of copyright, methinks!