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The September 11th terrorist attacks had a devastating impact on the psychology of the American people. All of a sudden, the world's only superpower seemed unsafe and vulnerable. Overnight, the lifestyle of an entire nation was dramatically altered. While some turned to God in this time of crisis, others turned to entertainment for comfort, laughing at and relishing in the anti-bin Laden and anti-Taliban talk of late night comics as well as exploring the interactive medium of the Internet to vent their anger.
At the beginning of the current international crisis, hackers called for a crusade to target bin Laden and Taliban related web sites. After finding that endeavor none too lucrative - currently there are no web pages that are directly connected to bin Laden or the Taliban - computer users have turned to another Internet pastime to take out their anger on a "virtual bin laden".
Within days of the 9-11 attacks, a number of anti-bin Laden gaming sites cropped up on the net to take down America's most wanted man. Players from all around the world have been downloading a virtual image of bin Laden and using it as a target to act out their aggressions.
A website titled "Bin Laden Liquors" tempts people to "launch a successful counter terrorism attack on Osama bin Laden's liquor store (secret headquarters of al-Qaeda) and put bin Laden out like a cheap cigar." This game allows players to choose from the "minimal mess" or "major carnage" option of bloodletting. According to the site's managers, it has received more than 14 million hits since September 17, 2001.
Another website called "Bomb Bin Laden" lets the user take shots at bin Laden while listening to loud gun and shell explosion sound effects in the background to enhance the experience.
The "Hunting for Bin Laden" website allows the player to choose his or her own soldier - George Bush, Dick Cheney or Colin Powell - who then fire away at Bin Laden.
Another web attraction for gamers has been the use of downloadable "skins" - customized avatars not included in original popular video games that can be added later on. CyberExtruder, a company that specializes in creating skins from personal photographs, is one of the first to produce a bin Laden character. "Take a shot! Nuke the flea bitten dung-eater!! Get the Osama Bin Laden Skin for Quake3: Arena!" urges the site.
According to CyberExtruder CEO, Larry Gardner, the whole thing initially started as an accident but has now spread like wildfire. He said that he was frustrated about the 9-11 attacks and with the help of his partner created a skin to take out his frustrations against Bin Laden. At first they were reluctant to post it on their website and emailed it to their friends. But as the demand grew, they relented and decided to put it on the company site. In just five days the Bin Laden character was downloaded over 10,000 times.
If a user happens to be nonviolent but still wants to take down bin Laden, the net offers some nasty alternatives. At one website players can wipe their behinds with bin Laden's face, which appears on the game's toilet paper. Disgusting though it may seem, this website is actually quite popular; and according latest estimates there have been 358,780 visitors.
Most of these websites, in an effort to be politically correct, carry disclaimers asking the visitors to not take any action against Arab or Muslim communities, since these groups were not responsible for the WTC and Pentagon attacks. But can they assure us that every gamer who spends several hours playing these games will be able to distinguish between Bin Laden and a turbaned, bearded Muslim man on the street?
Similarly, is this notion of taking out anger in a virtual world good therapy for the player himself? The answer, according to Craig Anderson, chair of the psychology department at Iowa State University and an expert on video game and aggressive behavior, is no.
The notion of "taking out" aggression in a virtual world - the "catharsis hypothesis" - has been consistently and repeatedly refuted, he told Wired Magazine. "If someone is doing this to be therapeutic, they're kidding themselves," Andersen said. "Catharsis doesn't work."
In fact, Anderson said getting riled up in front of the computer tends to increase aggressive behavior, not reduce it.
One more reason for Arabs and Muslims, or anyone resembling them, to be concerned. |
