Everyday Arcade, a group of game developers who aren’t afraid of telling it like it is, is making a name for themselves through political satire. With games like “Trump Toss” and “Good Guy With A Gun,” this company is gaining a lot of attention for their bold approaches. So much so that Apple refused to approve their apps, resulting in the games being published online for free by Everyday Arcade themselves. But their most recent addition hits a lot closer to home, given the recent tragedy in Orlando.
Thoughts & Prayers is a tongue-in-cheek computer game in which the player uses the ‘T’ and ‘P’ buttons on their keyboards to combat gun massacres across a pixelated United States. Little thought bubbles and prayer hands float up to the country, only to disappear before they have any effect. Meanwhile, different cities across the US are struck with tragedy and are marked by the number of people killed in the assault.
As the time on the clock runs out, another button onscreen appears with a more practical option: ‘Ban Assault Weapon Sales’. But clicking that button does nothing but bring up harsh criticism for the player. Once time is up, the player sees two numbers. The first is how many thoughts and prayers they have sent to the nation, which will vary depending on how fast they can hit the buttons. The second is how many lives they saved. That number is always zero.
One of the founders of Everyday Arcade, Mike Lacher, explained how the tragedy at the PULSE Nightclub in Orlando helped inspire this game. He and the other founders thought that making a game where the only actions are essentially useless would make the reality of the gun control debate more obvious. Overall, he says, the game has gotten a positive response. Lacher says he would like to see it affect people’s stances on gun control so that they are more proactive in their actions rather than just relying on thoughts and prayers to do the work for them.
Because is tweeting out your thoughts and prayers really going to help the next mass shooting victims? We’re going to go with “no.”
[H/T: Bustle]
