China enjoys anti-corruption game – kill and torture the corrupt and enter a corruption free Paradise
An online game in China that allows players to eradicate corrupt officials has proved so popular its website has crashed. Since its launch a few days ago, the game, "Incorruptible Fighter", is reported to have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. The game was devised by a regional government in east China to highlight the problems of corrupt officialdom.
China has been hit recently by a number of high-profile cases of corruption. The former head of the country's food and drug watchdog was executed last month after being convicted of taking bribes.
The Communist Party's former leader in Shanghai was expelled from the party, and may now face charges, after he was linked to a pensions fund scandal that has also implicated other senior officials.
President HuJintao has vowed to take action against officials found guilty of corruption, which has become rampant since market reforms opened the economy in the 1980s.
"Incorruptible Fighter" allow players to get ahead by killing and torturing corrupt officials, while assisting the upstanding ones. Along the way, they are led through a series of moral challenges before entering a corruption-free paradise.
The game appeared to have become a victim of its own success. A note on the site said it had crashed due to overwhelming demand.