Ride on your glorious, flaming unicorn against the enemies of the Glorious Leader. Photo courtesy of IGN.
Written by Raven Smith
“Glorious Leader” screenshots courtesy of IGN.
The gaming industry is dominated by large studios like Rockstar that produce AAA quality games. The blockbuster Grand Theft Auto V, produced by Rockstar, made $1 billion within the first few days of its release. The game’s appeal lies within its ability to shoot, maim, crash cars and kill each other, and other mindless ways to pass the time. It’s a brilliantly executed game that millions of dollars and thousands of hours were poured into. With such huge successes for games in the industry, it’s easy to lose sight of games having a purpose other than mindless entertainment. Small indie games often lack the sheer scale and graphic detail of their larger counterparts, but they often have a meaningful message behind their games.
The start menu of the McDonald’s Video Game. Photo by Molleindustria.
McDonald’s Video Game is a small strategy game available online for anyone to play. The concept is simple: you can switch between four different screens, from farms to the restaurant to the executive office, and the goal is to keep the company from going bankrupt. Each screen allows different ways for you to ‘corrupt’ the company. The farming screen allows you to chop down rainforests in order to raise more livestock for the hamburgers. The executive offices allow you to bribe the nutrition agency and advertise to small children. The game allows you to choose appalling acts, all of which McDonald’s has been accused of at some point. Though this game is old, it brings some much needed attention to the corruption of many fast food companies in a fun way.
Go on great adventures with your friend Dennis Rodman. Photo courtesy of IGN.
The newest game being produced to bring attention to corruption is the game ‘Glorious Leader.’ The game trailer was released on May 15, and it’s a side scroller featuring the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as the hero. In the trailer, Kim Jong Un is seen riding across his desolate landscape on the back of a flaming unicorn, toting a gun with his close friend Dennis Rodman.
Moneyhorse Games’ intentions aren’t solely based in humor, but to bring attention to the situation in North Korea today. The game’s graphics are pixel based, far from the high-poly models in recent games. The head of Moneyhorse joked in an interview with IGN, “You will be amazed by the cutting-edge 16 bit graphics and sound as you are immersed in the majesty of our superior country!” The ‘Glorious Leader’ gallops across a desolate and starved environment, reminding you that parts of the country actually face serious lack of food and basic human rights.
Many AAA games like GTA V trivialize violence and allow players to waste hours smashing into poles and people for mindless amusement. Indie games also bring entertainment, but in a way that makes you think about serious issues facing the world today.
