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Morning Clicks | Gamification of hatred in new 'Kill Japs' online game
Nationalism in multiplayer game mode
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Hold on the War (HOTW) is a new browser-based game from Shenzhen-based online game developer ZQGame, released yesterday in beta mode.
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Yesterday was chosen for the game's release as the mission in the game is to kill Japanese characters while defending the Diaoyu Islands.
China.com (Nasdaq: CHINA) has already published several stories on HOTW and hosts a comprehensive promotional page for the game which it has titled "Kill Japs" - http://game.china.com/gbox/killjaps/.
People's Daily Online has published a positive review of the game, affirming its contribution to the development of "red, nationalist, and healthy" themes in online gaming.
The same report notes that ZQGame earnings rose 80.24 per cent year-on-year for Q1 2012 to reach 78.76 million yuan (HK$96.62 million), and goes on to describe HOTW as providing a subconscious form of patriotic education (上述游戏使得玩家在潜移默化中，受到爱国主义教育).
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An early cartoonish version of the game was removed by Apple in early summer this year from its online app store for violation of the company's ban against games which target specific ethnic groups. A public interface for the game, for those without an invite, and comments from fans, can be seen now here.
In addition, Sina.com.cn reported yesterday that the Diaoyu Islands can also be found in new releases of several other battle fantasy games.
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