Is A Torture Game Taking It Too Far?

‘Torture’, this term has been thrown around a lot in the media. From the scandals at Abu Ghraib all the way to Guantanamo Bay, we have recently taken an interest in the term known as “torture”. I came across this article, by Winda Benedetti of MSNBC. It seems as though a free-to-download game known as ‘The Torture Game 2′ has been catching some buzz around the internet.

Not much explanation is needed when describing The Torture Game 2. The basics are simple, you have a emotionless mannequin strung up by his feet and wrists. You have a few options of torture that you can inflict on the avatar; such as nails, rope, spikes, a chainsaw, paint (heh?) etc. The game can be found at Newsgrounds.com.

So, of course the argument and controversy surrounding the game; ‘is sadistic torture going too far?’. There have been all kinds of comments popping up around the internet. Some have found it to be a great stress reliever, to unleash some anger on a lifeless mannequin. Others believe that the game is going too far in ‘offensive’ content’. The dissenters believe that torture taps into a sadistic part of ourselves that shouldn’t be explored. Probably the most interesting perspective I’ve seen is how the game can be used to create art, examples can be found here.

After taking a look at the game and giving it the playthrough, I gotta say I don’t see the big deal. I mean this isn’t ‘realistic torture’ we’re talking about here. The man is barely what you could call human, as he’s pale white, completely hairless, and how no anatomical features other than arms and legs. I could see how the game could be viewed as fun, especially for people who like open-ended games to pursue as creative outlets. With the use of the paint feature, mixed in the blood spatterings, you could create some wicked art.