New Chinese game invites players to break ‘The Wall’ of online censorship

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A video still from the game, The Wall. Photo: Handout

Published: 11:58am, 9 May 2017Updated: 2:24pm, 9 May 2017

China’s Great Firewall – meant to restrict Chinese internet users’ access to international websites – has proven a source of inspiration for game developers instead.

Game development firm ZuoBuLai Game Studio has created a computer game, The Wall, that alludes to China’s Great Firewall and encourages players to destroy it.

“If you were born inside The Wall, will you be docile enough to accept its protection? Or would you like to break the wall?” says the text on a trailer promoting the game online.

The trailer was recently posted and given the green light on Steam, a gaming platform. A section of the platform caters for emerging developers, allowing them to promote their games and release them given sufficient public support from the gaming community.

Game footage shows a player running past guards and shooting at walls to break past them. The player goes on to try and free website addresses, trapped behind a series of walls and padlocks, marked with words such as www.Facebookk.com and www.Googlee.com.

Video footage from the game shows a player trying to free “Googlee” from behind a virtual padlock. Photo: Handout

The trailer features both Chinese and English text, and ZuoBuLai Game Studio appears to be a Chinese firm. The South China Morning Post has contacted the developers and is awaiting response.

While no release date was set for the game, the post on Steam said it would be available “soon, very soon”.

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