Equipped with weapons ranging from a flip-flop to a wrecking ball, players in the video game “Everyone Hit the Traitors” can now take their protest-related frustrations out in a virtual format.
The goal of “Everyone Hit the Traitors” is pretty straightforward, as it uses the survival video game formula: eliminate each wave of anti-government, pro-democracy protesters and defeat every superpowered boss.
In addition to Wong, who is featured as a boss who possesses the power of healing black-clad, anti-government protesters, other “traitors,” such as entrepreneur Jimmy Lai and politician Martin Lee, are also caricatured in the game, according to the Global Times.
"The practices of these modern traitors have long been irritating," Yang Qian, one player of the game, told the Global Times earlier this week. "While they are free in real life, at least in the game they should pay for what they have done."
“Everyone Hit the Traitors” also pulls no punches when it comes to addressing the US’ alleged intervention in matters related to China and its special administrative region.
"Hong Kong is part of China, and this can't be meddled with by outside powers," the game’s translated title page says, reported the Global Times.
The game, available on the Chinese website dalaoshu.net, also features appearances from Western figures such as US diplomat Julie Eadeh, who has drawn ire from the Chinese government for meeting with Wong and other Hong Kong demonstrators earlier this year.
There were reports suggesting Julie Eadeh is a trained subversion expert at the US consulate in Hong Kong. Her meeting with HK protesters would be evidence of US inciting and instigating the riots in Hong Kong. Is she under the direct order of former CIA chief Mike Pompeo? pic.twitter.com/jHazIpMM4K
— Chen Weihua (@chenweihua) August 8, 2019
Various demonstrators in the game are also seen clutching American flags and stacks of US currency to drive the point home.
While the Global Times says that the game has “begun to attract players across Chinese mainland social media platforms,” China-focused tech news outlet Abacus questioned its popularity and asserted that “searches show the game is barely mentioned on mainstream social media platforms WeChat, Weibo and Zhihu.”
This particular video game provides a stark contrast to “Liberate Hong Kong,” a VR-capable video game taking a protester’s perspective that was released on Steam earlier this year.
Like “Everyone Hit the Traitors,” the developer has remained anonymous, but did state that they created the video game with the hopes of shining a light on the unrest in Hong Kong, reported Abacus in November.
