Talk to Frank an (Anti) Drug Game?
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Monday, 11 August 2008 |
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Video games and marijuana have long been linked (many an hour has been spent stoned playing Nintendo!). What happens when a game sets out to provide info/discourage recreational drugs use. The game Puker (link after the fold) is part of a wider
drug awareness/prevention project called Talk to Frank:
FRANK aims to ensure that:
- Young people understand the risks and dangers of drugs and their use
- Young people know where to go for advice or help
- Parents have the confidence and knowledge to talk to their children about drugs
- Professionals who work with young people, especially vulnerable groups, are supported
Game play: The game is a side scroller, where you maneuver your
marijuana impaired self through various environments in an attempt to
avoid passersby, furniture and other obstacles. Water bottles along the
way slow your mounting nausea. At the end of the level you attempt to direct your puke into a target to progress further in the game. The simple premise is both elegant and off-putting with its mixture of slang from different decades:
You've smoked yourself ill with a spliff. Find somewhere safe to chuck up before everyone sees what a great big puker you are...
Game Comments:
- Unlike Grand Theft Auto (I-IV), this game doesn't allow you to buy or sell drugs. But does it glorify drug use, by being so fun?
- Given the difficulty of getting young eyeballs to pay attention to public health info, the fun level if appropriate. And, hey, most people don't really enjoy puking. The frustration level of the game may lead gamers to associate marijuana with boredom.
- Misleading about the facts. While puking may occur amongst a small number of smokers that are allergic to marijuana, this percentage is much lower than the close to 100% of alcohol drinkers who will puke at some point as a result of overconsumption. Marijuana is used as an appetite stimulant and anti-nausea medication in Canada and some US states.
- Does Puker miss the message? Other than the risk of the game being dismissed as an ad for bottled water, it does provide some useful information about a wider range of drugs.
- Fairness? Can drug laws be fair? Do the economic incentives created by criminalization lead to crime? Social Destruction? This is not the site for a debate on the legalization of marijuana (heck people can't even agree on how to spell it in Canada).
- So hey let's get to the game already...
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Puker
