Kill a corrupt Chinese official

This story has been bubbling around the Internets for a few days, but it’s now getting mainstream coverage. The BBC reports: An online game in China that allows players to eradicate corrupt officials has proved so popular its website has crashed, state media reports. Since its launch eight days ago, the game, “Incorruptible Fighter”, is ...

By , a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.
600174_070806_warrior_05.jpg
600174_070806_warrior_05.jpg

This story has been bubbling around the Internets for a few days, but it's now getting mainstream coverage. The BBC reports:

This story has been bubbling around the Internets for a few days, but it’s now getting mainstream coverage. The BBC reports:

An online game in China that allows players to eradicate corrupt officials has proved so popular its website has crashed, state media reports.

Since its launch eight days ago, the game, “Incorruptible Fighter”, is reported to have been downloaded more than 100,000 times.

The game was devised by a regional government in east China to highlight the problems of corrupt officialdom.

Ha, ha. Wacky story, right? But to me, it merely illustrates that Chinese authorities are seriously floundering in their efforts to combat corruption. Until the government there becomes truly accountable to the public, no amount of executions (which are, in many cases, really about internal Communist Party politics and not corruption per se) or diversionary tactics like creating “Incorruptible Fighter” are going to solve this problem.

UPDATE: Here’s a screenshot of the game.

Blake Hounshell is a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.

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