Internet conspiracy game fears

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/27-3-19101-0-22-6.html

CAMERON SIMPSON
IT is a chilling scenario. The silence is shattered by a ringing telephone and a hysterical woman screaming that someone is trying to break into her house.

The call is abruptly terminated, to be replaced by a mobile phone text message which warns you to "Back off - if you know what's good for you".

It is straight out of a Hollywood thriller and like the Michael Douglas film, The Game. However the line between fiction and reality could soon be blurred in Scotland by a controversial computer game which cannot be turned off and pursues players into their real lives.

Players of Majestic are immersed in the world of a suspense thriller involving conspiracies, menacing fugitives and secret political organisations from which they cannot escape.

According to its American producers, players become ''pawns'' in the complex game before being bombarded with threatening phone calls, faxes and e-mails convincing them they are involved in a deep-seated conspiracy.

The game, which begins on the internet, has just been launched in America and producers are now looking to transport it across the Atlantic. As yet it is not set up to deal with international calls.

Despite its mandatory adults-only rating, critics claim the way in which Majestic pursues players is harassment. Psychologists warned yesterday that it could lead to breakdowns in vulnerable people and damage development if accessed by children.

Dr Geoff Scobie, a psychologist at Glasgow University, said: "Many people already have problems distinguishing between fantasy and reality, and my concern is that something like this could blur that line even further.

"One of the key parts of a child's psychological development is learning to distinguish between the two, and this game could be damaging if they became involved.

"Trying to disconnect people from reality is a well-known brainwashing technique and this could trigger breakdowns if the player is unable to end the game."

The producers of Majestic, distributed by the industry giant, Electronic Arts, boast of how it is the world's first game to reach out and connect with people's real lives. The point of the game is to solve the conspiracy, making use of hidden clues, but it is impossible for players to step out of the game or know whether the other characters in the game are human players or programmed.

The American game producer, Neil Young, has described how his disturbing game drew people in and turned players into "pawns''.

He said: "Players are just pawns in the game. Once you are in it you are bombarded with phone calls to your home, faxes and e-mail messages to your office and text messages to your mobile phone. It is up to you to make sense of it."

A spokeswoman for the British subsidiary of Electronic Arts was reluctant last night to be drawn on the row or when the game would arrive in the UK.

She said: "The game has been extremely well received in the US, and we are looking at ways of bringing it here.

"We cannot say for sure if or when that will be. It should be noted that there are very tight controls on who can go on the website which go far beyond other on-line games, so there is no danger of children getting access."

-March 27th