What’s that you say? The current U.S. political climate feels needlessly antagonistic, with cults of personality replacing discussion of actual issues, exacerbated by a media that promotes partisan thinking and personal attacks for profit and ratings? Clearly, you need something to help you relax. Why not take your mind off things with a video game, say one where you get to violently attack and dismember zombies that involves Fox News personalities and prominent Conservative politicians?
Yep, the political landscape just got messier with the release of Tea Party Zombies Must Die, a new online video game where players can finally channel their frustrations against Sean Hannity, Brit Hume or even Sarah Palin in, well, completely ridiculous and violent ways.
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Coming at a time when right-wing pundits are already decrying violent rhetoric, the game allows the player to use a crowbar, shotgun or even machine gun to fight off an undead horde that ranges from stereotypes like “Generic Pissed Off Old White Guy Zombie” and “Expresses Racist Views Anonymously On The Internet Modern Klan Zombie” to more specific targets including Michelle Bachmann, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee.
The game is the creation of Brooklyn-based StarvingEyes Advergaming, known for promoting media properties like NASCAR and the CW television network. According to company head Jason Oda, the game “was just a personal project,” and not created for any particular client (Oda’s previous creations include Kung-Fu Election in 2008, pitting Hillary Clinton and other Democratic candidates against Republican counterparts, so clearly he’s no stranger to political gaming).
Surprisingly, Fox News hasn’t released an official statement on the game’s targets, although a story on their website does allow Huckabee to demonstrate a sense of humor about his inclusion, quoting him as saying that he was “personally flattered to be included in this young game-makers efforts to be funny,” even as he condemned the game in general.
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Graeme McMillan is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @Graemem or on Facebook at Facebook/Graeme.McMillan. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.