SLOTS WITH A DIFFERENCE

28 November 2008

Criminal faces in strange places

 

Japanese police are pondering what charges might be possible against online games developer Famista, which created a unique slot machine that features the features of fugitives from Japanese justice.

Branded Slot Detective, the game looks like a traditional slot machine game but it has the faces of human "most wanted" criminals instead of lemons and cherries. Famista says that it hopes the game, which is free online, will help catch the fugitives.

"There are many internet sites that display photos of those on the wanted list, but they are not necessarily visited frequently," a company spokesman points out. "By mixing it with entertainment, we thought we can make some contribution to the police efforts."

Famista added that 100 000 people visited the site just hours after its launch. But the police aren't very happy. The National Police Agency said that the game, "...inappropriately uses police property for entertainment and could distress victims. The mug shots of the suspects should be used in a more socially acceptable manner", the agency said in a statement.