A new Internet game istaking France by storm, but upsetting everybody else.Clodogame(translated simply asTrampgame) is a transient simulator in which players start off as a penniless street bum and must work their way up the food chain to become “king of the streets” and “the most talented tramp in Paris.”
Trampgameinvites virtual vagrants to attack other homeless folk, become a “peerless pickpocket,” steal coins from candy machines, public toilets and laundrettes, play instruments and choose cute pets in order to increase their success as beggars, and take control of their alcohol intake. The game sounds pretty damn brilliant, and I wish there was an English version.
Of course, some people take the Internet too seriously, and charity organization the Red Cross is among those who havestepped in to criticizeTrampgame: “It’s a disgrace, it’s degrading, it’s humiliating to make the homeless the butt of derision. The image portrayed is exactly the one against which we’ve been trying to fight.”
I don’t know why they’re so concerned. It’s not like real homeless people have a computer to play it on.
