I Don't Want My MTVU

Yesterday, the college-oriented arm of Viacom's unstoppable media collective launched a campaign aimed at raising awareness about the heinous genocide occurring in Sudan. To combat the senseless slaughter, they're co-sponsoring a game design competition with the winner receiving $50,000 towards the "marketing and development" of their game.

How generous. What about giving 50 grand to the people being slaughtered instead of the well-fed (if questionably talented) students who 'designed' these weak games?

Besides, they're not games at all, just incredibly depressing demonstrations of injustice. "The Village," for instance, allows you to roam around a burned out village hearing all about the rapes, tortures and insane acts of violence perpetrated on its residents. "Fetching Water" is much more exciting, as you play a child scurrying from bush to bush to evade the evil Janjaweed militants trying to kill you.

Far be it from me to get in the way of serious aid efforts, but really, lame flash games? I don't know what feels worse: thinking about the actual people suffering overseas or trying to "rate" a game about it. The slogan "Play and Vote. End the Killing" just seems wrong.

Thanks for trying, mtvU, but can we keep the video games and real-world atrocities exclusive? Such a poor attempt at 'shock' education does little to sway reasonable people to, you know, take this kind of thing seriously. I don't think boring flash games is the way to nail home your message that you care about those in need.

Maybe a music video would be a better idea.