Website makes a game out of terror

Players choose where and how the next terror attack will occur.The creators of an Italian website have decided to make a game out of international terror.

By SHIRA TEGER
The creators of an Italian website have decided to make a game out of international terror. The site allows players to bet on where, and in what manner, the next terror attack will occur. The more accurate the guess, the higher the chances are of winning. The gambler who chooses the location closest to the next attack and guesses the right method of attack wins a T-shirt, and the game is restarted. The site was launched on September 11, 2005. Since its inception, around 5,000 people have placed bets on where terror will strike next. Guglielmo Achille Cavellini, the Where-next.com's project manager, described the site as "a net-art work." Its aim, Cavellini told the Jerusalem Post, is to put into light the global perception of terror on our planet a kind of "sociological experiment" to share the experience of fear. He believes that anyone who plays the game is aware that he is, in essence, playing with his own life. The site defines a terror attack as "a war action aimed at any civil target on any location that's not already involved in any kind of 'official' war by US administration." The rules instruct players to consider peaceful territories where at least 10 random civilian casualties could be incurred within 48 hours. Cavellini admitted that the game is a political provocation. It tries to underline how everyone's life hinges on choices made by few western politicians, who look at the entire globe as if it were one big gamble, the manager explained. Not surprisingly, the game has generated large amounts of negative feedback in the political and artistic worlds. Gamblers are offered a pull-down menu to zoom in on hot locales for potential terror attacks to aid their choices. While the list includes Saudi Arabia and Berlin, Israel is not mentioned. There are only five current bets naming Israel as the location of the world's next terror attack. The site also solicits ads, claiming that buying a banner shows " faith in capitalism and its intelligence." The ads remain on the site until the next terror attack hits.
Send us your comments Mark Klein, M.D., Oakland, CA, USA: Criticism of the terror "game theory" betting website represents the kind of hardcore addiction to political correctness which brings down political systems. The enemies of Western democracy are very sophisticated often quite well educated people. Iraqi insurgent leader Abu -Amir told the New York Times, "I have learned to be patient with my enemies...Gerry Adams (of the IRA) fought for so many years before things went his way. Fighting is politics." Our foes know ultimate victory is inevitably theirs against an enemy which refuses to face facts and adjust policy accordingly.