UK Police Launch a Video Game to Defeat ‘Right Wing Extremism’

A police department in the United Kingdom is trying to deter people from “right wing extremism” by creating an interactive video game that escalates from meeting a person at the gym to murdering a stranger.

The description of the game is not an exaggeration. According to the Bedfordshire Police’s own website, a “young person” is killed at the end of their “Cross the Line” game:

It starts with someone asking you to come with him to a rally.

It ends with the sound of running feet and a young person lying in the street.

The game begins by asking players, “How far would you go?” before introducing them to the “Justice Fighters,” an organization created by the hypothetical right-wing extremist group, Youth Action.

After interacting with the Justice Fighters, players are asked if they would like to go out later with a member of Youth Action. The Bedfordshire Police advertises this clip in its tweet promoting the game:

Eventually, if users keep accepting invitations from the Youth Action member, they are invited to attend political rallies.

(Image source: Crosstheline.co.uk)

(Image source: Crosstheline.co.uk)

At the second rally, the player witnesses violence before being shown a graphic video of a person being beaten up. It is implied that the crime was perpetrated by members of Youth Action, as the player received hateful messages from people and alerts about looking for a suspect:

(Image source: Crosstheline.co.uk)

The game ends by players being informed they’ve “crossed the line.” It adds, “If you’re worried that someone you know could go too far, we’re here to help… It’s time to have a conversation about extremism.”

The press release for the Cross the Line game claims the purpose of the game is to “highlight how easily anyone can be influenced by radical behaviour – and to educate young people about the consequences of being drawn into extremist ideology.”

According to the website, the game is also part of the Prevent Counter-Terrorism strategy.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Wiltshire Police are cracking down on people who mock them online.

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