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Kill the Faggot is a game that was released on Steam, the game tasks you with killing gays and transgendered people for points. Developed by indie developer Skaldic Games, they say they made the game to make a point about political correctness and overly sensitive people who get offended at everything.
Here's their statement on the issue:
What makes this interesting for me is how those who claimed to be offended by the game, responded with death threats, emailing the developer with these death threats and wishing harm upon them even though they have down-right admitted the game was made to prove a point and really troll sensitive people:
"I didn't make this game to attack LGBT people personally, and no I don't hate gays and think they should be treated farily, but I made this game just to piss off those people that are way too overly sensitive, which includes straight people. These people that think if you are even remotely homophobic, you are "hateful" and a "bigot", and do everything they can to destroy you in every vicious way possible."
Ironically, the response from the offended crowd to the game has contained more hatred than the game itself. Some even attacking all Christians now simply because the developer also happened to be a Christian. I see a strong hypocrisy here since it's one group of people now attacking another group for the actions of one.
The game was later removed from Steam.
Is the game hate speech? Perhaps but where do we draw the line between freedom of speech/expression and censorship? Should there be censorship on things that are offensive to groups even if they aren't meant to be serious?
Personally I'm divided here.
Thoughts?
The good thing about freedom of speech is that everyone has a voice and can express their opinions. The bad thing is that EVERYONE has a voice and can express their opinions.
I've seen my fair share of games that are brought to you by the KKK, Neo-Nazi's, Islamist Wahhabi/Salafi fanatics, Christian fanatics, Jewish fanatics, Ultra-nationalists, etc. etc. This game to me doesn't seem to be any different from the ones I mentioned above so I can't give a solid, neutral, opinion on this because of past experience. However I will say that people have the tendency to take things too far and blow it dramatically out of proportion. But as to where to "draw the line between freedom of speech/expression and censorship" is a tough question that has been debated for decades and no one has a clear answer to it. If there is a line drawn then there will be people who will say that it limits freedom of speech and frustratingly, they're right. That's why we have aforementioned group above and groups that are against them.
I agree with its removal.
I think free-speech is the right to be critical of any group but let's not try and justify hate speech with free-speech. Hate speech is simply slanderous and offensive for no reason other than to be intolerant to one group. Saying something like "all religious people should be killed" or "all gays should be killed" is hate speech.
However, I understand the point the author was making about overly sensitive people and I'm disgusted that "tolerant" gays and liberals have replied to something that offended them with abuse and threats of violence towards the developer. Are they any different now to the Muslims who threaten people because of Draw Muhammad Day?
I doubt they will carry their threats out but death threats are not justifiable or morally right either regardless of if don't plan to carry them out. Threatening to kill someone is worst than making offensive material against a group.