February 29, 2008 -
In recent months, GamePolitics has been tracking the development of ICED, a serious game designed to publicize the issues faced by immigrants in the United States. The final version launched earlier this month.Published by human rights organization Breakthrough, ICED examines immigration issues from the perspective of the immigrant. This is, of course, a hot-button political issue these days, so it's not surprising that ICED has generated some controversy.
An article on Alex Jones' InfoWars trashes ICED, terming it "an illegal immigration training game:"
An Indian woman, Mallika Dutt, has released a video game that essentially trains illegal aliens how to sneak across the border and avoid border patrol agents and cops...
For the casual observer, Ms. Dutt comes off as your garden variety liberal “human rights” advocate with a useful penchant for technology. But it is a bit more sinister than that...
As the average Mexican or Latin American does not have access to a video game console, let alone a television, the game is more practically geared toward an effort to inculcate middle class Americans into the belief that illegal immigration is a human rights issue, never mind open borders and the influx of third world people is a globalist plot to turn the United States, soon to become part of a North American Union, into a feudal slave labor gulag based on the China model. It has absolutely nothing to do with human rights.
Asked by GamePolitics to comment on the harsh criticism, Breakthrough's Mallika Dutt pulled no punches in her response:
ICED - I Can End Deportation is a video game about the lack of due process in the immigration system as it applies to legal permanent residents, asylum seekers and people who are here on valid visas - it’s not about illegal immigrants - as anyone who’s actually bothered to play the game would quickly realize.
One of the characters, Marc, is a war veteran - and many vets, who have legal resident status, have been deported because of unfair immigration laws. Current detention and deportation laws hold people, even legal residents, in detention indefinitely with no access to a judge. Legal residents can be deported for minor crimes - without the opportunity to make a case before a judge.
It’s interesting that those who claim to be supporting the American way of life, are the very ones who are ripping apart due process and fairness in our legal systems...
GP: The immigration issue is surely a controversial one, and there are valid points to be made on both sides. But, frankly, the InfoWars piece smacks of prejudice and stereotyping.
Making it a point to identify Mallika Dutt as "an Indian woman" and asserting that "the average Mexican or Latin American does not have access to a video game console" pretty much show where the article is coming from.
And, note to InfoWars: ICED is not played on a console or a television. It's a PC game.
Comments
I found this section of the InfoWars article to be very telling of the Author.
"ZOMG ITS R TEH CONSPRASSY!"
Fangamer
February 29th, 2008 at 10:36 am
@yuki: what defines legal as opposed to illegal? a random arbetrary piece of paper that our government sees fit to NOT give to people. blah blah blah no one is illegal.
We are a nation of laws that needs to count and "find" people for taxes law and other things to have thousands of people sneaking in screwing over local systems left and right.
I am sorry nothing gives them the right to come here without due process, its true the current system is messed up but that dose not make them legal.
Why don't we dissolve rules and laws and let anarchy rain i am sure chaos is better than what we have now. *rolls eyes*
the system is broken and uninterested in a fix, the best plan of action I can think of that fits in with what America tries to be and laws and rules to bind it too you start with a green card system thats set to a 10 year time out as the immigration system is totally revamped, you get people to come out of the wood work pay their dues to the country they are living off of (fine for illicit entry on thous who have entered illicitly and back taxes) this way they can be made citizens if they so wish as long as they have stayed out of trouble when the immigration system is revamped, until then at least they are counted and taxed that is all that matters.
So you see, this game is ridiculous and has no basis in reality. It's probably a really funny joke to all the illegal immigrants who play it.
"Whatever happen to the American Dream? nah why do I ask?"
The American Dream is for Americans, not invaders. They make a mockery of every REAL immigrant who put forth the effort to do things right.
...I'M A MEXICAN. I HAVE A FUCKING NEW MAC LAPTOP AND DESKTOP. I HAVE AN HDTV. I HAVE A FUCKING GAMING CONSOLE.
...What the fuck is up with this guy?
Mexico has big cities. It has one of the biggest cities in the world (Mexico city)
All my friends are in the same economic situation as me.
...Fuck it, this man is a know-nothing maricon faggot.
Yes, but is too much fun to blame inmigrants for all that is wrong in USA, but the big corporations you give sh*it abot they breaking the law.
And they are keeping inmigrants to break the border illegaly.
Let me know when you reach China.
You make a mockery of all real immigrants who put forth the time and effort to do the right thing by supporting parasitic invaders. Furthermore you are still wearing your rose colored glasses.
The haters call it a "simulator";
The PC nazis call it discriminatory;
oh the lulz!
You didn't read her response then, I gather.
As the average Mexican or Latin American does not have access to a video game console, let alone a television...
So the implication in the language you used is that people are more likely to have access to a video game console then a television. Hey genius, how would they play it?
That's the thing about stupid people - they tend to believe stupid things.
1. Enforment first Advocates are NOT Anti Imimgration. We are ANTI ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION!!!!!
2. Pro Imigrants need to Realize that until they stop backing ILLEGALS, they wont' get ANY form of respect in BORDER STATES! I know that better then anyone. Arizona, where I live, Enacted some of the more strict Employer Sanctions bills EVER. Why, cause the Pro Illegals gave the rest of the IMMIGRATION REFORM people a BAD nam.
Until people start understand these points, this debate is gonna get more and more lopsided till the borders look like prison fences. It's already happening in Arizona. WHile IM a big enforment first proponent, Im also one of the biggest critics of the current Immigration system.
Just my 2 cents.
It doesn't really, Just just pissed that these 2 groups fight so much that nothign ever gets accomplished. Didn't mean to derail things.
I took a look at the comments on the linked article. It seems that the readership is no better than author. A very bigotted crowd.
It really does boggle my mind that people can be that racist.
You can also obviously see that the author has not even seen any thing about the game beyond the premise.
Actually the work to become a citizen starts before you even cross the border. But you and Yuki are right. The problem is that people won't talk about this issue in a civilized manner, as is apparent from the bigotted article.
I was able to read one of them, the girl has a green card and is being sought by the FBI because they think she is a suicide bomber.
After reading that, I started wondering. What does that have to do with immigration? Its just Government paranoia.
http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/i/iced_080215/03.jpg
I dunno, maybe I'm off base here?
I see where you're coming from. I myself am baffled why people spend their time bitching about pointless crap like this supposed "training" game. The unfortunate thing is that people would much rather use tax dollars to highlight the problem with a bigger pen rather than using the funds to streamline the immigration process so that people wouldn't HAVE to cross illegally.
And on the other side of the spectrum are these people who consistently argue that the idea of border patrols and walls stems from a racist belief- it doesn't. The fact is, it's ILLEGAL, no matter how you look at it. If the problem were as severe with people coming in from Canada, the same ideas would be applied- but they aren't.
As a response to some of you, illegal immigration is not new. Been happening ever since the Mexican-American War, if not before.
@DeusPayne
There are some clear differences here. The main one being that the Latinos are bringing criminals with them, don't want to be citizens, aren't spending most of their money here, and come from countries (especially Mexico) prone to rioting at the drop of a hat. Then there is the small issue that they are not sticking to jobs that Americans won't do. You can find illegal electricians, plumbers, and construction workers just as easily as you can find crop pickers and factory workers. Plus, you seem to have forgotten that even though we are based on immigration, too many people in one place can become a big environmental problem. Does the system need reform? Yes. If it was, would it stop illegals from coming over anyway? No. Worse yet, they're stealing identities to get here now.
WHAT!?!??!?!?! So... the only way someone can come to this glorious nation is to do menial work that no one else wants? Well, I guess it's a good thing that there are nothing but white doctors, professors, and engineers.
"Plus, you seem to have forgotten that even though we are based on immigration, too many people in one place can become a big environmental problem."
Uh... why? Are the mexicans so dirty that they're smelling up the border states?
As for 'illegals' commiting crime and whatnot for all those related arguments. What about people born here that do the same thing? They're still allowed to stay. And someone breaking the law is by no means reason to deem others criminals as well.
And i'll just ignore your racist comment about Latinos.... before I end up punching something.
Charlie:
That's how most of the characters are based. Anna served time for smoking weed, but was arrested again on the way home for a school trip (abroad), and was held for 3 years. Suki has a student visa, but didn't know he needed a full course load to maintain the visa. Ayesha wrote an an anti-Patriot Act paper, and go busted as a suspected suicide bomber (she has a green card). Javier is an illegal immigrant (their visitor visas expired), but they're unable to apply for legal residency. Marc is an asylum seeker, has a green card, and was in the army.
Yeah, before you can come to the US to work, go to school, or to become a citizen, all the paper work starts outside the US. You have to apply for VISAs and a green card. You have to get special work permits and education permits (these are a part of the VISA. There are several types you can get).
If you are coming to the US to become a citizen, you apply as normal and specify tht you intend to nationalize. Then you have to live in the US for a certain number of years before actually getting your citizen status.
But if you come here on a work or education VISA, you cannot just apply for citizenship. You can do so while still here, but there is a different process to go through.
It is a lot of red tape, no matter which path you go through, but it is necessary.
Personally, I don't like the idea of illegal immigrants. If they really want to come t othis country and live, they should do so properly. There is also the fact that the majority of them send the money they recieve here, to their family back where they came from.
Their fear-mongering doesn't need any more attention than it's getting now.
I had some understanding of the process but obviously not as much as you.
@ Simon Roberts
I'm pretty sure that thats a law here in the U.S., a pretty stupid law if you ask me.
This just seems like one giant cluster fuck and nobodies doing anything about it. They just figure that if you argue enough the problem will be solved.
The name of the game is "ICED", an obvious play on the Immigration and Enforcement Customs, or "ICE". I've been reading the news stories related to ICE, and for the most part, they're targeting illegal immigrants that have criminal histories in both the United States and their former countries. Crimes involved include gang affiliation, numerous violent crimes, sexual molestation, and many other serious crimes.
The only illegal immigrants being deported without criminal histories are people who are found incidentally during the arrest of the criminals (usually living under the same household).
Sure, let's make fun of ICE, and end deportation...of violent criminals.
What? That's a crazed, paranoid conspiracy theory if I ever heard one. Only this time it's coming from a so-called "Patriot," not some so-called "Rebel."
Is it just me, or does the InfoWars site feel disturbingly racist, with a tad bit of LaRouche’s trademark paranoia?
That's Alex Jones for you. He makes his money marketing conspiracy theories to the tinfoil hat crowd.
ICE is in charge of deporting ALL immigrants, including the legal ones. That's why the game is named like that.
And even if they did only deport illegal immigrants that doesn't change the fact that some of ICE's practices are inhuman, immoral, unethical, probably even illegal, should someone challenge them in a neutral court. The game is targeting those practices, not ICE itself.
Read up on sedating deportees with psychotropic drugs against their will, for example. Supposedly ICE has stopped doing that, however, since they DID get blasted by a judge over it. But to think someone at ICE seriously instituted such policy at all is just incredible. You don't even treat animals that way.
Ouch, InfoWars just got handed the "False Advertising" card, unless of course they're at war with information.
岩「…I can see why Hasselbeck's worried about fake guns killing fake people. afterall, she's a fake journalist on a fake news channel」
"LOWERY/PENTAGON VET Says:
February 28th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
SORRY, BUT…GAMERS BECOME MORONIC SLAVES. They can’t think, eat, drink, sleep, or shit without ALWAYS/CONSTANTLY daydreaming and fanaticizing about CONTROL/POWER.
Why in the FUCK…do you think it’s called a JOY stick. GAMING DUMP-DOWNS OUR YOUTH !!!
FACT"
------------
Video games are dumping down our youth. We have got to act quickly.
blah my brains(or whats left of them) for a edit button!
Additionally, illegal border crossing is only 1 form of illegal immigration. People come over here on work visas, then when they run out, they stay. Bam, they're illegal. But they're still just as productive as the day before they were deemed 'illegal'. I'm not saying all immigrants should be allowed with not borders whatsoever, I'm just saying the the term illegal and legal immigrant is a fairly absurd distinction is many cases, and you can't just say "all illegals are criminals and don't deserve to be in the US"
Being illegal is breaking the law and doing damage to local economies but like some laws dose this mean it needs to be enforced to the full extent, we can merge them with the citizenry in a temporary way(10-15year span) as we fix the retarted immigration system as so we can fully merge them if thats what they want.
Hell we should just move to the fair tax disband the IRS and ignore the boarder, paying 25-40% retail tax(with state tax) that will keep most of them out and get rid of excess populace right there ^_~
Oooo mabye because they are born citizens who earned that right to mooch, and most crimanils lose a lot of their rights, and if you do not pay taxes you are either under the tax radar because you do not make enough or the IRS is looking for you.
Again you are mixing immigrant with illegal immigrant, its like the diffrence in illicit drugs and legal drugs.
On the Breakthrough homepage, it's claimed that the game represents laws that affect "all immigrants: legal permanent residents, asylum seekers, students and undocumented people." But doesn't this statement exclude one very important group of immigrants -- those who have become U.S. citizens? That seems like a conniving oversight to me, especially since the stated goal of the game is to be come a citizen.
This is the only thing that really bothers me about the game, and especially about the way it is being defended here. It holds citizenship up as the ultimate goal but seems to almost go out of its way to blur the line between "legal immigrants" and citizens of the United States. To me, that is a very important line.
Don't get me wrong -- judging by this comment board alone, the game has obviously been successful in raising issues of human rights abuses, and in informing Americans (like me) about the different sorts of legal challenges people who are not citizens face.
However, if the game or its publishers were to suggest in any way that a non-U.S. citizen deserves the same legal status and rights in a U.S. court that a U.S. citizen has, I could not disagree more.
@DeusPayne
From you comments so far, it sounds like your position is that there should be no discrimination between legal and illegal immigrants, nor even between citizens and non-citizens. I imagine there is more to it you have not yet revealed, but I find this view extremely naïve, at best, and maybe just a little bit unpatriotic.
The only way to get rid of the "illegal" distinction to which you object would be to make all immigration legal. I am not a racist, and I am not against immigration, but I do believe in the sovereignty of the United States, and I am proud to claim both my rights and my responsibilities as a U.S. citizen.