Win Or Lose, This Video Game Deletes Files On Your Computer

from the fun-for-the-whole-family... dept

Fri, Sep 25th 2009 10:43am — Mike Masnick

Well, here's a fun one. Apparently someone has created a space invaders type video game... where every "alien" is randomly associated with a file (any file) on your hard drive. If you kill the alien... or the alien kills you, the game will delete that particular file. It's like playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun. I imagine no one is stupid enough to actually play... though I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't make a version where killing the aliens at least saves some files. That way, at least, you'd have more incentive to play well...

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Filed Under: video games

26 Comments

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David (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 10:49am

Too funny
Sounds like a great way to securely delete files :)
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Dan, 25 Sep 2009 @ 10:52am

I like the idea of administrating your system using games rather than traditional UI. Of course, deleting random files probably doesn't count as administrating.

A gentleman at the University of New Mexico had a much better idea when he took the Doom source, and built a game where killing a demon (daemon?) kills a process, wounding it renices. Sure you can still shoot yourself in the foot, but at least it is fixed by a reboot.

Can I linky here? http://www.cs.unm.edu/~dlchao/flake/doom/
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 11:14am

Re:
So, lesser admins get smaller weapons to "kill" processes, would that translate to more important processes have bigger demons? Like Xwin is a Ciberdemon? (sorry, don't know Linux processes) Would you be able to kill the XDoom process as well? Don't run around in a room full of processes with the BFG.
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Ok I'm a coward :), 25 Sep 2009 @ 11:32am

Qemu.
Use a virtual machine to play the game LoL

But I rather play this one battlefieldheroes

And of course people can find a lot of online games to play here
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Xander C (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 11:36am

I created a virtual machine to play this game, and I have to say that it's definitely a work of art.

Everything about it says "game", and the different types of enemies created based on your file types sets you as the player into the same king of "survival" mode.

But...

As the author states, Lose/Lose is more about the implications of one's actions. You are presented with a game, where the only outcome of victory is subjective. There's no "you win" screen, but rather are you going for points (which costs you your entire file system), or are you going to "lose" and keep everything intact?

Anyway, if there's someone that should get attention, it's this guy: http://www.quelsolaar.com/
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Dark Helmet (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 11:40am

Sigh
They should just alter the game so that with each salvo you fire another shard of liberty or common sense gets obliterated instead of files.

Then they could just call the game "Voting".
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 11:47am

Re: Sigh
For a long time now I've wanted to make a Sim type game based upon a very similar idea.
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lavi d (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 11:47am

Fun is Where You Find it
If you had a machine with a minimal Linux install or something, I could see taking turns with someone playing this game and the 'loser' is the one the system locks up on because it's lost a critical file.

Rebuild the OS and start over...

Maybe drink a shot everytime you finish the game without crashing the OS.
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Wesha, 25 Sep 2009 @ 11:48am

Re:
> I like the idea of administrating your system using games rather than traditional UI.

Years ago I've heard of a guy who built something like that on Doom codebase. He had a virtual map of the building in Doom, with servers, switches, etc. represented with different kind of monsters, located at exactly the same spots where the hardware was physically located in the actual building. And shooting one with a rocket launcher would remotely reboot the respective computer, etc. Not sure how much of true or false that story was, but that's how I heard it.
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Ok I'm a coward :), 25 Sep 2009 @ 11:55am

Virus Killer
I think this one also delete folders Virus Killer. But I think the game create the folders.

Have fun.
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GJ (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 12:00pm

Joshua was right
A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?
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ECA (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 12:06pm

I followed the links..
I LOVe the high score list..
Lets see how far you can get BEFORE it kills the system or the GAME itself..
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pferland, 25 Sep 2009 @ 12:08pm

Re: Re:
now that is something i would love to see, hell i wouldn't want to get out of my chair ever again.
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Heywood, 25 Sep 2009 @ 12:19pm

Re:
"linky"? What are you, 7 years old?
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Nicholas Moline (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 12:23pm

Reboot!
the maker of this game must have been watching Reboot reruns...
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Nicholas Moline (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 12:27pm

Re: Joshua was right
Ahh Wargames Reference....
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zcat (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 12:39pm

Re: Virus Killer
Completely the wrong way around

Virus Killer doesn't delete any of your files, but it does display actual file and folder names from your home directory during the game.
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lulz, 25 Sep 2009 @ 12:49pm

Re: Qemu.
wow. Techdirt apparently has enough traffic for spammers to target.
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Zerhackermann, 25 Sep 2009 @ 12:58pm

it could be a lot of fun
What would be fun would be to use the concept to spice up a familiar game. Like say an arena match "BattleShip" or "StarCraft" over a network. The application would know what files and processes are attached to what assets. Values are placed on different types of asset. For example a "ReadMe.txt wont be very valuable. but a porn or tax file would be much more valuable. And finally processes would be the most valuable...if you find the process that "kills" the other computer, instant win. That could be a gas.

Oh and by the way...

...FRUGALISTA!
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Pitabred (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 12:59pm

Re: Re: Qemu.
My blog has enough traffic for spammers to target. And I barely get any hits outside of family and friends.
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Stute, 25 Sep 2009 @ 1:42pm

Why is it...
That I'm suddenly wanting to install XP on a seperate Hard Drive and play this game...?
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2009 @ 1:53pm

Well, I'm sure the patent-infringement lawsuit is being prepared right at this very moment.
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Josh in CharlotteNC (profile), 25 Sep 2009 @ 2:07pm

Hollywood movies
The creator of this game has obviously watched too many Hollywood movies involving anything technological.

They've taught us:
-You can copy a bug in a program on a floppy, put that floppy into another completely unrelated system and wipe that system out.
-Hacking a supercomputer is like flying through a virtual city and that viruses are cute as they destroy it and cause breakers in the control room to blow.
-The US nuclear arsenal is controlled by a friendly AI that wants to play games.
-Writing a virus is best done on an 8-display system and that screwing up on one module causes the virus to break apart. Likewise, re-hacking your own virus' unbreakable encryption can be done in 60 seconds with a gun to your head.
-Ripping the guts out of a scanner and hooking them up to an iPod works to scan text from a computer screen.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2009 @ 2:30pm

I suppose I can run this game in SandboxIE
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2009 @ 2:39pm

i think most ppl would call that a virus not a game
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Sep 2009 @ 3:54pm

I'm planning on reformatting my hard drive and installing Linux. This will could be the last game I play on Windows.
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