EFFIE BATEMAN | Lifestyle | CONTACT
Google has been accused of promoting gun violence this week, as a new mod being rolled out on Google Maps will give users the option to explore streets online while carrying a deadly weapon.
This mod, available only in the US, combines Google Maps’ Street View interactive panorama with a first-person shooter mode, made popular in games like Call of Duty and Halo.
It will give users the option to start with a basic weapon (handgun) and to find deadlier guns and ammo on the streets the more they explore.
The news, which was revealed at a Silicon Valley tech convention last week, has prompted widespread backlash amongst psychologists, who believe it will encourage radicalised youth to plan out violence before doing it in person.
However, Google product developer Max Keating insists it is not Google’s intention to glorify violence or to endanger the community.
Instead, Keating is hoping this can be the next big thing in browser-based games.
Keating says that the rising popularity of the geography guessing game ‘Geoguessr’ was what initially gave him the idea to gamify Google’s street-viewing software, which has been experiencing a rapid drop in years.
“Google is all about keeping up with the needs and wants of a modern audience”, explains Keating, “users don’t want to just be educated – they want to be entertained.”
The feature will not be able to be used when exploring streets containing churches, synagogues, police stations or government buildings.
More to come.
