Pulling No Punches: Video game lets player beat up maskless pandemic deniers, save vaccine scientists

1 year ago
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The YouTube description of Pulling No Punches says:

"Pulling No Punches is a satirical game in the 2D beat'em up style with classic arcade influences and modern visuals. The game tells the fictional story of a global pandemic that engulfed the world and is being ignored by fanatics who do not believe that the disease is real. It is up to the main characters, 4 common citizens adequately protected with gloves and mask, to deal with these fanatics and solve the situation with the force of their own fists."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mZV01C-4rA

The description on Steam only says:

"A classic 2D arcade action game animated frame by frame. Survive a fictional pandemic in a city filled with madness and denial."
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1425760/Pulling_No_Punches/

According to the Steam description, this game may intend to glorify violence against 'subhuman, selfish, science-denying, public health threats' such as 'conspiracy theorist' and 'anti-vaxxers'. Or at least that may be the effect.

If you prioritize the word 'satire' in the YouTube description above all else, this game MAY intend to criticize the demonization of well-informed critical thinkers who value bodily integrity and who turned out to be completely right. Although it's not clear at all if the word 'satirical' is meant properly here, considering the rest of the description.

Imagine the enormous public outrage of a game where 'anti-vaxxers' beat up COVID cult members, e.g. by stabbing them with syringes. In the final level, they might take on Evil Dr. Fauci.

Or imagine the outrage of a game where the main characters beat up LGBTQIA+ people.

There are huge double standards. For example, prominent Dutch vaxx pusher Ab Osterhaus was allowed to say on public national TV that it's a pity that you can't recognize the unvaxxed by their noses and that banishing all unvaxxed to a (concentration) island would be the ideal solution.

Video in Dutch:
https://rumble.com/vp918f

If a 'conspiracy theorist' would say something that was only a fraction that bad in the opposite direction, they would be immediately and viciously canceled for intolerance, incitement of hatred and 'holocaust denial'.

In that case, the defense "It's just satire; You have no sense of humor!" absolutely won't be accepted.

This game was published in August of 2022.

REFERENCES

Article by Not The Bee:
https://notthebee.com/article/pulling-no-punches-video-game-lets-you-beat-up-pandemic-deniers

The game is here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1425760/Pulling_No_Punches/

SOURCES

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1425760/Pulling_No_Punches/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mZV01C-4rA

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