Torture is not a game

Should you take 'Torture' seriously?
Nope, says the young man who developed this controversial Web game

So begins an MSNBC article that a human rights colleague recently brought to my attention.

In "The Torture Game 2", players use various devices and methods to torture the victim to see how long they can keep him alive.

What does this say about the people who actually designed and programmed this thing?

What does this say about the people who play the game and find it "fun" (or "totally awesome", as MSNBC quotes one gamer as saying)?

And the name -- "The Torture Game 2" -- implies that there was a Torture Game 1, and a demand for a follow-up. What does that say about our culture post-Abu Ghraib?

But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. After all, consider the popularity of the television series "24". With "The Torture Game 2", players get to be Jack Bauer with no holds barred.

How cool and glamorous, they must think.

What have we become?