Chinese developing anti-Japanese game

If history tells us anything, it's that the Chinese and Japanese have no love lost for each other. After all, the Japanese invaded and occupied China in 1937, a military struggle that didn't end until 1945.

Well, if a video game said to be currently under joint development by the Chinese government and the Communist Youth League of China is any indication, it seems the bitter feelings between the two countries related to that war may still linger. According to The Asahi Shimbun, China has been working on the "Anti-Japan War Online," an online game that supposedly commemorates the 60th anniversary of China's casting off of its occupiers at the end of the Pacific War in 1945.

The Japanese publication reported that players take on the roles of Chinese resistance fighters in the 1937-1945 war whose goal is to besiege or ambush as many Japanese soldiers as possible. The development costs of the game, which is slated for an end-of-year release, were reportedly about $6.12 million.

Asahi Shimbun quoted one Internet bulletin board posting as having written, "Make it so we can use many different weapons." Presumably, the poster wants as many options as possible to try to kill the digital Japanese troops.

Since the stated goal of the game is to spur Chinese patriotism and nationalism among young Chinese--seemingly at the expense of harmony between China and Japan--pacifist observers will likely find "Anti-Japan War Online" objectionable.

Still, because the game is a period piece, it's hard to know whether one should view this as any different than, say, the countless games that pit World Word II American soldiers against the Nazi enemies.