This morning The Mirror finally got round to becoming angry about Atari's graffiti adventure, Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. In a short story, noticeably lacking in the sort of spittle-streaked rage usually reserved for videogame controversies the reporter notes:
"A new computer game with a thuggish graffiti artist 'hero' sparked a row yesterday. A character named Trane plasters a city using aerosols, marker pens, stickers, posters, stencils and paint. He kicks, punches and uses weapons on anyone trying to stop him."
All pretty accurate so far. The story goes on to quote a selection of pertinent commentators, the best of which is MP Julian Lewis who shrieks, "The problem is bad enough without commercially minded idiots trying to make it worse."
Atari PR chap Lee Kirton then makes a half-hearted defence. "There is a warning saying graffiti is unacceptable," he points out helpfully, later suggesting (I hope only semi-seriously), "It is keeping graffiti artists off the streets". There you go, it isn't irresponsible it's effectively a public service. What next? 'Charles Clarke's ASBO: Louts Under Restraint'?
