That's a crazy concept. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

I didn't play the game. Did I win?

I'm scared to play that game.... especially from work...

Interesting concept, but I'd never play it. EVER.
It just seems like the chances of screwing over your computer are too high, I don't like it one bit.

The point the game is trying to get across is ridiculous. I don't give a shit about the aliens in the game because I know what they are, they are a flat image, reconstructed by code in the source file onto a series of polygons to create an image. Another bit of code tells the polygons how to act and move, and a control program puts the polygonal object through a series of actions depending on the circumstances in the program. (this is my understanding of how everything works, correct me if I'm wrong.) This code is designed for the sole purpose of having the code from my bullet end the loop of the polygon's code all over the wall behind it. That's it's purpose. It doesn't think, it doesn't feel, it doesn't dream, it just runs through a list of commands.

If I had to choose between someone's life and my PC, I'd choose life. It seems like the game is trying to get us to question our motives and ask ourselves why we feel the need to kill these aliens even though they have done nothing to provoke us. This point is completely null due to the lack of any intelligence inherent in the object I'm sadistically mutilating with my code bullets. If the series of polygons had a mind, had feelings, had intelligent thoughts, then this game would have a valid point. But the fact is that these aliens have no more intelligence than my mousepad, and the only reason they give the illusion of intelligence is because the AI programmer was incredibly thorough in his list of actions and circumstances.

If the game came out in about 100 years when we have programs that can think, they we may have a subject open for discussion here. But the fact that the game wants me to questing why I am killing these aliens that don't really exist is ridiculous.

I tend to agree with RonBurgandy. The point is there, but it has nothing to do with killing or specifically killing aliens. Our minds skip right over that facet and go directly to "it's a game where when you lose, you lose date from your computer". Our minds are quite capable of determining the "reality" of games.

I talked a long time ago in one of my blogs about a time when I had to kill an injured rat. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't remotely like killing a rat in a video game. I've killed thousands of rats in games... but I almost couldn't bring myself to hit the rat over the head with a shovel, even though it was for it's own good (it was badly injured and suffering). Real life consequences to our actions are entirely different from digital non-consequences... which is precisely what makes most games fun.

Virtual machine.

Play it in one.