A video game based on the March 15 mosque attacks which claimed 51 lives is freely available in New Zealand.
The main character is called 'Brenton Torrent', almost identical to the name of the alleged Christchurch gunman. The game mimics a livestream as the player goes on a shooting spree, and includes direct references to the mosque attacks. Newshub Nation (As well as Nighthawk.NZ) has chosen not to name the game.
Anjum Rahman of the Islamic Women's Council says this is another layer of trauma for a still-grieving community.
"It's taking advantage of the death and injury of so many people. It's exploitative and it's appalling."
Rahman says the game isn't just obscene, it's potentially dangerous.
"Neo-Nazi and alt-right groups use video games as a tool to recruit."
The game's host website notifies visitors when someone buys the game, and claims sales around the world.
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Newshub Nation brought the game to the attention of Chief Censor David Shanks, but he is yet to review it as he is busy dealing with the ramifications of the livestreamed shooting in Germany on Wednesday.
Within a day the censor classified that footage as objectionable, making it a crime to own or distribute.
The footage was also quickly taken down from video streaming service Twitch by its owner Amazon, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern calling it the Christchurch Call in action.
But reacting to a game developed at the fringes of the internet is more problematic for our censors because unless it's reported, it goes unnoticed.
Rahman says it's everyone's responsibility to call out extremist material both in the real world and online.
"We need to know that people recognise this is just wrong and are prepared to speak up."
