Does ‘Watch Dogs’ Show Trayvon Martin, Dead?
Watch Dogs, a highly anticipated and recently released video game, is suddenly at the center of controversy after allegedly including an image of Trayvon Martin laying dead on the ground.
According to Iacknowledge, the game is based around a computer-hacker protagonist who fights corruption by using his abilities. Players are able to hack information from random people walking down the street, including name, age, and occupation. Many of the NPCs (Non Player Characters) who are hacked are generated randomly by the computer.
According to CraveOnline though, developer Ubisoft has been straightforward about the fact that some “Easter egg” NPCs were intentionally placed in the game. As The Inquisitr previously reported, the intentional NPC’s were mostly modeled around pop culture references, the most notable of which was Batman. Others include Breaking Bad’s Walter White, Archer’s Aisha Taylor (who is a part-time representative for Ubisoft), and now one that, intentionally or not, is frighteningly close to the image of Trayvon Martin.
uhhhh @watchdogsgame pic.twitter.com/lGIwC6lp0R
— Horton Atonto (@crushingbort) June 4, 2014
Twitter user @crushingbort posted a picture to his account of an NPC he came across while on a “criminal convoy mission” that bore a striking resemblance to Martin. The character is a young, hooded black man named “Kavon Fortin” — a name disturbingly close to Trayvon Martin — who is found in the game lying dead on the ground. The position is evocative of the details of the Martin case, as is the hooded sweatshirt, which, for some, became a symbol of solidarity with Trayvon Martin following his death at the hands of George Zimmerman.
When the character’s details are hacked, “Kavon Fortin’s” occupation is chillingly listed as “dealer,” echoing accusations from some of Zimmerman’s defenders that Trayvon Martin was a gang member who sold drugs.
Trayvon Martin became a household name in America after the unarmed African-American youth was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch coordinator for the gated community in which Martin was staying. The racially-charged case made international headlines, sparking a debate about the justifiable use of force under Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” laws, as well as racial profiling issues. Zimmerman was found not guilty of the murder in a jury trial last July.
As for Watch Dogs, developer Ubisoft is remaining quiet about whether or not the NPC is intentionally meant to resemble Trayvon Martin. Since they have yet to address the issue, do you think that Ubisoft meant to put a reference to Trayvon Martin in Watch Dogs?
[Image via Twitter]
