KG Dogfighting

KG Dogfighting
(Available for $4.99 on Android Market)
Developed by Kage Games

A multiplayer title so reprehensible that even NFL quarterback and convicted dog-fighting ringleader Michael Vick spoke out to condemn it, KG Dogfighting (formerly Dog Wars) puts players through the paces of raising, feeding and training virtual canines expressly for the purposes of battling them to the death. It's even more crude and senseless as it sounds, and if not for shock value, it wouldn't have any value at all. Of course, that doesn't stop developer Kage Games for charging a hefty $4.99 to download KG Dogfighting as well as offering in-app purchase options like training gear, weapons, guns, steroids and bling.

Kage Games' Android Market seller's page wants desperately to have it both ways. On the one hand, the developer revels in its bad-boy behavior--its promotional spiel screams KG Dogfighting is "AN APP THAT WILL NEVER APPEAR IN THE iPHONE APP STORE!" while urging critics to "Just go slingshot some virtual birds to kill some virtual pigs." But on the other hand, Kage wants you to know they're simply misunderstood artists--and that the game isn't really about fighting dogs, it's about fighting for freedom of speech and never giving in to The Man.

"This is a satire about the ridiculousness of dogfighting, and we believe in the power of a modern media tool to educate and raise awareness of the real horrors," Kage states solemnly. "What makes the Google Android platform special is it gives the freedom and responsibility to the individual users to decide what to put on their phones as opposed to the phone carriers and app stores making value judgments on our behalf."

Puh-leeze. This isn't about satire or freedom--it's about making a quick buck off a mediocre game that glorifies animal cruelty. It's debatable whether or not Kage Games are bad boys, but there's no question that they're bad developers.--Jason