Ademco Alarm System

Online game inspired by real-life cases of violence between residents and wrecking gang becomes huge hit

It may not be the complexity and exciting force Farmville or World of Warcraft. However, the online game, in which the family is struggling with the destruction of the crew , Slippers and bullets hooked Chinese Internet users.

The Big Battle: Nail House Versus Demolition Team has triumphed not through playability, but by tapping into widespread anger about forced relocations. "Nail houses" are the last homes left standing in areas slated for clearance, so called because they stick out when all around them have been demolished.

Owners resist because they do not want to move at all or think that compensation is unfairly low, but wrecking crews often retaliate with tactics ranging from cutting off power and water to physical violence.

Cases such as that of Tang Fuzhen, who died last year after setting fire to herself as an eviction crew beat her family, have caused outrage. Amid a growing clamour, the government issued draft rules designed to curbthe most serious violations.

But the issue remains potent. Only last week, three people in Fuzhou, eastern China, were rushed to hospital in serious condition after setting fire to themselves in protest at what they said was inadequate compensation.

\\ "This is our society. This tedious. This is not just to live. I do not t 'know how many people like Dean family in real life. So sad," says one player.

Another added: "The game is just for entertainment, but the reality is cruel."

In the game, Mrs Ding [Nail], still in her curlers, hurls slippers as the men approach, while Grandpa Ding prefers to fire his shotgun. It might sound improbable, but one real life farmer in Hubei province fought off workers with a homemade cannon.

Popular online gaming site 17173said nail home game ranked third among the last month top games and played more than 1,8 m since its launch two weeks ago. The real figure is likely higher because, based on the expense of popular sites, and the game quickly been replicated across the Internet.

Professor Hu Yong, of Peking University's School of Journalism and Communications, said forced demolitions had long been a hot topic, with dramatic and horrifying stories circulating in the media or online.

He added: "Forced demolition is about the conflict between governmental power and the individual's ownership of property. Although China has a property ownership law, it has never been implemented well. People care a lot when governmental power violates an individual's ownership because it simply can happen to anyone.

"As social conflicts increase, governmental power is getting stronger and stronger as well and a lot of people are resentful about it. That's why such a little game can resonate among so many people."

Players pointed out that it appeared to be impossible to win the game, because so many thugs swarm the house in the final level â€" a realistic touch, they thought.

"I have already got 70,000 [points] in the game but my house was still demolished. It tells us that the demolition team is not defeatable ... The only thing we can do is to wait and die," concluded one.

Additional reporting by Lin Yi