Interestingly, this behavior does exist in real life. There are plenty of teens (and others, of course) who break things, shoot things, tie cats together for a thrill, etc. I remember breaking all of the windows in someone’s barn when I was eight. Does it let me off the hook to say that my friend threw the first stone? It was a blast. It even turned into a contest to see who could knock out the small remaining shards first. ‘Splosions everywhere, and then we ran away.

Maybe I’d like the game too much.

I guess what separates this from other games that I would have a problem with (Mad World, earlier Grand Theft Auto, etc.) is that that the game is very aware of its own twisted ideas. When I am playing Splosion Man, am I equating his actions and motives to those that could exist in real life? No. What does exist in real life is my reaction to what is happening on screen, and my interactions with others around me.

What is “good” about the game? God created fun. Sometimes he calls it joy. It’s something God endorses. It gives us perspective and makes us humble. There is also a multiplayer component that encourages teamwork and cooperation. This is valuable, and a good way to spend some time with friends. So that’s what’s good.

Like all media, Splosion Man is a judgment call. Some won’t find it fun at all. Others, like you I suspect, won’t find it acceptable. But some will. It does what it sets out to do, and it does it well. And what it sets out to do is enable the player to have a heck of a fun time while also mocking various misguided concepts of our culture. That’s something I appreciate, and something I find both good and helpful. And yes, even redeemable.

In response to your comment, I can see how the following might be “fun,” but I can’t see how the following equals “good” and “clean”:

“Splosion Man…is totally and completely amoral. The very definition of a psychopath, Splosion Man spends the entire game really enjoying destroying things and killing people. The game is fun precisely because the player views such things within this game world as neutral. They are only good or bad insofar as they bring us joy.”

The difference between this and the other thoughtless entertainment I refer to is that Splosion Man is self-aware and stylized to the point of ludicrousness. The game itself is in my mind a comment on the sort of person who enjoys human destruction. The movie wherein the hero is bent on revenge, or “justice”, or simple heroics are much more dangerous because they provide a justification for something that’s really no more than mindless destruction.

While I don’t endorse this game, it fascinates me that “good” can’t be wholly removed from any experience. Even violent people want what God can provide.

I just wish, as Richard said, that there were more obviously redeemable elements to the game.