Online games related to the disease are spreading as fast as the virus. Bipin Kumar Singh reports

Nothing is sacrosanct for game developers. While the country scurries to take cover from the deadly swine flu, game developers can't get enough of it. And with situational games being the latest craze among gamers, the more feverish swine flu gets, the hotter the demand for games surrounding it.

More than a dozen swine flu-related games have already flooded the market, and have been well received by gamers.

Just for fun? Swine Flu Killer, the game created by au00a0Hyderabad-based firm

The games

A game developed by Fog.com has the gamer don the garb of a US Marshall who has to guard the only city free of swine flu against wild boars. The player has to prevent the boars from entering the city.

In another game, Pandemic American Swine, the year is 2010 and swine flu continues to thrive within the US. The player has to save the country before it is destroyed.

A third game, Swine Fighter, has the player trying to vaccinate the pigs.

And to widen their reach, game developers have made the games available on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Experts say

Maruti Shanker, managing director of 7 Seas Technologies, a Hyderabad-based firm that has created the game Swine Flu Killer, said, "Situational games are a tool for education, fun and awareness. We are targeting school children as well as the first-time gamer. With our game they will learn more about swine flu. So, parents will like this too."

He added, "Seasoned gamers are bored of the usual games and are looking for new things constantly. The proof lies in the fact that more than 75,000 gamers have played our version of the swine flu game. We hope that the good response continues."

Gamers say

However, some gamers in the city feel that it is not the right time to play such games in such a sensitive scenario. Nikhil Mehra, an avid gamer, said, "Game developers have become really smart. They immediately cash in on the latest buzz. But they do not manage to hook the gamers for too long, as they don't work on the graphics and the fun factor."

Kajal Thukral, an avid gamer, said, "I am not very excited about these games, as being a part of such a deadly virus gives me a very negative vibe."

Sajan Abraham, a PR executive, echoed Thukral. "I don't want to play games about diseases which are killing people, especially kids. It gives a very negative feeling."

The swine flu games