Newspaper Turns To ‘Counter-Strike’ Game To Deliver Unbiased News To Russians
In commemoration of World Press Freedom Day, Helsingin Sanomat—the largest daily newspaper in Finland—has turned to an unlikely medium to bypass Russia’s media restrictions and deliver unbiased updates to its citizens: Counter-Strike.
The publication has tapped into the video game, in which it created a new map with a hidden room that can only be found using the in-game spectator camera. Within its confines, players can browse a collection of Russian-language stories detailing the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to Kotaku, when a player dies on the de_voyna map, they’re able to roam the surroundings and enter an underground room marked by a flame (a symbolic representation of a war memorial).
Once inside, players will be greeted with headlines about the ongoing invasion, including stories on the mass graves discovered in Bucha. A detailed map shows locations throughout the nation that Russian soldiers have attacked, and a table lists the number of troopers killed.
Antero Mukka, Helsingin Sanomat Editor-in-Chief, told GamesRadar+ the idea came about as Russian citizens have “very little chance” to access independent information about the war, mostly due to the heavily restricted media landscape that bans any “false information.”
Interestingly, Counter-Strike is one of the most popular video games in the nation, with nearly four million active players. As such, the newspaper sought out the opportunity to bring its reporters’ “uncensored stories” across the border.
At the moment, it appears Russian authorities have left video games unchecked, allowing the publication to build a map of a war-torn Slavic City and plant a hidden room that would ultimately help gamers “face what’s really going on” in its neighboring country.
Head here to visit the de_voyna map and explore its contents.
