No Life King

Looks at the part that sophisticated computer technology plays in Japanese children’s games through the story of a group of boys who become transfixed with the latest video-game, the Legend Of Life King IV. As their obsession grows, a rumour spreads that the game has super- natural powers and carries a curse that anyone who does not finish it is doomed to die. This belief is reaffirmed when the school principal dies suddenly during a speech about the dangers of videogames. Children are then afraid of playing the game and set about destroying it. —BFI