1378km

1378 (km) is a first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Jens M. Stober aka ELORX, a student at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design. The title refers to the length in kilometres of the Inner German border between East and West Germany from 1949 to 1990, then known as the "death strip". It allows players, up to 16 people at the same time, to take the role of either East Germans trying to cross the border or East German border guards shooting anyone attempting to do so. The game was scheduled to be officially released on October 3 (the anniversary of German reunification) 2010, but was delayed due to its controversy. The game was released in December 2010 following "a public discussion with distinguished guests" at the Karlsruhe University, and will have an age rating of 18+.

In this computer game – which would not be the case in, for example, a documentary film – I personally have the control over my behavior and my reactions, which take place in real time and in changing situations. The game 1378(km) does not force someone playing the “border soldiers” to shoot the “refugees”. Players are left with the freedom of choice. You are only able to win 1378(km) when you do not shoot. The rules of the game are inspired by the situation at the former Inner German Border. Border camps, death strips, and orders to shoot are what make the game brutal.