American and European banking executives have been on the receiving end of far greater public criticism than their counterparts here in Australia. And for the most part, it has been well-earned.

Tapping into this anger, online games site addictinggames.com ^[1] has used the recently passed US stimulus package as the premise for a new flash game entitled Trillion Dollar Bailout ^[2].

According to its creators, the game lets players: “Punish greedy fat cats and save honest peoples! Hand out moneys to homeowners. Put the hurt on dudes in suits! Do it right and save the world!”

A variety of people (and vehicles) pop up in the New York skyline and ask for money. You have to decide whether to give them bailout money or slap them. Make the right decision and the economy ticks up. Make a bad decision and it tanks. When the two minutes is up, you’ve either save the US economy or caused far greater carnage.

There’s a moderate amount of skill here, but it’s really just an excuse to slap the fat cats whose cavalier attitude brought the global economy to its knees.
 

^[2]