'Endgame: Syria' video game allows players to fight as rebels (VIDEO)

GlobalPost

A new video game based on the Syrian conflict lets players put themselves in the shoes of rebel fighters.

Do you negotiate with President Bashar al-Assad or send jihadist fighters to target his regime?

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Developed by British video game designer Tomas Rawlings, "Endgame: Syria" is drawing strong reactions from fans and critics alike.

Computer giant Apple has refused to distribute it, and some find it insulting and inappropriate to use a video game to discuss a complex crisis that's killed more than 60,000 people since March 2011, The Associated Press reported.

Others love it, hoping it will inform people who might otherwise be ignorant about the conflict.

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"For those who don't want to read a newspaper but still care about the world, this is a way for them to find out about things," Rawlings told the Belfast Telegraph.

Andrea Stanton, a religious studies professor at the University of Denver who studies Syria, is organizing an event for students to play and discuss the game, according to the AP.

In it, players command Syrian rebels seeking to topple Assad's regime.

They must choose how the rebel force responds to regime actions and see sympathy and support for their faction affected as a result, Sky News reported.

The game was released Dec. 12 as a free download and can be played here.

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