Big-Game Hunting

By JOSHUA QUITTNER

During the second week of October, a curious thing happened in the software world: Windows 98 was not the top-selling CD-ROM in the nation. What was? Deerhunter II, a $20 sequel that pits high-tech computer gamers against low-tech deer. While this upset may have ruined breakfast for a few Microsofties, it came as no surprise to anyone who's been watching the computer-gaming world during the past year. Software programs that simulate hunting have dominated the charts ever since GT Interactive created the original Deer Hunter this past January; four hunt-and-shoot titles were in the Top 10 last month.

The first Deer Hunter, which was commissioned by Wal-Mart, sold over a million copies, prompting GT Interactive to publish seven related $20 titles, including Bird Hunter, Sporting Clays and the upcoming African Safari. GT's success has even spawned a herd of imitators, from Cabela's Big Game Hunter II (HeadGames; $19) to the seriously stupid Redneck Deer Huntin' (Interplay; $20).

I found most of these games oddly compelling. In the same way that Myst and Riven create places you can get lost in, the hunting titles I tried nicely evoke the great outdoors: wind blowing through the pines, boots crunching through crusty snow, the howl of a coyote in the distance. Hunting is an atavistic thrill: staking out a spot in the virtual woods and waiting quietly for a buck; centering it in the crosshairs and shooting it were satisfying in a primal, I-eat-meat kind of way. I preferred the GT titles. Deer Hunter II was more straightforward and easier to play out of the box. But HeadGame's Big Game Hunter had the best graphics and was more faithful to ethical hunting, rewarding players who practice safe shooting.

Most hunting simulations come with a number of "cheat codes" that allow you to adjust the ratio of blood to sport. In Deer Hunter II, for instance, you can start the hunt with a deer in view rather than work for 15 minutes or so to attract one by scattering scent lures or rattling antlers. Another code permits the hunter to race along, as if on horseback, at the same speed as the running deer. But if you bag a buck while using a cheat code, you're barred from mounting its head in the virtual trophy room.

There's even a parody for people opposed to hunting: Deer Avenger (Cendant Software; $19.95). In it, bazooka-toting deer lure potbellied hunters to their death with such "genuine hunter calls" as a feminine cry of "Help, I'm naked, and I have a pizza." This game has yet to crack the Top 10.

Bazookas or no, the bloodshed is surprisingly mild in most hunting simulations. Animals tend to be felled quite, uh, tastefully, and the games are far less violent than the typical "first-person shooter" like Quake II. Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and professor at M.I.T., says that in a curious way, hunting simulators may ultimately benefit kids who are increasingly confronted with the blurring of reality and virtual reality. "This generation of children is developing the skills to distinguish between virtual experiences and physical ones," she says. "I see these hunting games as part of that process--and that's a good thing." For everyone, that is, but the virtual deer.

For more on virtual hunting, see our website at timedigital.com Questions for Quittner? E-mail him at jquit@well.com