Now You, Too, Can Be a Drug Dealer

“Narcos” is a critically acclaimed drama on Netflix that follows the real-life journey through the ’80s and ’90s to capture drug lord Pablo Escobar — the man who was said to, at one point, be responsible for 80 percent of the cocaine being smuggled into the United States. He was also history’s richest criminal, with estimated worth of $30 billion.

The series focuses on both the infamous man and the police working to stop him. Season 1 left fans with a cliffhanger as Escobar was on the run. Season 2 arrives Sept. 2.

The series, unlike the video game, provides what art is best at providing: context.

Now, a mobile game inspired by the show is also set to launch in September. In it, you can work to become your very own Escobar-style drug kingpin. 

Edgy video games with main characters as criminals have been around at least since 1997, when the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise became wildly popular for rewarding players for stealing cars. It also came under fire for being sexually explicit and violent. Still, “Narcos: Cartel Wars” is finding new ways to introduce questionable ethics to video games — by basing itself on the exploits of a real-life drug lord.

Netflix’s “Narcos” has won praise both for its historical accuracy regarding the hunt to capture Escobar, as well as for its dramatic heft. The show was recently nominated for two Golden Globes — one for Best Television Series, Drama, and one for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama, for Wagner Moura, who portrays Escobar.

The series, unlike the video game, provides what art is best at providing: context. We see not only the perspective of Escobar, but the perspective of the police chasing him.

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The mobile game diminishes that effort and boils the series down to the exploits of a drug kingpin, asking players to forget context and consequences and just embrace the evil doings of people like Escobar.

“‘Narcos’ is about a lot more than violence, money, and power,” said Aaron Berndtson, the head of business development for FTX Entertainment, the makers behind the mobile game, according to Variety. He defended the game by saying, “We really wanted to explore the moral ambiguity from the show, where right and wrong are subjective. We’re very excited to put these choices into the player’s hands.”

Gamers will play an up-and-coming lieutenant in the cartel. Guidance and advice will be provided by characters from the show, and players can team up each other or go to war for territory.

Tasks include bribing police officers and government officials, putting out hits on people, and developing smuggling techniques, as well as cultivating drugs.

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The “moral ambiguity” line pushed by Berndtson seems a strange way to defend the game. The series has the support of dramatic context and perspectives on its side, which helps it delve into “moral ambiguity.”

The game sounds like an exploitative “Grand Theft Auto”-type adventure, devoid of morals or context. It’s a bit more eerie when you consider the whole endeavor is inspired by the doings of a very real and very bad man.

Studies have also found that mobile games are played mostly by high school and college students — so we know who the target audience is for this game. Hopefully, we don’t see kids walking around sporting Pablo Escobar T-shirts in the near future.