Jackpot! Catch a criminal with new Japanese game A Japanese firm said Wednesday it would launch an Internet-based slot machine game using mug shots of criminal suspects on the country's wanted list. Famista Inc. will start the free game as a way of publicising the photographs of suspects, drawing on the popularity of "pachinko" pinball, company official Takashi Saito told AFP. Players who hit the jackpot will be shown detailed information about the suspect and how to report any leads in their cases. "We thought this can be a new way to contribute to the community," he said. "There are many Internet sites that display photos of those on the wanted list, but they are not necessarily visited frequently. By mixing it with entertainment, we thought we can make some contribution to the police efforts." Pachinko is a Japanese version of pinball played in thousands of noisy parlours across the country for prizes that can be exchanged for cash. Saito said Internet users will be able to access the online game via their computers or mobile phones from Friday. "If we could clear legal and logistical hurdles, we are considering bringing this concept to the real pachinko and slot machines," Saito said, adding that the company has applied for a patent on the idea. Although the National Police Agency has not officially endorsed the project, individual police officers have supported the initiative in the hope that it will lead to arrests of some of the suspects, Saito said. (AFP, Nov 13) Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081112/od_afp/entertainmentjapancrimeoffbeat_081112135601