Exploiting the Exploiters' Hoax

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Wasting no time, video game startup Heyzap.com in San Francisco has created a video game based on Colorado's "Balloon Boy" hoax that is circulating on the Web and through Twitter. In it, a young Falcon Heene clings to a tinfoil muffin-like balloon while flying through the air trying to shoot down things that get in his way, like UFOs, rainbows and birds. At higher levels of play, Falcon encounters filmmaker Michael Moore in a helicopter. To win, the balloon boy must reach his secret attic. The game asks "How many $$$ of taxpayer money can you waste?" Players accumulate dollars based on the number of flying objects they can shoot down. Another Web site, Zazzle.com, is selling Balloon Boy T-shirts, refrigerator magnets, keychains, mugs and tote bags.