The last thing I'll say on the AK Interactive thing is that yes, I think it's entirely possible to tackle some of the most difficult subjects through things like dioramas and models. The issue is not the subject matter itself, but the way it was handled.

Of course we should talk about drug addiction, about genocide, about pollution and environmental disaster. Of course art can tackle those subjects, art has been tackling the worst parts of humanity for thousands of years.

That's not the issue.

The issue is a company marketing something using real footage of real atrocities, of presenting to the world not a book created to educate or challenge, but to be "tough" and to "hurt your feelings".

That is the issue.

Difficult subjects require careful handling. What AK Interactive did was not careful and it was not subtle. It was not presenting a criticism of the subject matter it was revelling in it for shock value. It was applying basic horror film editing to real footage to sell a product.

AK Interactive were not presenting art, they were not creating a new take on a difficult subject, they were marketing a book, a book filled with the products they sell, under the guise of elevating models to a new standard.

That is disingenuous at BEST.

At worst, it is a disgusting insult to the countless people who have been victims of these atrocities, and the people responsible for this marketing campaign, and the presentation of the book as a whole, need to work on some serious self improvement.

Art at a base level requires respect for the subject matter.

Blood spatter fonts, edgy covers, egotistical statements about how tough your product is, dramatic explanations of Zyklon show no respect for the subject matter at all and as such their work has got no respect in turn.

And that's it.

Unless they double down or try and wriggle out of the situation they've put themselves into, I won't be talking about AK Interactive again.

The least they can do is apologise. I genuinely hope they have the self awareness to do so.

Actually no, one last thing. The general message when dealing with what AK were trying to deal with can be summed up by one of my favourite lines from Yes Minister:

"You have to say things with tact and finesse, you berk."