From Futurism · Victor Tangermann · · 1m 30s
You can now shoot gun turrets from your couch
A new website lets anyone remotely fire pneumatic weapons at targets for $5, raising questions about trivializing violence.
In brief
A new website lets anyone remotely fire pneumatic weapons at targets for $5, raising questions about trivializing violence. Shov is an online shooting gallery using real pneumatic gun turrets, but it reflects a broader trend of remote weapons becoming normalized in warfare and entertainment. Originally reported by…
Website lets you shoot real gun turrets
Shov is a new website where users can remotely control pneumatic gun turrets and fire .68 caliber rubber ammunition at targets for $5 per five credits.
The ammunition has a deadly history
The .68 caliber hardened rubber munitions used by Shov have killed dozens and wounded thousands worldwide when deployed by police forces.
Remote weapons are becoming battlefield reality
Israel used remote-control guns to assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist in 2021. Ukraine has deployed explosives-laden drones, and both sides now use AI-powered autonomous weapons that strike targets without human intervention.
The game uses AI to fill empty seats
Any empty turret slot gets filled by an AI player marked as such, so every 90-second round features a full 12-turret firefight with both humans and bots competing.
“Any empty seat gets an AI player, marked [AI], so every round is a full 12-turret firefight.”
The profiles look suspiciously AI-generated
Player profiles displayed on the site feature suspiciously well-lit selfies that appear to be AI-generated, reflecting a broader trend of artificial profiles flooding the internet.
It's basically a digital carnival game
Shov founder Domm Holland says the turrets run on extremely high-pressure air, not gunpowder, and fire hardened rubber projectiles. The setup resembles an online carnival shooting gallery more than actual weaponry.
“We had them manufactured for us, they are primarily hardened rubber. But extremely hard.”
The bottom line
Shov is an online shooting gallery using real pneumatic gun turrets, but it reflects a broader trend of remote weapons becoming normalized in warfare and entertainment.
