Columbine and Virginia Tech Video Game Makers Interviewed
By Andrew on Saturday, May 19th, 2007 at 3:57 AM PST In Gamer Life, Games
I can think of at least three ways to express yourself when it comes to the massacres at Virginia Tech and Columbine, and none of them involve creating a video game.
A quick overview: Ryan Lambourne created a flash-based game based on the Virgina Tech killings. Danny Ledonne created a game based on Columbine. I guess the obvious question to ask these guys is “why?”
The article over here at destructoid.com gets into that a bit with them, and regardless of what you think at least it gives you a different perspective. I’m all for controversy in the end, I suppose. Discuss amongst yourselves.
I was near the shooting when it happened in Norris Hall at VT. I also lost a close friend. I’d like to see these jerks that did these games go through a similar experience and see what they have to say about it then. Maybe it wouldn’t be so funny. If there’s anything this world could use, it would be a little more empathy. I know some people who downloaded the VT game and I can say that I will never give the sites offering the download my view. The image above is disturbing to me. To some people, they are far away and feel like it’s some kind of joke. Fortunately many people in this country and around the world have shown us a lot of love in Blacksburg. The Hokies are a truly unique bunch of people and we have a strange spirit that is hard to describe. It bothers me a lot that some people around the world have used this tragedy for profit and jokes.
We do live in a free society which is great, but i wish people could exercise ethics and responsibility more. Some things are just plain wrong and glorifying and promoting what Cho did is a total shame. We lost some really great people here. My friend Stack brough so many smiles to my face over the years I lost count. He was in fact the nicest person I had ever known. Why someone would make a game involving murdering him again for kicks is beyond me. It’s honestly just sick.
I say we break their legs and arms….
i think this is wrong cause alot of people died that day
I THINK THIS IS SOO UNFAIR… LOOK AT ALL THE PEOPLE WHO DIED. N WHO LOST THEIR PARENTS.. SOME PEOPLE THEY THINK ITS FUNNY BUT ITS NOT BECAUSE THEY WOULDNT LIKE IT 2 HAPPEN TO THEM….
Well, I see it like this; people like entertainment. But, their form of entertainment is soemtimes dealing with things like this. I know I’m about to download the Columbine RPG. Not because I supported what Eric and Dylan did (although they did it with style)but because I am extremely bored, and I’m facinated with the shootings and how people blame videogames.
Videogames did not cause either shooting. Eric and Dylan were teased beyond belief, and snapped. They decided that it they were going to kill themselves, but they wanted to take out a few people as well. What I like to call the “I Aint Goin’ To Hell Alone” mentallity. Just because they played Doom, which is actually a very GOOD game because you are a paladin fighting against the demons of HELL, dosen’t mean that this game made them do it. What they did has no link to Doom.
Same with V-Tech. That guy was an attention whore. The video he made and the pictures were his attempt to be just like his “idols” Eric and Dylan. He wanted attention, and he was going to get it. The “New High Score Holder” as he’s called on the internet planned this out; he didn’t just snap. He wrote violent poetry, and not like that of musicans like Chris Barnes of Six Feet Under; Barnes dosen’t support violence unless it’s justified. The High Score Holder went out, boutght what looked liek a Glock and a Beretta M92, some high capacity clips, and a tactical vest, spent time learning to reload quickly, and decided to strike. Also notice how close it was to 4/20; Columbine’s annivercery. A tribute to Eric and Dylan.
I have given my point, and I hope some of you game bashers head my words.
I think that the makers of this game should be left alone. You can’t question a persons morality. If people really could do this than people would hassle us to think more about other horrible things like genocides and massacres. Do you think about the thousands killed in the holocaust everyday? I think not. Most people just forget about it and don’t think about it unless it is on a test… Including me. Think what you want… just don’t attack morality.
So should all war/FPS games based on WWI/WWII/Vietnam/GULF etc etc also be banned/avoided/break the developers arms/legs etc etc………… Far more people died in any of those but don’t see anyone complaining about people making movies/games about them