The Pros of Super Columbine RPG

It it just me or does this guy's writing style make your brain hurt? what with his temeritous bifurcation and dynamical innovation?

I'm a smart guy with a big vocabulary but just the way he phrases things made me have to read each page twice. This guy gets a F for being clear and to the point.

Why do you guys dislike this game and game maker so much? What is so bad about this game that it deserves all of this ire?

He made a game that pushed the boundaries of what we consider game making more than almost any other person has that I can think of in recent memory. It may not be a good game, but it's caused some controversy that many typical art sculptures/paintings/events do like piss christ.

If films can depict 9/11, why can't games do columbine? If you're disgusted with how you feel while you play the game, that's probably how you're supposed to feel. My friends have talked to the author of this game in person to quite an extent and they say that he didn't initially want all this exposure (he was contacted by Slamdance to put the game in the competition, not the other way around).

Seriously though, why all the hate?

... Because it mimics the hate of who? The shooters or the people being shot?

I will be honest; I have no idea if Danny Ledonne's original intentions were to challenge the social conventions of video games or if his intentions were for some far more questionable purpose.

On one hand, the games title, cheesy website, and the fact that he hid under anonymity for a while seem to reflect what s2jason already pointed out “everything I've seen of it makes me extremely sceptical of it as the thought provoking art piece that it is trying to be passed off as”

On the other hand, his anonymity (he wasn’t out to make a name for himself), the fact that (to my knowledge) he hasn’t actually tried to profit off the game (either ads on the website or by selling it), and his actions afterwards to lecture and educate on the issues seem to indicate that he did have good intentions in mind right from the beginning.

In any case, I don’t think it actually matters anymore; why he created the game is far less important than the discussion surrounding it, and the very real questions it raises.

So let me ask you mnsnota , very plainly, and very directly, what is worse? Trying to delve into the mind of a killer to try and understand his actions, in a not for profit form? Or trying to dramatize, and fictionalize, without investigating the actions or consequences of very real, and very serious subjects, for the basis of monetary gain?

Don’t understand the question? How about an example: Call of Duty.
Call of Duty is a “franchise” based off World War 2; perhaps the biggest, most important event in modern civilization. Yet, Call of Duty doesn’t mention Hitler, racism, or the extermination of countless Jews. It doesn’t depict the sacrifice of countless Allied and German forces for a cause they both believe in, or are forced to believe in -- under penalty of death. It, in fact, doesn’t even mention Nazi’s as a name, or acknowledges religion as part of a driving force behind Hitler’s motivations. Call of Duty is an action game about killing “German speaking” enemies; that’s it... and it’s making millions of dollars.

We, as gamers, kill millions of “German speaking” enemies without cause or consequence. We are neither asked to understand why we do such things or reminded about what sacrifices we had to make to get to where we are today, both as human beings on the battlefield, and as a collective society.

My Grandfather was taken prisoner on the beaches of Dieppe where no less than 900 or so of his fellow Canadians and friends died on the battlefield. I’d like to think that the hell he went though as a prisoner was not because he was out to kill some “German speaking” enemies; though I honestly can’t imagine what today gamers view WW2 as; let alone if they really believe it was an event in actual history.

Point is, if today’s games can’t realistically depict life then they are no closer to reaching an art form than the day they were invented. Super Columbine RPG challenges that very convention, weather intentional or not.

I was actually pretty pissed when I first read this post. Then I did a crazy thing and FOLLOWED THE LINKS, read the entire article, and then checked out the website for the game. If you actually use your brain for a second instead of just jumping into comments and posting your outrage, you might find yourself with a completely different stance. Then again, you may be Jack Thompson.

Ill be god damned if my company ever hires anyone connected to this disgrace.

The game itself isn't bad, but the website is terrible, making the entire thing look like a big joke.

HAHA.. are you fucking kidding me? Pretty fucking sad this shithead is trying to make money off of that event.

Freedom of Speech Stupidity

I agree with his right, but not his decision, to make this.

He has every right to build this game.

I have every right to not buy it and call him a repugnant creep.

Everything will be just fine.

Sad to see this guy get actual press, especially alongside someone like Chen. It's pretty obvious he is just an opportunist with a bad sense of humor, who made a poor untasteful game, which is cool, but he isn't fooling anyone by calling it "art" after it got ripped on by mainstream media. He's trying to make an martyr out of it, when it's pretty much not the case. It was pretty much "rofl look at my game noobs!!1" then when he saw it was a hot-item it was "I'm defending my liberal right to make art, pay me".

Anyhow, no real humor or art there...or actual gameplay for that matter. Pass.

Could anyone actually get this to work? I tried to play it but the controls are totally broken, haven't been able to find any fixes for it.

Honestly, everything I've seen of it makes me extremely skeptical of it as the thought provoking art piece that it is trying to be passed off as, but I'd like to actually check it out before making a real judgment.

I mean, even the title makes it sound like it's all big a joke.

I really hope that the game that "challenges the mainstream, etc." is something that is real quality. There have been plenty of games made that were basically THIS GAME IS ABOUT DEALING WITH THIS IMPORTANT SOCIAL ISSUE. Good art, even when being controversial and shocking usually has at least some degree of subtlety to it.

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070313/ledonne.jpg

Does that head-shape creep anyone else out?

There are a lot of insightful books written on the topic as well as movies ( Elephant ). I don't see what is wrong with a game being out there at all.
If anyone would be forced to play through it then that would be wrong.