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Super Colombine RPG pulled from Slamdance Game Festival


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So I guess this created a bigger issue than I thought it would.

http://www.watercoolergames.org/archives/000718.shtml

Now, I haven't played the game, but the issue itself baffles me. We have so many games based on WWII (too many) and we can have movies about all sorts of events releating to death (World Trade Center sucks at the teet of a nation tragedy) but when it's videogame about an event which people blame videogames for (his name starts with a "J" and ends with "ack Thompson") it's suddenly crossing the line.

Last time I checked, WWII casualties > Colombine casualties.

Don't get me wrong, it's a tender topic, but people do all sorts of art and movies and books about this kind of stuff. Maybe people aren't ready to take games more seriously as an industry (and a possible form of artistic expression.)

Now developers are saying "uh uh" and pulling their games from the competition. While I applaud their efforts, I'd rather see all of the finalists pull out, just to see what would happen (no competition? SCRPG allowed back? They creator doesn't seem like he would want to come back: http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/08/columbine-rpg-creator-interviewed-over-festival-boot/) It'd definately make them look bad.

Discuss.

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I prefer everything being open myself, but this isn't notable for controversy.

Seriously though Ila, if you want to keep people from stomping toes over Columbine, then it will just keep accelerating through the controversies (since lines can never be drawn) until suddenly Spore is banned from markets for supporting the notion of evolution. Sure, it seems wildly different, but its that whole no thin line mentality.

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I couldn't care less about Columbine itself, I was just aggravated over how this is being considered as a big slam in the face to "developers" over their creative expression. The article makes this sound like some sort of civil rights movement, when in reality it was just a decision by a judge to avoid some flak.

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its probably up there with a 9/11 game where you have to battle terrorists on a plane with an M60, utterly pointless. a film wouldn't be so bad, because they dont have to think of ways the audience can interact with the situation, and can just tellit like it was, ala the stream of 9/11 movies that hit us recently

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A festival about controversial games pulls an RPG from the finals because it's too controversial. Hmm. Something wrong there.

I'm also curious as to how many people here have actually played the game instead of slagging it off with no prior experience. For one thing:

The sad truth about it is that if the game ever did get released, it'd actually sell. Kind of bothersome.

Super Columbine Massacre RPG was made with RPG Maker. It's a free download. No "sales" are involved.

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Look how popular these stupid execution videos on the internet are. It's a sad day when people consider this to be entertainment. Now I love me some DooM, but there's a point where I draw the line. But yeah, the guy just did it to get some publicity, which is what he got...I guess.

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So I guess this created a bigger issue than I thought it would.

http://www.watercoolergames.org/archives/000718.shtml

Now, I haven't played the game, but the issue itself baffles me. We have so many games based on WWII (too many) and we can have movies about all sorts of events releating to death (World Trade Center sucks at the teet of a nation tragedy) but when it's videogame about an event which people blame videogames for (his name starts with a "J" and ends with "ack Thompson") it's suddenly crossing the line.

Last time I checked, WWII casualties > Colombine casualties.

Don't get me wrong, it's a tender topic, but people do all sorts of art and movies and books about this kind of stuff. Maybe people aren't ready to take games more seriously as an industry (and a possible form of artistic expression.)

Now developers are saying "uh uh" and pulling their games from the competition. While I applaud their efforts, I'd rather see all of the finalists pull out, just to see what would happen (no competition? SCRPG allowed back? They creator doesn't seem like he would want to come back: http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/08/columbine-rpg-creator-interviewed-over-festival-boot/) It'd definately make them look bad.

Discuss.

What about Battlefield 1942 :P

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11. When will "games will stop being treated less like mere child's play and more like a serious medium for thought-provoking experiences"?

Gosh, maybe when games can deal with a horrifying tragedy without resorting to mythical flying dragons from Hell, perhaps.

Posted at 11:20PM on Jan 8th 2007 by That Fuzzy Bastard

Comment from the joystiq post. Sums it up for me.

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Ila: Yet somehow doing a movie about planes slamming into buildings only a few years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 is okay? Either using media to recreate a sensitive subject is wrong or it's right. It can't be "wrong for videogames." Although, in this case, this is a really bad game most likely. It's even treated like a joke. "Super Colombine RPG?" You've got to be facking kidding me. I'm thinking that would be the reason it was pulled- not necessarily because of the subject material alone. If someone can "touch" 9/11 and make two movies about it, they should be able to make a videogame about it.

"a film wouldn't be so bad, because they dont have to think of ways the audience can interact with the situation,"

Well that's a load of crap. So you're telling me that having the player interact with a situation is somehow worse than changing things to "hollywood's view" of how it happened? It's essentially the same thing: entertainment. And either making entertainment of a recent event that still has millions raw is wrong or it's right. A videogame company could very well pull what the "films" did and justify it by allowing you to be one of the passengers on the plane and "remember the bravery those people showed" by allowing you to work with AI characters to take out the terrorist who's going to try and hit a target with the plane. How's it worse to play it? It's the exact same thing, exact same justification. And they're both a form of "entertainment." Double standards. Much.

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Scatta picture it this one: said movies (which I didn't support or see) were considered a tribute to the victims and families and annoying patriotism and disaster... while the game is just a bloody recreation of disaster. Yes I actually played SCRPG and it does nothing.

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Ehh.. yea, I got that. Even said it in my post. I simply disagree with this little bit: "...but there are some subjects that you just know you shouldn't touch." If a movie touched it, it'd be relatively fine.. like with the 9/11 movies. That being said, I totally agree that the game is probably a complete pile of trash.

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Scatta picture it this one: said movies (which I didn't support or see) were considered a tribute to the victims and families and annoying patriotism and disaster

ahhhhh.jpg

But honestly. Anyone who believes that is a ____ing idiot. Much like anyone who takes LeDonne seriously.

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