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Columbine Massacre Video Game
May 26th, 2006
I just finished reading an interesting piece on watercoolergames.org about the Super Columbine Massacre RPG, a video game in which you take the role of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine killers, on that fateful day in the Denver suburb of Littleton. How many people they kill is ultimately up to the player.
Judging from some of the harsh comments and some of the news articles written about the game from journalists that never even bothered to play the game it seems to me that a lot of people can’t comprehend the possibility that a video game could be a potential medium for provoking thought or education. Not that playing the game is a particularly enjoyable endeavour, but as compared with the documentary, the movie, or the multiple number of books written on the subject, why is it assumed that “the game” would automatically be something that condones their behavior whereas these other mediums get a pass?
One commenter had the nerve to go so far as to say,
“If your purpose in this game is to ‘understand’, my question is why do we need to understand? Understanding evil is not important—knowledge is not power. Evil is present and does great harm in our world. A better choice is to empower through ministry that heals. It’s my thought that your game doesn’t minister or provoke healing discussion—rather, it fuels the negative impact, divides people from Truth rather than lead them toward it.”
To me, a comment like this is so out-of-touch that it’s shocking. I can understand that at first appearance the idea of making that fateful day’s events into a game may seem trivilizing, but after having taken a few minutes to try it myself, I can say it allows for an interesting perspective that isn’t exactly possible in other forms.
If you’re not convinced, then I recommend checking out the fascinating interview about the game with a Columbine survivor and another one with the game’s creator which, after reading, may cause you to adjust your preconceived notions about the game.
May 26th, 2006 at 6:30 pm
I totally agree with you Jeff. How can you say understanding evil is not important. Understanding history and learning from it is what part of life is about. To understand what went wrong may mean that you can prevent it from happening again. Just to say that evil exists and be totally like an ostrich with its head in the sand and ignore it and hoping for the best, thats the type of attitude that helps to fuel evil.
May 27th, 2006 at 9:18 am
Tabor massace video game coming soon?
Personally I hate the whole idea of a school shooting video game. The whole idea ought to be outlawed. As a consolation prize every wayward youth who bought the Columbine Massace video should have placed in their hands an edition of Playboy’s “Blonds, Brunettes and Redheads” and a lifetime online subscription to DOMAI as compensation.
May 28th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
I would love it if they really did make this game, Think about it you could be that nerdy kid in school always getting his butt kicked in school finally get revenge on every punk bad boy bully in school. Also those teachers that only favor the jocks and favor the girls that flirt with them, You could teach them a thing or too. i mean if they can make Grand Theft Auto and True crime games then why not these types of games?
May 28th, 2006 at 8:31 pm
I have to wonder if you missed the point Adam—then again maybe it was me that missed it after all.
May 30th, 2006 at 12:07 am
hi jeff,
yeah, really interesting. it may be old news, but it was new to me - this past weekend the folks from c-level were at an expo talking about their game Waco Resurrection. Bottom line is that you take the character of David Koresh and have to protect your compound.
At first glance I was really shocked. So I went to the their presentation to hear what they had to say, and was really “converted”, for lack of a better word. Eddo Stern was speaking, and what I got from it was that aside from being a kind of ‘performance art’ - you have to wear david’s head when playing - it is all about pushing the boundries of game playing into… i don’t know… documentary / education / etc. Getting people to question / see things from a different point of view.
A key statement that Eddo made, following some criticism that “how dare you make koresh into a hero” was “We never said he was a hero - you’ve made that assumption because you’re playing him.”
So it just made me think. I was just too quick to judge. And it’s good to question - even if it makes us feel uncomfortable.
Anyhow, enough. Cool blog, thanks.
June 6th, 2006 at 9:13 am
I’m waiting to hear good old Jack Thompson go off about this. He probably has and I just haven’t read it. He predicted Columbine, you know, or so he claims. Idiot.
July 8th, 2006 at 10:35 pm
Wtf. This game is kind of disgusting, But the Adam guy has a point. They can’t outlaw this game with grand theft and true crime in stores and stuff.:|
January 7th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Are you fuckin kidding me. This is the most immoral, inhumane, shit on a stick game I have ever looked seen. You are a waste of life for making this terrible game. You are actually making a video game in which you play the roles of the most mentally disturbed kids that i have ever seen. You know, probably deep down,they are decent kids with so much potential to be liked. I pity them, and i wish they were still alive and also the rest of the kids they killed. I would not, in any way try to recreate an event like that. Those kids, are people just like all of us, we all wanna live man. get a fuckin life
February 25th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
That. Is. Disgusting. Columbine is not a joke. Trying to make it funny is inhumane. It’s serious and always will be. That’s a really sick sense of humor!
That person should be arrested and rot in jail.
April 18th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
I think creating a game out of the Columbine shootings is kind of dumb. This might be irrelevant to the topic but why would you want to make a game out of a tragic, massacre of high school students. It’s like saying it’s a joke or it’s funny when it’s not. A lot of people were traumatized by the event and by making a game out of it, you’re pretty much saying that the event wasn’t important and that all you learned from it is, “oh let’s make a video game out of a massacre that killed 15 students and staff.” Especially after the Virginia Tech shootings that just happened. What will it take for people to understand that this kind of thing isn’t funny and shouldn’t be taken lightly. A lot of familys were hurt and by this and you shouldn’t make it a game.
April 18th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
I think creating a game out of the Columbine shootings is stupid and sick. The people who commited that crime were mentally disturbed and it shouldn’t be taken as a joke. They were sick and disgusting. It made me sick to my stomach to listen and watch the news on what they did. I wish they were still alive so they could pay for what they did. They took the easy way out and killed themselves. Why would you want to make a game out of a tragic, massacre of high school students. It’s like saying it’s a joke or it’s funny when it’s not. A lot of people were traumatized by the event and by making a game out of it, you’re pretty much saying that the event wasn’t important and that all you learned from it is, “oh let’s make a video game out of a massacre that killed 15 students and staff.” Especially after the Virginia Tech shootings that just happened. What will it take for people to understand that this kind of thing isn’t funny and shouldn’t be taken lightly. A lot of familys were hurt and by this and you shouldn’t make it a game.
April 18th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
people who is thinkin’ to make this game is really fucked up of his mind and also those who are agree with that… y’all just human garbage
April 19th, 2007 at 11:48 am
I think this game, although bound to upset people makes a fairly good point. I have actually played the game and although I in no way condone the massacre, I believe it helps get into the mindset of the perpetrators. Layered throughout are excerpts from the boys’ books and tapes, it really does give you a sense of the injustice they felt had been put upon them. Also, these comments claiming it’s insensitive to families; World War II games anyone? Not only did WWII affect many more people, sometimes you can even be the ‘baddies’ :O of the war. I, for one, think it is never as clear-cut as Good/Evil and I think it is useful for to understand the mentalities of the people involved in things such as this.
May 4th, 2007 at 10:00 am
Making a game out of the Columbine Massacre is WRONG! Who does that kind of stuff, I agree with everyone who said its inhumane! How do you think the families of the kids who died feel?? I wouldnt be very happy!
August 16th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
making a game out of a shooting is very disrespectful to the deaths of many of who were involved. even if you are the ‘nerdy guy who is always being picked on’ playing this game would only encourage taking action in real life. It would increase unneccessary knowledge, and could possibly cause more world crisis’ because if you havn’t heard, the two guys that were responsible for the colombine massacre enjoyed playing video games similar to this.
August 17th, 2007 at 8:34 am
“if you havn’t heard, the two guys that were responsible for the colombine massacre enjoyed playing video games similar to this.”
If you haven’t heard, they also enjoyed bowling.
November 28th, 2007 at 6:13 am
This is sick, have you seen Bowling For Columbine, it makes you understand the concept and pain of the massacre. We went on the internet searching pictures of the game and what we found makes us sick, we can’t believe people as mentally disturbed as you are making a joke out of something so tragic. If you ask us, anyone would think you lot got a kick out of sick things like this. How would you feel if your brother or other family relative was killed in the shootings and made a game out of it? I don’t think you actually understand the importancy of the massacre, so who ever made this game they NEED TO SORT THEIR LIFE OUT AND DELETE IT!
December 5th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Ugh you guys complaining about the game are so fucking dumb… you play games like grand theft auto and don’t give it a second thought, but it’s not okay to play games based on things that actually happened….?
January 18th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Look, you’re saying you want to get into the mindset of the killers… but why on earth would you want to do that anyway? You could just as easily dress as a dork, go into a high school, and get laughed at. THERES reality, not some pixels and colors on a screen. People who play this game are being so disrespectful to families and friends who have lost someone they loved. You DONT need to know how the two felt or what they did- the aftermath alone should ahve at least clued you in.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:29 am
You sick idiots who play that sick game, BURN IN HELL!!! How can you be such mother fuckers without human feelings????? Those people are dead now…. Who are you to use it for that sick game?
Fuckers, burn in hell
May 29th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
i play that game . it was very cool. im planing to do something like that again , is for real.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:57 am
It’s a good game.
I play it all the time.