Super Columbine Massacre RPG oO

I await the "omg that's horrible it should be banned" posts. Just remember WW2, and the horror that was, and the number of games around based on that massacre.

Musuko.

Comparing what happened in Littleton with WWII is like comparing a Ford Pinto with the space shuttle. Its an apples and oranges comparison.

I don't quite know what to make of the game. Is it a parody, tribute, really poor taste joke or social commentary? On the other hand, just read a few threads in the site's forums. The level of literacy reminds me of this thread.

The game saves lives. It serves as an outlet for adolescent males who would otherwise kill their schoolmates. The makers of the game should be rewarded with civic citations and recognition for the service they've provided to humanity. Without such meritorious efforts of pacifistic social engineering as this, we would be awash in a sea of teen-age blood.

Just kidding.

"Its an apples and oranges comparison."

Not really. Both were horrible, bloody events that have now been turned into entertainment.

Some might think it is poor taste, but show Return to Castle Wolfenstein to a WW2 veteran and they might think the same.

So do we never, ever let game developers (and movie producers, etc) near unpleasant subjects, or do we let them treat us like adults who are capable of handling it or, if we're not, of walking away from it?

Musuko.

THAT is something I wish government & politicians would get throught their heads.

While the game may be sickening to some, some will like it (a minority), others will ignore it. I chose to ignore it.

"THAT is something I wish government & politicians would get throught their heads."

I don't blame the politicians. They just do what they think will win votes.

Blame the people whose votes are won with this kind of thing. Blame the parents and communities who can't accept that their little Bobby-Joe was a psycho and feel better when they can scapegoat something. Blame the people who take the easy way out by banning the "inspiration" for violence, rather than tackling the root motivations of that violence.

Blame the people who want to ban Marilyn Manson because it *might* have inspired the Columbine shooters, but not The Beatles' White Album, even though it *did* inspire Charles Manson.

In the end, when someone is pushed to the point of violence, belittling them by saying "oh, they're just copying something they saw on tv, monkey see, monkey do" is neglecting to find the reason that person was pushed to the brink, and refusing to deal with that reason.

Musuko.

None of the wargames I know about simulate the genocide of civilians, they only sim combat between uniformed (or guerilla) combatants. There's a difference.

Wargames have been around since men first devised the game of chess. They're not going away any time soon. When we see "Sim Auschwitz Crematory" we can start being worried about it.

"None of the wargames I know about simulate the genocide of civilians"

GTA.

Not a wargame as such, but still.

In any case, how is the massacre of people in uniform any more or less acceptable than the massacre of people not in uniform?

Musuko.

Just for God's sakes be careful not to blame the drugs. After all, they are still legal and pay for a lot more bribes than video games ever do.

I would say that the difference between a wargame and something like GTA, or real war for that matter, is that ostensibly everyone in the game is a participant on one side or another. If war didn't destroy the lives of anyone that didn't want to be involved, I bet people would think it was pretty exciting and fun.

We have those, they're called sports

The video game, Death Race, circa 1976, was widely banned from mall arcades. It was not about nurturing or the joy of breast feeding. It was about running people over and being proud of it.

No, it's not, it's a game about being a criminal. And it's rated Mature as far as I know, for whatever good that does. I firmly believe that adults should be able to play games or watch videos of whatever content they wish (provided crimes were not committed to create them) without censorship. Adults are not children.


Organized warfare is not genocide, let's not muddle the issue, ok?

"Organized warfare is not genocide, let's not muddle the issue, ok?"

Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Dresden...

Musuko.

Heh, they've already started ranting on it. These 'news' people who think they're the protectors of us all and think they know whats best for us.

Don't forget the Blitz of London. Or the destruction of Guernica and Warsaw, lest you be guilty of only pointing the finger one direction. But you're still muddling the issue. Terror bombing of civilians is not what we're talking about, and it's still not the same as genocide.

The Holocaust was genocide. So was Rwanda. So was Cambodia. But I don't see anyone wargaming those, do you?