I have a hard time believing this is anything but exploitive and offensive. I don't think that video games are necessarily more trite than movies, and that a good video game can't be made out of real life tragedy, but it's certainly going to be harder. I might be more sensitive than most though - I think that Flight 93, no matter what the reviews, shouldn't have been made.

Levity is one thing. But this is just wrong.

Shoulda made it a light-gun game. All kidding aside, I'm not sure it's possible to turn children killing children into something fun. Even if it is possible, it's just plain tacky as hell.

"I think that Flight 93, no matter what the reviews, shouldn't have been made." I'm in full agreement with you weatherman.

"I think that Flight 93, no matter what the reviews, shouldn't have been made." I agree too. I'm way less offended by this game which doesn't actually profit off the columbine incident.

HAY GUYS, LETS JUDGE A GAME WITHOUT PLAYING IT OR READING ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!1 From the screenshots alone I get the feeling that the game is not focused as much on gloating over the victims as it is on the events leading up (you know, the crap those two kids got) and following (Manson, video games get the blame) Columbine. Heck, here are even some quotes for those too lazy to look at the Water Cooler article: The purpose of this game is not to celebrate the events at Columbine, but to attempt to represent them from the perspective of the perpetrators. I think everyone who disses the Columbine RPG is gutless. Most haven't played the game, or have played it with such preconceptions that they're blinded to the genuis, the honesty, the beauty of its social commentary. Super Columbine Massacre RPG is riddled with design flaws and has mediocre graphics by 1995, the maker of the game admits this, but it regardless is a work of art. It puts you in the mindset of the killers and provides a very clear suggestion of why they did what they did; they were enacting an ideological demonstration through a terrorist act, and the game shines light on this as an indictment of the American dream and way of life painfully close to the main nerve. So yea guys, have fun either shutting up or actually playing the game. I bet ya'll don't like non-gamers who see a copy of GTA and say "OMFG, THIS IS OFFENSIVE, PLEASE BAN IT" based on the name and surrounding media buzz alone. Well guess who you remind me of now?

I saw flight 93 last night at the request of my girlfriend. we brought liquor into the theatre and made out a lot. unlike our actions, the movie itself was tasteful. the last 10 minutes was mindblowingly gripping but the movie definitely had problems. i consider it a cathartic and slightly hypnotic piece of work, and being scarred permanently like most americans by the horror that was sept 11, i'm especially glad I caught it to release some of the demons.

I think the game sounds brilliant, personally, but probably won't reach the audience it should

I think this would be a good conversation piece for the "are videogames art?" debate.

Galvon: take it back a notch. No need to get insulting. I don't have to play everything that comes out in order to know that I don't want to play it, and I'm certainly not going to fall for the old "play it or stfu" line. I qualified my opinion by saying that I didn't think it was a good idea, but that I didn't write off the concept on the grounds that it was a video game about Columbine. I did not call for banning it. I simply said that I had a hard time believing that it was going to be anything but exploitive or offensive. Even if it's neither, much like the Flight 93 movie, I think there are some topics that are not appropriate for video games or movies - mostly because I have a general distaste for historical fiction since I think it leads people to think they have an understanding of real events when in actuality all they've witnessed is a Disneyfication of something that actually happened. But when I say that I think certain topics are innapropriate, I don't mean that people shouldn't be allowed to make them. And I'm very open minded when it comes to these things if someone makes a movie or video game that I think represents things well. In this case it's very hard to tell what the game is doing without downloading it and playing it. If the author of the game is trying to push some political message about gun violence or bullys or whatever, that's great. Good on him. But quite frankly I don't have the time or stomach to play it.

Well, since we somewhy switched tracks to "Flight 93"... Hay guys.. SPOILER - EVERYONE DIES. Flirhgt 93 is a lot like Stawars Episode III. No tensions or drama since we already know what will happen. Man, can't wait for Webimpulse and weatherman to chime in on SCMRPG.

"I'm not sure it's possible to turn children killing children into something fun. Even if it is possible, it's just plain tacky as hell." Ever read 'Lord of the Flies'? Not a game I know, but I wouldn't call it tacky...

Good call CRAW. Hey Maj1013 - ever read Battle Royale? They have't made a game out of it yet (although there's a book, movie and manga) but no one's calling it tacky either.

Fiction is one thing, but this actually happened. People need to have some respect.

Have some respect because "this actually happened"? By that argument, you can't have any game/movie/book about any event in the past, ever, out of "respect".

I knew someone would post that comeback here. Ok so here goes: 1. Most historical events games are made on didn't have live tv coverage, public memorials, and photos printed in the newspaper. 2. Past is relative. Make this game 25 years from now and you won't get too many complaints. This incident is still in people's minds, though mainly because the media won't let it go. 3. The game does a disservice to gaming, knowing that games were the scapegoat of the incident. There are people here who support this game, yet wonder with great mystery why gamer's can't drop the "violent killers" label. Hint: it's shit like this.

There are just some things you don't make games about. This is one of them.

Kimveer Gill was a severely depressed individual. It's a shame that nobody he knew, including his parents, his teachers or his friends (if he had any) didn't see how desperate the situation had become. I was able to see a copy of the blog at a mirror site (it's no longer on vampirefreaks.com) and this was one REALLY screwed up guy. No video game could have caused this. It would have happened anyway. The video game may be in bas taste but I'm gonna check it out merely out of curiousity. Chances are it'll be as cheezy as it sounds and I'll end up deleting it but nobody can blame a damned video game for causing a mass murder! He lived in a dark lonely world of his own and now he's dead. He took another with him and shattered many more lives. He will have to answer to God.
MOONSHYNE

There are just some things you don't make games about. This is one of them.

I would assume that if one wishes to subscribe here, the general knowledge of the individual must be substantial, or failing that, merely adequate. I have searched through your web postings and message boards, finding general paranoia and cynicism clearly visable in the various text. Being somewhat of an intellectual myself (Japan has a very advanced concept of education for young men and women-8:00 PM classes are not out of the norm for older teenagers-and the men heading these campaigns often take advantage of there lofty positions to instill paranoid thoughts into our daily lives. Having immigrated to Canada has given me a whole new outlook on these problems. Most parents and educators thought very little of the "forgettable" and "transparent" video games that were "ruining Japanese culture. The ones that did acknowledge tham as fun distractions too often developed a misconstrued outlook on society, forgetting about Japan's heritage completely. All this to say that in Canada, where attitude is as prevelent in teenagers as pubic hairs, I can develop my own views and opinions on video games without being second-guessed quite as often. I would like to finish this comment off by saying that posting comments would be a joy, and having found a site with a Japanese name, I would be more than happy to stay on and be a member.

Thanks, Takanu Soyashi

I am torn in two about this subject. The first time I played this game it was because my buddy told me it was a "what if" story about an officer who gets some informatino that the boys were planning to do this and stops them before it happened. After playing it and seeing what it truly is I admit that it was a horrible thing to do AT THIS POINT AND TIME (as D AT said "Make this 25 years later and you wont get many complaints). However, I also think (keyword THINK) that the creator of this game did not make this game just to piss people off or poke fun at this tragedy, but to try and shed some light on what the shooters might have been thinking on that day or the days leading to the incident. Sure, he picked the wrong medium to do it with, but his intentions werent meant to be comical or crass (I THINK again being the key term here). As for the game being taken off or banned or anything of that sort, thats an infringement on 1st amendment rights if I'm not mistaken and should be the choice of the creator of this game. Again I reiterate: horrible game, not-so horrible intentions.

Again, this is my take on it. Fell free to discuss if you wish.