I am not sure the people who actually lived through the scenes subject to parody in this game need this kind of retortment. People who are now wheelchair bound, affected both mentally and physically for the rest of their lives along with families that lost loved ones and communities that where destroyed due to this.

No matter what the guys standpoint maybe and his desire to be the Howard Hughes of the Satire world. It was just down right disrespect. You'd think with what seems to be an intellectual guy he might have put it to some thought breaking use. Instead he has chosen the lazy way out.

shame.

Jam79

Both John Lennon's killer and the guy who tried to shoot Reagan were obsessed with Catcher in the Rye. Should we ban those books?

For me, it boils down to personal responsibility. Clearly, many people played the game (I have not) and did not go on murderous rampages. You can't exactly point to the game and say 'It's the games fault'. No, it's the batshit crazy guy's fault. End of story.

Is it provocative and perhaps in poor taste? Absolutely. Can it somehow be considered to have a negative impact on crazy people? No. Crazy people get set off by all sorts of things. Some people don't like red lights. Others don't like the sound of running water. I don't think we plan on banning those stimuli, since the majority of the population does not go crazy when exposed to them.

The Commissar

AlexP

i'm actually surprised at how well thought out this game was, and how articulate the maker is.

deadpixels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_High_School_shooting

Interesting case, especially since it's OBVIOUSLY Harry Potter who was the gunman. :P

But Columbine is small potatoes compared to some of the shootings that happened in EUROPE and Japan or the most brutal school massacre..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_School_disaster

Well, yup!

Philip Wesley

I'm happy he both a) started this all by throwing up, but b) still had the balls to defend his game intelligently. He made it, he owns up to it, and has not backed down on his reasoning just because people are whining about it. But he also acknowledges his opponents, rather that dismissing them with empty rhetoric.

imaria

If you have been to his forum page the guy is under constant ridicule daily. I am pretty sure he has heard every deflamatory arguement on his game possible, and therefore crafted every rebuttle he needs.

The Problem with the game is that is glamorizes the killers. Ok, so maybe thats not the point but it does glamorize it. And most people are not going to go through that game for a pretentious philisophical skew on the events that happened in Columbine, they just are not going to do so.

He had to know before setting out to make this game that it would be controversial. And for him to expect any less of the press and media is foolish. Just because a game can be made doesn't mean it should. He has been lambasted by not just the media but the internets all around, and it has placed him on his pretentious high horse. From the time the game really gained momentum 'till now it has become a fight of self-rightousness.

One quick trip to his forums and you'll see the kind of people this game caters to. Maybe it wasn't made with these people in mind, but they are there in droves. And I think his "clientel" speaks for his creation more so than pseudo-philisophical arguments can.

k1dsmoke

Im not going to massage myself here and calim this guy is intelligent or offers alot of insight. But I will say his opinions are educated and was able to address these inquiries in a very polite and direct for, which is nice once in a while.

However, I have to ask myself. What did you expect? You made a game of questionable content, with questionable motives (sorry i dont buy the whole "people just dont get it argument" most people see a video game, not a work of art or scripture).

what did you expect?

Rez

ablemancain

It was definitely witty.

hyperion

I can't be the only one... can I?

pengie

Jack? Jack Thompson, is that you?

Donner, party of 4... er...3?

I think that part of the reason we don't see games trying to do what you speak of is because there isn't enough variety of games like there are books. There's a ton of books to wade through in order to find excellent stories that challenge the mind. Once the cost of game development goes down (through better distribution systems I supposed) I think we'll see our share of literary classics. As of right now though, video game storytelling is probably about on par with the above average (not great) sci-fi/fantasy novel; there's some good storytelling but not anything deep.

Chris McDougall

I really hope that he can handle all that bloodsucking press attacks, and that the press can finally get come sense and instead of making that games are responsible for making people doing shit that the responsability lies within the self. It's the guy's fault, his friends and family fault for not giving him any support or love that could have helped him sometime in his life and making him never think about this crazy killing. And more over, it's the society fault for creating such "ideal people models" that results in the creation of the social outcasts that will undoubtly create raging people that will hate their own condition so much that won't think twice of taking revenge upon this "normal society".

I think that I'll try to get a look on this game since he made the game with such idea of making people think about ethics and the society as whole, deserves to be played.

Btw, thanks Brian for providing us such good interview with non-sensationalistic and well thought questions and I wish the best of luck to this guy.

Lider

xuratu

Cell9song

mashuren

As has been said, he does come across as a very intelligent, deliberate individual with seemingly good intentions. However, I'm not sure that this game was a necessarily appropriate way to deal with them (again though, I'd need to play the game to get a better idea).

That being said, I don't think that this game is responsible for the shooting, and I'm almost appalled that people on this site of all sites would insinuate that this guy should be sued for making this game.

Even if the game reveled in the violence of Columbine, there's no reason he should be held accountable for the actions of one fucked up individual.

Information on the shootings at Columbine are well published and documented, and it's not like he saw this game and was suddenly enlightened to the happenings in Colorado.

So why aren't the news agencies held accountable for making knowledge of these events available?

hyperion

bakaman

"Hours before the attack, the 25- year-old wrote on a personal Web site that he was drinking whiskey and feeling "postal."

Why isn't anyone thinking of suing the whiskey makers? Why aren't survivors calling the offices of Wild Turkey and asking, "How could you make this product that let someone to do this?" Why isn't anyone trying to band Whiskey?

(Please don't ban Whiskey.)

Jay

Schu

Dr. Spaceman, Esq.

GretzkyR99

I haven't played the game but with the comments so far that say "I wouldn't have imagined he was so intelligent" shows me that even though we, as gamers, are angry with people who don't "get" gaming we also don't look so open-eyed at each other. Why wouldn't this guy be intelligent? Making a game is not all that easy, especially one with a major social agenda. Stop automatically judging each other and maybe...maybe the media and public will start to understand and accept us better.

Harpua Scorpio

http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/freePlay/2006/09...

Brian Crecente

Oh, and Jay, in response to your question about the method of the interview, I'm pretty sure it had to be through email. He says, "SCMRPG has far exceeded any and all expectations I had for it... except one... which is your next question," suggesting that he has knowledge of all the questions before answering.

Torn

Brian Crecente

Kittyhawk

Captain Waycool

GretzkyR99

tehspamninja

You are right, he will be "crucified" by the media, but he has been handling himself very well. I have seen him in the past week on 2 seperate shows and both times he fended off criticism very well. Thank god it wasn't some 15 year old moron who made the game, but a very well kept, intelligent man who actually did the game for a deeper meaning.

scazza

People are always looking for something to blame, and hell it might as well be the video games because it such as "easy" argument:

"He played this violent game all the time, it made him into a killing machine."

People are just looking for the easy answer, when you're dealing with a person, there is never an easy answer.

exkon

I used to watch Sesame Street when I was little. Does that mean that my hatred towards idiots that can't spell is the result of puppeteers?

RJG

I realy like the insight into Mario as well. never thought of it that way.

Fuzz

One question though. Did you happen to talk to this guy live or was this done through email or IM? Im just wondering becuase he seems to have some pretty long well thought out answers for all your questions, and I'm curious to find out if its because 1) He has been asked the same type of questions so many times that the answers become standard and scripted. Or 2) When he realized he was going to get his ass kicked in the media, he got some sort of PR flak to help him craft out a message.

Any thoughts?

Jay

Captain Waycool