The arrest earlier this week of a teen accused of plotting a massacre at his school in Tampa has put computer game Super Columbine Massacre RPG back in the spotlight.
Deputies investigating the case tell the Tampa Tribune they found a copy of a video game about the Columbine High School mass shooting in the teen's room along with a bow and arrow and rifle. While the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office won't go into specifics about the game, it's likely it is the 2006 creation of Danny Ledonne.
"It speaks volumes about the society we live in that a game like this depicts these types of tragedies, float around and influence our kids," sheriff's spokesman Larry McKinnon told the Tribune. "I can't imagine anyone getting any type of entertainment value out of it."
Reached for comment last night, Ledonne defended his game to Kotaku.
"The situation in Tampa shows us once again that school shootings aren't going away and we need to be honest with ourselves about dealing with them," he wrote."The good news is that most school shooters tell at least one person days or even months in advance (this case being over a year in advance). If we step forward, reach out, listen, and speak up, most of these tragedies can be averted. More than by banning videogames or rock music, anyway.
"I have and will continue to create media my entire life. Some of it will be controversial. Most of it won't. It will be viewed by people who do wonderful things with their lives. It will be viewed by people who basically just get by. Unfortunately, my work will also be viewed by people who do something awful. Responsible use and literacy of media is very important - because like school shootings, media is not going away."
Officials: Columbine game tied to case of former Leto student [Tampa Tribune]