VA Tech Game Appears on Web
VA Tech Game Appears on Web
May 14, 2007
GamePolitics is sorry to report this morning that at least one game based on the recent Virginia Tech massacre has popped up on the web.Several readers notified GP in recent days of V-Tech Rampage, which is hosted on Newgrounds. The game (I spent about a minute with it) appears to be rendered in a documentary style, similar to that of the highly controversial Super Columbine Massacre RPG.
GP: This is one of those stories that, from a personal standpoint, we'd rather just ignore. But it's only a matter of time until news of this game crosses over to the mainstream media, where it will likely receive a highly sensationalized treatment.
As we've seen, some video game critics will cite fringe creations such as this to support generalized anti-game positions. But even beyond that, we just find such a game to be in extremely poor taste.
UPDATE: We note that U.K. site PC Advisor has additional coverage of this game. Destructoid has more, including info on the author, who is Australian.
Comments
I think I prefer Voltaire's point of view: "I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write." Ask some people from Argentina, Chile, North Korea, Myanmar, etc. what happens when freedom of speech is "taken away". (Hint: it ends up with people dying horribly, on a far larger scale than happened at VT.)
Many have given their lives to preserve such rights in the U.S. and Europe, among other places. Don't cheapen their sacrifice by throwing it all away to vent your indignation over a Flash game, however stupid and offensive that game may be. I don't think the people who died at VT want their memory sullied by being used as a lightning rod for suppressing free speech -- again, however detestable that speech may be.
Ryan Lambourn
Address: 8 Barossa Cl St Clair 2759
Tel +61(02) 9670 2947
Just in case someone would like to personally hand him a donation personally. Good luck Ryan i wish you all the best!!!
Please, out of respect for my fallen Hokie brothers and sisters, their families, and the Virginia Tech students and faculty, please remove this game immediately.
You guys do not play World War based games.......
Right??
It is not differnt from World War based games.
But...It needn't to intentionally make 'V-tech based game'
This is all bulshit, we are no longer a civilised society/culture : ^ / *shakes head*
That information is already publicly available.
@ news4u
Thanks for that. I hadn't seen it. Again, I'm entirely unsurprised by his simplistic outlook.
@ rigo
I have no idea what you said.
http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/308537/US
He's clearly insensitive and apathetic, but really there seem to be more important things.
...and you don't think people would be upset if someone made a game in which the goal was to kill Iraqi children?
I think you've completely missed the point.
We're upset not because the victims were American (many of the regulars here are from countries other than the United States), but because the game recreates a senseless tragedy in which many innocent people died and it does so without any valid purpose.
The author, as evidenced by his website, his comments here, and the very childish and self-centered way in which he conducts himself, proves beyond a doubt that he believes his creation to fashionably tasteless and that he's just too cool to care about consequences or the feelings and opinions of others. It's a teen-aged mentality that he'll hopefully grow out of.
(The above is in no way a slight against all teenagers; we have many mature, thoughtful young people in the GP community whose opinions I highly respect.)
dealt with by those that lost.
As I think this dumb asian kid should
not be glorified any more then he
has too, this game is the same as
GTA, Call of duty, Saints Row, ect.
If anything, market this game & put
all proceeds to getting guns off the streets.
just a thought.
...
JT: Game companies are mocking the dead and glorifies their murderers!!!
Games like this are gonna create hundreds of copycats all over the world!!!
Let's ban games, make me world president and rejoice!!!
What I'm more concerned about is the media reporting on it and treating it like a commercial game when in fact it is just some cheap flash game made by a bratty teenager.
And sadly, we'd have to defend it because if we don't, then we would be called hypocrites and then all hell would break loose ("M-rated games are no more in the USA! *shock!*"). I sometimes hate being a defender of the media, because you have @$$-holes that will just do anything for a shock or whatever.
first and second rules pal. know them.
Well Thompson would know something about mocking the dead wouldn't he?
Somehow I don't think this person even knew what a ruckus the columbine game made. I talk to all my other family members about whats going on with politicians using it and they have no idea what I'm talking about. but they are of a different generation. but then I thought what if this person does know how much guff that other game got and is doing this to get the same attention that creator did... then frankly I don't hold that person higher than JT because he does what he does for attention aswell. lets hope this person was just ignorant of the fact then. then my faith in humanity will be slightly restored ;)
I admire that he made the game and that it is "original" (since no one else has made it) but come on man, what the hell were you thinking when you made this. Did you actually think people would like it?
But I guess the bigger isue is what with JT say in courts "This game was made by T2 in order to sabotage our childrens mind"
But since he cant go after T2 I'll guess he will go after another fast food restaurant
Freedom of speech is an incredibly, vitally important thing. It's just such a hideous waste when people use that freedom to do idiotic things that will only backfire on themselves.
I mean, the moron who made this is presumably a gamer, right? It seems a very fair assumption. Well now thanks to his (or her, I guess) idiocy and desire to cause a sensation and be oh-so-cleverly controversial, the cycle of Blame-The-Games will just strengthen, so the hobby that is the *reason* they created this crud in the first place will be under greater threat than it was before.
Sigh. And who would want to make a game out of this anyway? I mean... God, sometimes I really despair for humanity in general, seriously.
I unhappily await the media firestorm that will come from this. Meh.
Time to call The Soup (ABC,CBS,CNN,MSNBC,ect.) and start damage control.
represent.
I find this idea stupid. I wish there was some way to distinguish flash and independant games from Professional ones in a way that will shut politicians up
Perhaps in the barrage of reports that will result from this game, the media will attempt to clarify and distinguish between the two ? I'm getting my hopes up, I know it....
Isn't that a quote from Penn and Tellers "Bullshit" ?
I would LOVE to see Penn and Teller handle videogames in one of there shows.
There's no background, no discussion of motivation, no exploration of thoughts, influences, and decisions.
I like Kotaku's take: "ree speech and free expression are great. Just make sure you've got something to say. Otherwise, it's noise."
Unfortunately, the media WILL lump this in with SCMRPG, because they won't know any better. Most reporters won't bother to play both, and so they'll assume they're the same, but it would be like comparing "Fahrenheit 9/11" with "Micheal Moore hates America". Yeah one is a pseudo-doc that has a bias, but the other is just a sniveley kid bitching.
Er... there is nothing hypocritical with condeming a poor taste game.
It would be like saying all move lovers should support snuff movies on principle.
It's important that gamers are mature enough to recognise when games have stepped across the line of decency!
It's the scene from Cho's dorm room in the flash, where he prepares and films his message pack for NBC. I don't know why there's a duck there.
"Freedom of speech includes the freedom to make a gigantic ass of yourself in public."
Very true.
the creator
Sometimes I wonder if things like this are secretly put out by anti-game advocates just so they have something to point at.
Wait a sec.....did I just make a Thompson-esque conspiracy theory? Crap, I'm going to the bar (no pun intended) now.....
"@Nekojin
'Freedom of speech includes the freedom to make a gigantic ass of yourself in public.'
Very true."
It does?! I'm gonna go try that. *takes off pants and runs into the city square, shouting, "ITTY BITTY BABY ITTY BITTY BOAT"*
I'm not going to play this one. I played SCRPG because it used the format of rpg maker 2000, but this is here to just be controversial.
Place your bets.
Beyond having the freedom to do something as irresponsible as make a VA Tech game there's no reason it should be done. It was an immature thing to do, at best, and will likely cause the gaming communtiy more problems in the future. Its likely to be references alongside the columbine game (which I also oppose on moral grounds) as an example of how games are ruining society and poisoning the minds of children.
As a community we need to defend our right to purchase & play videogames of any rating. We also need to support the ESRB and help those who aren't part of the community understand that M rated games are not, by and large, played by minors. However, we also need to call out idiots like whoever made this farce and let them know that, beyond the First Ammendment, we're not going to support this nonsense anymore.
Just my two cents on the issue.
"And sadly, we’d have to defend it because if we don’t, then we would be called hypocrites and then all hell would break loose (”M-rated games are no more in the USA! *shock!*”). "
Bullshit. I won't defend this, because it's not worth defending. I was one of the most outspoken defenders of SCMRPG! (I was the Slamdance judge that criticized the festival), but that's because SCMRPG! was a well written, thought provoking mind trip. This game, on the other hand, is exploitative trash.
That doesn't make me a hypocrite. That means I have standards.
I hope the same thing, but my parents were talking at dinner about how they heard you could buy a columbine game in stores, so mainstream media has no faith from me
@E. Zachary Knight
Dude I was thinking the exact same thing. Hell, I would not put this above JT making the game to further his own goals. This could be one of the worlds biggest sockpuppets to troll the internet.
"I sometimes hate being a defender of the media, because you have @$$-holes that will just do anything for a shock or whatever."
now you know how military folk feel.
Just wanted to say to the guy asking about the ducks.
Seung bought some rubber ducks off of ebay not long before the massacre.
and
Why are you all so worried about the INDUSTRY? Pathetic.
And anyways this could be a relization to the person. maby he made it to educate people on things that could happen or things that could go wrong in the world(as SCM RPG has said to me by some).
And realy if the media staarts rubing on everything bad on games and internet its goan be a long time till their done. theres alot of things on internet and games that are defind as "wrong" for us. but that what the games are ment to be and do. they are for FUN not to train people to kill everyone or to makefun of the dead(mostaly).
I for one will be a voice against you in your sad attempt to get some pr.
If we pick and chose what art we think is "excluded"from the 1st amendment then it defeats the purpose of defending any of it to begin with.Just because you don't like said art doesn't mean "it's trash not worth defending".To do otherwise is to stick a foot in your mouth and let politicians censor whatever they like.
@Jbourrie well thank you for giving a fine example of the word "hypocrite"and subsequently putting your own foot in your mouth.
you either defend all art or want to censor all of it theirs no middle road,no cherry picking or pulling a bait and switch to make it seem like you can have your cake and eat it too.
No-one can stop the person from writing it, but it really doesn't help anything, as was demonstrated at the weekend, politicians have far more problem telling freeware from commercial than they think teenagers have with fantasy and reality.
You are correct. There's a difference between liking/hating a statement, and defending it's right to be.
Pigpen made a sad pathetic flash, that was badly written, didn't even bother trying to explore the "why", and was clearly made only to have people get their panties in a knot. Really, the more you get offended, the more Pigpen is laughing at you for getting so uptight.
But I defend his right to be a tool. Because I don't want someone else telling ME what I can and can't say, just because it's in bad taste, too soon, or done just to offend. At that point I'm still letting them decide what's right and what's not allowed.
It may be trash, but if you want to pretend that you care about freedom of expression, you have to defend even the crappy expression. It doesn't mean you have to like it, you just have to defend it's right to be...
You can cherry pick what appeals to you and then defend that and then decide something else is not worth defending. It's part of a VAST middle ground -- middle ground being a concept largely ignored on the Net. Opinions are allowed to be varied.
I'm just a little pissed that we have to even discuss this in order to explain this has NOTHING to do with the industry and is an apparent reflection of a kid's desire for 15 minutes of fame. 15 minutes that we're giving him whether or not he deserves it (like I said, opinions vary). I also kind of wish the discussion could be a little bit more than a stream of profanity and violent outburst. JT seems to think gamers are childish barbarians. Can we prove him wrong?
"Freedom of speech includes the freedom to make a gigantic ass of yourself in public."
I may well decry the game in question as being in the lowest-class, poorest taste possible. But I'd still say he has the right to do it. I'm of the opinion that anyone can make as huge of a jackass of themselves as they can manage.
Poor taste? Definitely. Should he have done it? No. But it's done, and you can't unring that bell. His choice, not yours. And while we might feel some peripheral fallout from it, he's the one who is going to have to live with the fact that he's the jackass who did it, for the rest of his life. Maybe it'll spur him on to even greater heights of blatant stupidity, or maybe he'll learn not to be such a twit.
But freedom of speech is one of the few near-absolute freedoms that our government's constitution gives us, and to censor something just because it's in offensively poor taste is flat-out WRONG.
And if he lived somewhere else, our government couldn't do jack shit about it, anyway.
Really, the more you get offended, the more Pigpen is laughing at you for getting so uptight.
Actually i was laughing at that ......russian doll statement, lulz.
i don't think anyone in the game community is saying it should be outright censored. although that makes it easy for some of you to argue (strawman)
we're just saying it sucks, is in poor taste, is completely meaningless outside of the initial shock value, and cannot be defended in the same way as SCMRPG.
i don’t think anyone in the game community is saying it should be outright censored. although that makes it easy for some of you to argue (strawman)"
Because there are going to be those OUTSIDE of the game community (and yes, some inside the community, who want to have it removed from NewGrounds, etc.) who are going to try to make it a First Amendment issue, and have it declared an obscenity, and therefore not protected speech.
Someone discovered it on Newgrounds and it came to GP's attention via word of mouth, just like most news does. It's mentioned here because... well... it's news, which is something GP covers. Lastly, if Dennis had refused to report on it, someone else would have covered it and we'd be in the same position.
I'd rather everyone knows about it, for two reasons:
1) Everyone should know that it is not a product of the game industry, and that the vast majority of gamers and the game industry do not approve of or support it (though we do, perhaps grudgingly, stand firmly by the concept of free speech).
2) Everyone should know who is responsible for it. Ryan Lambourn wanted attention... I think he should have as much of it as the media can bring to bear on him.
"why are people going nuts about the first amendment?"
Because people like to twist "it should be illegal to make" into "it's just morally wrong to make, and I'll pretend you have a right to make it, but secretly I'll try to make it quasi-illegal to make, while insisting you have a right to make it."
South Park put it best: "Either you can make fun of everything, or you can't make fun of anything."
"we’re just saying it sucks, is in poor taste, is completely meaningless outside of the initial shock value, and cannot be defended in the same way as SCMRPG."
Sort of. It cannot be defended in the same way since SCMRPG is a thought provoking examination of the events preceding and during the massacre, dissected in the same way a killer's motive and actions are dissected in one of those crime docs.
But it CAN be defended in that however awful, it's still someone expressing an idea. Get mad, get offended, get irate, get pissy, get whatever you want to be in response to it. But remember this. By choosing not to defend it, you are no different than those who attacked SCMRPG whilst defending something like that movie that documented the meeting of the German high command that led to the Final Solution... (I can't remember the title offhand)
but don't act like you defend free speech and then go and do the exact opposite...it makes you look like more of a tool than the creator of this game could ever possibly be.
@other parts of the discussion:
yeah it will hurt later on but in all honesty the industry has this thing with playing defense instead of bearing their teeth and going for the jugular like they should have done from the start(or at least break these politicians will to play the "zomg its teh evil viddya gamesz"card)and if this little "morally incorrect"as some of you seem to imply gets them off their behinds to throw 1st amendment grenades into jack and co offices then by all means i support it.
but i still think its a shit game, and pigpen would probably agree :)
the only reason its being discussed is because of the very recent violent deaths of 32 innocent people, and nothing more...
...besides the fact that it falls into the first amendment conversation
Unfortunately, this game seriously sucks. It's just lame 2D shooter with Cho's name slapped on, and unlike SCMRPG, there didn't seem to be any message or moral or anything. In fact, this is a game that would suck even if it was unconnected to the VTech thing.
Even obscenity is a flaky concept. It's considered a "fair" restriction on free speech, but only because "normal", "decent" people all agree it's filth. As if we've all agreed that the opinions of the masses over the minority only apply if sex or swearing is involved.
But then we go and make extra rules for which obscenity is ok, as long as it falls under certain uses, or certain categories. It's almost like we're rationalizing our censorship, while still claiming to respect freedom of expression...
I choose the latter as more aggravating. Why should the industry take heat from victims who don't know the truth about how internet games =/= mainstream?
There's no reason for it, aside from generating controversy (which, I think it's fair to say, was the author's sole intent). The whole of his website exudes a juvenile quality, while lacking any real creative ability or intent (again, all IMO).
I left a comment voicing my displeasure in what was the most civil tone I could muster (I considered writing far worse), but his response indicates that he simply doesn't care about dissenting opinions.
Quel surprise.
Whose fault is it victims families will be led to believe it's a product of the game industry?
Imagine all your neighbors assuming you made advances towards a child, even though it was really some pervert who lived down the street whom you have never met, and don't intend to.
Would you not be annoyed that your neighbors were so god damned stupid that they would associate you with him? Would you not be annoyed with him for getting you into trouble?
Your actions have larger repercussions than you think. You believe "it's nothing." We know that there are a large number of people out there who will use your work as a shining example of why the gaming industry should get run by government-mandated Thought Police, and by extension, any other form of media.
Seriously.
What I meant was, people who defend the media have to defend something controversial as well. The fact isn't that this game sucks; it's that it's going to be lumped with SCMRPG and people are going to go nuts about it and all hell will break loose once again. Sure, the game sucks monkeys, and we can hate it, but sadly, it's apart of our media and even if we don't like it, we have to defend becaue it's the makers free Speech and expression.
The hypocritcal point I made, is that we can't just toss the creators out there and tell them "you're on your own, we ain't gonna help you" since we wouldn't be defending their expression with them, right?
YOURE NOT THE GAME INDUSTRY!
And personally i feel fine with EA getting my blame.....want me to put them on the title screen? NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE VIDEOGAME INDUSTRY, THEYRE PROTECTED BY THE SAME FREEDOM OF SPEECH AS I AM.
And really.....it was probably me who made the advances towards the child.
At some point, each individual has to decide for themselves where they personally draw the line.
Even the First Amendment has never been absolute, and this guy being an Australian, he's covered by a whole different set of rules anyway.
Now, with that said, should we forcibly shut him up? I don't think so. Should we tell him what we think? We've got the right, but again, he's just some petty little attention whore. Probably made the game as a way to feel big and important, even for just those fifteen minutes.
We've already given him more of our time and attention than he ever deserved.
he wasnt claiming to be the industry. If you were part of this site and the news and politics of gaming you would understand his point.
People do use online games to fuel the fire and you just added another one.
Lurk more. Sheesh.
Your "innocent" little creation is going to be the excuse for the entire lawmaking body in this country to try and bitch-smack the Industry. What's worse, due to your pitifully poor timing, they might actually SUCCEED.
The next time you want to make something stupid that mocks an event that has police arresting people for PRETENDING to shoot up a school in a game, at least have the presence of mind to NOT BE SUCH AN IDIOT PRICK ABOUT IT.
>NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE VIDEOGAME INDUSTRY, THEYRE >PROTECTED BY THE SAME FREEDOM OF SPEECH AS I AM.
This is where the politics come into play. In the US at least there are groups specifically trying to strip 'freedom of speech' protections from video games. In which case, neither you (if you lived here) nor the industry, would be protected any more.
It has already happened to the adult industry and is sucks pretty badly for everyone.
"@Jbourrie well thank you for giving a fine example of the word “hypocrite”and subsequently putting your own foot in your mouth.
you either defend all art or want to censor all of it theirs no middle road,no cherry picking or pulling a bait and switch to make it seem like you can have your cake and eat it too. "
Look, not everything is black and white. You can wave your arms and shout "first amendment" and "it's art" all you like, but it doesn't mean that everybody should just be told to blindly support it.
Did I say that he didn't have the right to make this game? No.
Did I say that I won't defend it because I think it's trash? Yes.
Do I think this is going to have a lasting negative effect on the game industry? Yes.
Nobody's pulling a bait and switch here. All I'm saying is that I don't believe there is any redeeming value in this particular product, and it seems to me that it was created for no other reason than shock and attention. I'd gladly retract that if somebody could convince me otherwise, but I think his comments in this thread have made it very clear that he has no motive beyond getting his 15 minutes in the spotlight.
@PiGPEN
"Of all the things to hate my game for….why are so many of you hating it for what small repercussions it may have on the game industry?"
Because that's the only lasting effect this game will have. It doesn't spark any emotion other than anger at the person ignorant enough to make this. It doesn't create any conversation other than the one we're having right here. It doesn't make me think, or feel anything. All it does is paint a big target on all of us, as a group. You know this, and I'm pretty sure that's why you made it. I'll congratulate you as soon as I hear a politician mention your game, because then I will know that you've successfully done your part in making things harder for the rest of us.
Whats wrong with the adult industry? Not enough scat?
"YOURE NOT THE GAME INDUSTRY!"
I am. The game industry signs my paycheck. I have spent eight years getting where I am now, and will spend 60 more years trying to improve this industry. Now MY industry has to spend MY money fighting legislations which YOUR game helps provoke.
YOU are not the game industry, are you?
I'm said my piece, now I'm finished feeding the troll.
>Whats wrong with the adult industry? Not enough scat?
Well, let's see. Being arrested and prosecuted for producing adult videos, or selling adult toys? Having your kids taken away? Crushing regulatory reporting that requires you releasing personal details of your models to any stalker who asks? Relegated to sleazy looking stores that zoning boards try very hard to get out of their area? And let's not forget that once you have worked in the industry huge classes of jobs are off limits to you afterwards.
If the games industry ended up like that..... just... yuck.
(btw - if this was adult rather then video games, you would not be safe from prosecution. there have been cases of obscenity infractions that led to extradition. so life would personally suck for you)
I’m said my piece, now I’m finished feeding the troll.
Sure, letting EA and such take the hit for game controversies is fun and all. But will you still be laughing when they ban violent Flash games (for instance, there's a bill in NY which would do this..) and then come to arrest you? Sure, you could probably win in court, that is, assuming you don't get gunned down by police during a no-knock raid in the middle of the night..
Contact IMVU and tell them their ads are appearing on a flash game mocking the VA-Tech massacre.
Newgrounds will pull it faster than you can say "WAIT I LIKE MONEY!"
There is a snowballs chance in hell they will succeed in banning violent video games, because of Pigpen's game no matter how badly his timing is. First of all you need proof violent video games cause some significant kind of harm (since they are protected speech). This game will not give them that proof. Failing that they need to prove that all violent video games are not free speech, the game will not give them that proof. The game may inspire more ignorant politicians to jump on the anti-game band wagon but they still have to craft a law that is constitutional.
Also if a newspaper or whatnot claims the industry made the game they could sue them and have a great chance of winning. As long as judges do their job things will be fine. Bad timing on the game means very little as well. For example the rolling stones released sympathy for the devil at the time when rock and roll was being blamed for youth violence and that it had satanic messages in it. Naturally the bible-thumpers and censors used this song as "proof" rock and roll is satanic, did they succeed? Is rock and roll still being blamed for having satanic messages? Do I even have to ask? Also I don't remember the suicide bomber game or super columbine massacre having these same reprecussions.
i agree that obscenity is a flaky and subjective concept
Smoking Gun did some checking and found that the killer had purchased a large number of rubber ducks on eBay.
That, as well as a significant amount of firearm ammunition.
Oh, and I discovered he also sold a scientific calculator with GAMES on it! So Jack was right all along, he rehearsed on Tetris.
If you think that is true then you don't know anything about newgrounds. Tom (the creator) started off by making controversal games (including school shooting and seal clubbing simulations), and he pulled his game from slamdance when super columbine got x'ed out. The guy also has tons of cash give-aways so he's not greedy, he has refused to pull the suicide bomber game and the site is so huge he could easily find new sources of revenue if some advertisers called it quits. That virginia tech game is not leaving the site anytime soon (or maybe ever).
@illspirit
There are many problems with your theory.
a. IF (and that's a humoungus if) they ban violent flash games they won't arrest pigpen because he would've made the game before the law was passed and not be in trouble.
b. The law is passed in new york, newgrounds servers are located in Philadelphia, there is a pretty good chance that pigpen does not live in new york (and if he does see point a), so he might not be effected.
c. Such laws would create too many problems what if he created and uploaded the game while in Canada, would he still be effected?
d. If violent games are protected speech, then surely flash games are, public opinion does not dictate what is and what is not constitutional, the courts do.
I get it now. You don't give a sh**, because it doesn't affect you. You're like my niece. She says all sorts of mean and nasty things, because she really doesn't give a hoot. She doesn't think before opening her mouth, doesn't care about consequences, and as long as her right to be an ass isn't impeded she doesn't give a rat's ass about how it affects anyone else.
You're just a sad little griefer who's looking for attention. The kind who if they did enact a law against stupid flash games, and the police really DID show up and arrest you, you'd just drop to the ground and have a little temper tantrum... And then your friends would just write a whole bunch of hate emails instead of getting off their lazy asses and actually DOING something about it...
VT barely happened and you pull this? What is wrong with you? Was it not bad enough that idiots like thompson and others in the media were pointing fingers at the game industry, you just had to go whack the Beehive.
It's pathetic, its insensitive, it's offensive, even to me, and I take offense at very little.
Hopefully, you'll pull this before we have to get it pulled from newgrounds. It's the decent thing to do. When you can learn to treat this topic with some degree of respect, then make a game out of it.
I'm an Australian, but how come I can see how damaging this
will be but the author can't? Doesn't he realise that if the US
manages to have serious and un-fair regulations on the
Games Industry its only a matter of time untill a carbon
copy of those regulations are put into law here.
I have nothing against free speech, it lets me do what I am
doing now: Voicing my opinion. What I do have a problem with,
is free speech abuse that could feed those trying to remove free
speech.
Not to mention the families and friends of the victims, who
would obviously be outraged by this crap. To me honest
this guy is no better than JT, as he doesn't care who he
hurts as long as his own ego is satisfied.
And to be honest I don't much care for 'PiGPEN's arguments,
they seem to be poorly made, just as his flash game is.
I delibrately skip them as they are just flippant flamebait.
-Twixn-
Australia doesn't have free speech. Australia has been banning games, movies and books for years.
http://www.refused-classification.com/
Aye. I know that's a really big if. However, Pigpen was saying he doesn't care if such laws are passed because it would ostensibly be only the big, mean industry which was affected. I was merely following his "what if" train of thought through to conclusion.
And I realize NY may not have jurisdiction, and the whole ex post facto thing would shield him from prosecution for this game. But if a Fed law was written (and magically survived a court challenge) and he made another game though, it might affect him, no?
I'll grant that it may be legal to make his little flash game, but that doesn't make it the morally correct thing to do and on that level I refuse to defend it. Just like I won't defend the Super Columbine Massacre game. In my opinion they're both exploitative and only served to hamstring the gaming community and industry.
There are plenty of games that the industry itself has made that I find to be morally repugnant and I won't defend those either. However when it comes to the free market the best form of showing your non-support of a product is to not purchase it. Its a similair thing with this. I won't go to newgrounds because I refuse to support twits like PigPen.
I think that we, as a community, really need to get on the ball with this one. The moment we see a newspaper or news station commenting on this we need to start writing to them and informing them that this is in no way connected to the industry. Its just some nitwit who's trying to get attention for himself by being controversial.
Better yet ill buy up 40+ copies of GTA:SA and distribute them for free along with a flyer with bold lettering saying "rage against the machine baby!(with a butt load of politicians in asterisk identified as "the machine")Ill even pass them out to 5 year olds because its their rights as humans to absorb all kinds of knowledge be it culturally unfriendly or not.
Besides all the above obscenity laws are more of a scary boogie man to keep freedom of thought in check than a law(s) to actually protect people from anything harmful(I mean really nudity and crap worked for the greeks for the longest time without any problems).
@the rest of you kiddies...seriously are you not sick of playing defense all the time?embrace the flow of ideas and if politicians move in the strike blockade the town hall until X person changes his mind.Damning his creation only serves to help destroy what Dennis(and others)have tried valiantly to protect.
Horrible Tragedy = Media Spectacle
Crappy Flash Game + Horrible Tragedy = CONTROVERSY! WOOHOO!
When I first saw the headline, I was hoping the game would be about how to find loopholes in the Virginia state medical health and gun control laws, or at least something pointing out some of the mistakes made that could have possibly prevented the massacre.
Unfortunately, it's just a pathetic game, and in very poor taste. Pity that Video Games are the flavor of the month for "What's Wrong With Kids" these days.
If someone had written this as a crappy short story, or made a no-budget re-enactment of the shootings on YouTube or something, I doubt anyone would bat an eyelash other than to say, "That was in poor taste". Since it's a Video Game, now it'll be "yet an