Truly evil? I think that's a little extreme. I doubt that the guy who made this game is any less sane or compassionate than most people his age. He undoubtedly has a sick sense of humour, like me, and my guess is he made it to show his mates and have a laugh. Now a lot of people can't see how a tragedy like this could in any way be considered a joke and therefore are absolutely appalled. However the humour lies not in the subject matter but rather in the fact that it is in such bad taste. It's very similar to the cringe humour used by that of Ricky Gervais in "The Office" and "Extras".

Sick humour also requires a level of detachment that not everyone has. For people who feel things deeply or people who were involved it is highly offensive and upsetting. Newgrounds.com is therefore the perfect place for it, the site having it's roots in bad taste flash content. When it gained notoriety is when it became a problem. What possible reason apart from ratings and clicks could the media have had for giving it as much attention at it has received? Is it in the public interest? No; is it particularly interesting? No; is it the sought of thing that would offend people? Yes. When push comes to shove the media are the ones making money from this game. The only reason the games creator said he's take it down for $2000 and apologise for $3000 is to say "F@$k you" to the torrent of ridiculous death threats and hate mail he received(and probably sniggered at). And as for refusing to be interviewed on TV unless he got paid. Why would you expose yourself to the danger of appearing on national television as the bad guy of the hour for free?

Sure, the game is offensive and I'm not saying that its creator is the victim but he probably isn't the insane, twisted, evil, pathetic, freak that people seem so certain he is.

this dude needs some serious help. he thinks what he did was a joke. I don't understand people like him. this is truly evil

Sorry, but this guy does have the right to spew his crap. That said, the hosting company doesn't necessarily have to enable him to spread it. Its like that freak Fred Phelps that runs around to military funerals with his brood of 18 kids (all lawyers) screaming that God kills US troops because we don't suppress homosexuals (I believe he uses a more base means of saying it, if you want to hear it, feel free to Google it).

Unpopular speach has to be protected, however, it also preserves your right not to hear it, or to counter it.

I think this game is interesting. It gives a different perspective of the shootings. Everyone expects everybody to be totally sympathetic and totally wishy washy against this. Guess what, I guess some people aren't. I really don't appreciate the fact that you can go and play Grand Theft Auto and call this game a disgrace to society.

Personally,

I didn't like the V-Tech Massacre. I don't think anyone of you can disagree on that. I didn't like the fact he was South Korean (like myself) and how I turned the South Korean news and found an extra segment just because he was South Korean. I mean I believe in the power of the individual, I mean just because he went and shot and killed people doesn't mean that we should watch out for South Koreans. Also, just because Iraqis bombed the World Trade Center doesn't mean that Iraqis should be watched out for...

yeah, esta bueno el juego este, solo demuestra la realidad de USA, mucha violencia en ese pais.

haha good on 'em. like his article says "You don't get heard unless you do something outrageous" Good on 'em. I like how everyone wants the game down but no one's willing to change the gun laws "They'll kill no matter what" Not true, If I had access to a gun when I was an angsty teen I'd probably have gone psycho on some jocks ass too, but since I didn't have access to a gun it remained a /thought/ because there was no physical means. I'd donate money to this dude in a heartbeat and tell him not to take the game down.

@ Monkeychow

You say you'd be honored if someone made a game where your family and friends were killed? Shot multiple times and left to die for no good reason? How about if they actually were killed in that same manner less than a month ago? Would you still be honored and laugh? I honestly doubt it. Poking fun at a memory? For those of us involved its not just a memory, its still a fresh wound that won't heal for some time. Those are the types of issues you need to think about before making posts that say as much.

You say it doesn't hurt those involved... How about the fact that theres a girl named emile in his game? ok, so he miss-spelt the name but the intent is still there. How do you think her family and friends feel about that? I doubt they're laughing and feeling honored.

I do however understand what you're saying about our obsession with violence in general and our desensitization to violence in media. I myself was a big fan of the Saw trilogy, and enjoyed watching movies such as Hostel, The hills have eyes, and movies of that sort. But since April 16th I haven't been able to bring myself to watch such movies anymore... They have lost the appeal they once had and actually going through what happened at VT makes me wonder why I liked those movies in the first place. I don't think human suffering should be such a large source of entertainment and I now understand why my parents, older friends, and earlier generations in general don't watch those types of movies as much as younger generations... Most have been through tragedies themselves, felt the loss of family and friends, and just don't find entertainment in watching someone else go through it. I hope this is something most do not have to go through or at least not on as large or painful a scale as VT, Columbine, 9/11; But I believe if you do experience such a tremendous loss, a loss so close to you, you get a better understanding of what you actually consider entertainment.

(Pardon the length of my last paragraph as it is the first time I've actually delved into this aspect of the tragedy and its aftereffects on me personally)

I just played it and it's sucks. It will be a non-issue in a very short time.

C'mon this guy did a great job, he's absolutely right about demanding a ransom. Alltough, i would have demanded a million at least. There's too many people on this planet anyway.

I respect this guy sooo much

@ILiveatVATECH : In no way does this say what you went through was not hard. In no way does the game state that it was not a horrible act. HAve you had to explain to your son yet about World War 2? Have you had to explain that ANY war game he plays was actually real at one time? People died. You can honestly look at this from either side. Anyone that can relate to ANY material is going to have a problem with it. Watching United 97 APPAULED part of my family, because I had family die in the WTC bombing. Why did they decide to make a movie and make money off the tragedy? Regardless of it is done in a tactful way or not, there will always be someone who won't like something. But for the people getting up in arms about this, there is PLENTY of other things in the world they should be up in arms about too..but I'm sure they're not. I'm sure they'll let their kids watch the same things, or play the same video games that basically mean the same thing.

It reminds me of the religious groups that picketed the Matrix movie when it came out. "OH MY GOD THE VIOLENCE!!!" "I WOULD NEVER LET MY KIDS WATCH THIS"..................then they went to see Passion of Christ...because they had to see how Jesus had it. If you have seen the movie, you will understand my irony.

I have seen material on the holocaust making fun of it, and I have laughed.....why? because I can separate the actual event from the media/fiction created about it. Same reason I could goto a horror movie and watch someone slaughtered, and it does not phase me....but to see someone hurt in real life...is a VERY horrible event. I relate it to a car crash I witnessed recently that shook me up. I can watch car crashes on TV and it does not phase me a bit. But when I saw an SUV flipping multiple times in front of me, that is a completely different story. THAT is reality...not fiction based around it.

To you, I have all the respect and prayers to you for going through what you did....it honestly was a horrible thing to happen. But if you can't ignore media and have to get over sensitive about it...then shame on you....you should be stronger than that.

How can this be ignored! With all the media? Tell this to my 8 year old who plays video games & his friend at school told him about this. I am still trying to find words to explain this tragedy to him that happened at Mommy's work! I am so ashamed of the fighting and some of the people's remarks on here! Cowards who are going to sit there and write how funny this all is. I really thought after this tragedy-how people really stepped up and really helped-and I had been so thankful-till this! Now I now know how people really are-VULTURES!

You know what I think is funny? Everyone is so pissed that he's trying to profit off of a tragedy in a "tasteless" way............So are you saying that if he profited off of it in a "tasteful" way, it would be ok? I think it would still have gotten flack.

For that matter, I honestly believe most of you bashing this are complete utter hyprocrits. If you bash this....then bash moves like United 97....bash "World Trade Center"....bash the movie "Pearl Harbor" *more than it is already bashed for bad acting*.....Heck I could go on an on about profiting off of a tragedy. But OHHH NO....those were tasteful...those were wonderful movies...showing how the tradegy was in a "heroic" way.........Just more words to say "I am a hypocrite".

I found this hilarious honestly. Was the V-Tech shootings horrible? Absolutely. Can I separate reality from a videogame? Yes I can. Were you to make a game about me, or my family, and make us look stupid or die....I would laugh..and be honored...know why? It's media..it's entertainment..it's fiction. We have WAY too many sensitive people in this day and age. He is poking fun at a memory....a historical event....he's not actually HURTING the people who were involved.

I heard a funny quote on XM Comedy today on my commute to work that I believe relates to this. When Janet Jackson showed her tit on TV....the entire world freaked out...........but change the channel to any of the other 20 main channels *abc, nbc, fox..etc*....and you will see someone shot right in the head, and more violence than you can count your finger at that doesn't get near the amount of attention. Personally? I'd rather my kid look at a titty. Just goes to show how damn sensitive and hypocritial people are today.

Insults, death threats, violent intentions...this is not how people should respond to violent and offensive content like this. The guy who created this game desired to get a rise out of people, and he is probably masturbating to these responses and feeling a lot better about himself because he managed to piss so many people off.

Congratulations, you immortalized a lame and rather dumb game. Next time, try to ignore it and get on with your lives.

@anonymous
rules 1 and 2 pal

This guy srsly need to gb2/b/

So many valid points here. Freedom of speech. As offensive as that may be, here in Aus we don't have it. Cherish that right America. Me, there is some Muslim extremist s*** I would gladly see burnt, but I have not grown up with a protected freedom of speech.

I also remember seeing on stickdeath the prisoners at Guantanemo Bay and them getting shot etc. I know the VTech slaughter is a grave trgedy, but here in Aus we don't have the right to bear arms either. Seems like you have to take the good with the bad.


This type of pressure will hopefully see my fellow Sydneysider reflect a bit, and maybe donate any monies to an appropriate charity, although I doubt he will get anything.

The comment about the Iraq war and Darfour seems poignant.

Ugh, just jackassery for jackassery's sake.

He lives in St. Clair. That explains everything - Scumbag.

Typical kid who got dropped in the head while growing up, and hasn't been hugged enough by his parents. Shame on this piece of lowlife microbe scum - may you burn in hell forever and ever.

Gamepolitics are a bunch of kneejerks that want to get rid of flash games so they won't ban video games, fuck you.

Basically we think he was being an edgy attention whore who suddenly said, "ZOMG! I can make money off of this LOL!"

Joking or not, alot of people look down on asking people to pay for an apology.

Some of the responses here kinda make me ashamed to be a gamer. I do agree though that we need to talk louder and longer, make sure that its understood that there are alot of us that are offended by stunts like this.

I also agree with Xlorp that it does seem that there are a couple responders that seemingly want their IPs banned.

You gotta hand it to the guy. People complain about this game and he says "OK I'll give you a chance to take it down, so either pay up or shut up". He'll either walk away from this richer or expose how much the anti-gamers actually care about the children if they are so irked over this.

I think it's a safe bet to say if Super coulmbine tried the same thing the game would be off the web by now.

I guess it's a good thing this site is no longer Livejournal based, eh? Otherwise, there'd be some pretty .....curious images being posted.

Sure, this young man has all the right in the world to make this particular game. But does it mean that he should? Most definitely not. If we all did things only because we could, and with no consideration for what is good and useful, there would be no point in doing anything. Our entire existence would be utterly meaningless.

Detractors have every right to say that this game should not be made. Pushing them to the side and saying simply, "Don't play it if you don't like it," is ignoring the plain and simple fact that this is a moral issue and not simply a matter of preference. If the complaints brought against the game were a matter of gameplay mechanics, genre, or art style, the "ignore it if you don't like it" argument would hold water. However, since opponents find the subject matter and presentation of the game to be morally reprehensible, they feel compelled and are in fact obligated to bring up their objections.

This can be applied to anything. For example, saying, "Well, if you don't like savery, don't own slaves," would be absurd. If someone believes that something is morally wrong, they have an obligation, which should be recognized by all other individuals, to voice their opinion in a reasoned, well-thought manner. This is how we get to have progress in the first place. When people simply pursue whatever shallow impulses they have, and when they keep all their values strictly to themselves, what results is a stagnation that builds into resentment and decay.

Also, cocks.

Jabr, can anyone delete those ridiculous long spams? It's tought to scroll to actual content. Maybe GP can? Anyone?

So yeah, I don't praise him. He's just trying to piss people off, people who either were seriously wounded or know someone who was wounded/killed in this event. I'm sure everyone would be praising someone if they made a "kill the Jews in the gas chamber" video game.

Right on! I praise him for exercising his free will, even if it is devious or not.

This guy isn't making a dime of his game on newgrounds. He is only asking people to pay if they want him to take it down. He isn't making people pay him to play th game, an no one is obligated to pay him a cent. He is only asking for money to take it down as a joke and as a way to tell the people complaining to put their money where their mouth is, and so far no one has stepped up to the plate. While this game is in poor taste, deplorable, offensive, etc, there is no reason for it to be taken down. Just because something offends someone doesn't mean there are grounds for it to be censored, removed, etc. He should have the right to artistic expression just as comics, musicians, artists, etc do. Anyone calling for this game to be taken down is being totally un-American. Newgrounds.com has always tried to give people as much artistic freedom as possible. They do have guidelines, but I don't believe this entry violates any of them. Also to beat this game you have to follow the historical chain of events that have been played out heavily in the media. If anything this is a history test to see how much we absorbed from the media's over reporting of the event. I don't see it being any worse than playing a WWII game and shooting Germans, or playing GTA and running over old ladies, etc.

People need to get a grip and stop calling for content that offends them to be removed. There isn't a law that says you have the right to no be offended. If something offends you, ignore it and go elsewhere. Change the channel, go to another game, etc.

Bad joke, man, bad joke.

"HEY MORONS, HE DID THAT AS A JOKE TO PROVE A POINT

THE HARD PRESS NEEDS SOME MEDICINE AND NONE OF YOU CLOSED MINDED FOOLS ARE GETTING ANY"

-Insults are not a valid form of debate

-He wouldn't be interviewed on TV unless the station paid him. I think that prtty much shows his motivations.

I'd like to kill his ass 4 a joke also. This is making light of and promoting a tragic and senseless terrorist act on an innocent college. Now let me express my freedom of speech by saying "Give me 15 minutes with this walking third world bacteria and he'll need that money 4 medical bills and maybe his own funeral if I could get away with it."

@Michael

"Help, help, [we're] being oppressed!"

Ryan Lambourn definitely has some issues he needs to deal with. Pathetic!

That's a goddamn disgrace. It's bad enough he made a bad, deliberately controversial game, but to try and profit off the controversy?

I hope he doesn't get a cent.

When it becomes outlawed to write, say or create something, anything - offensive or not - then only outlaws will remain expressing themselves freely.

It's bad taste but it ought to be free.

Sorry, not charging, demanding monies would be more accurate.

He created it, so how could he possibly be stopped from profiting from that? Yeah, politicians might think of something, but they don't play by their own rules, sometimes.

Persoanlly I think this could be stopped if the game contains references to actual people. They should be having some kind of protection by law against being 'virtualized' in a video game without their consent.

god what a douchebag. there is a difference between SCMRPG and this game, SCMRPG as controversial as it was, wasnt made for the sole purpose of being controversial as a desperate attempt to get attention.

"Thing is, he’s charging for it, so it’s not even ‘Free’ speech any more, by charging for it, he’s making it a commercial product"

Jack Thompson thanks you. You just stated that commercial products aren't protected under the first amendment.

Wow...

I always try to see good in people even the gamers anti-christ JT... but what a colossal anus!

I just played the game. This might sound bad, but it made me laugh. I laughed that anyone would put their name down on that game and take credit for it. I laughed that anyone would take it seriously. And the fact that he wants paid to take it down? Even more hilarious.

Now, we GPers know the issue this will cause with the anti-game crowd, but Lambourn just handed us all the ammo we need. He is just out to exort people based on his use of controversy. Been done before, and better, Lambourn. Now I know there will be the Burrell's out there that can't or won't understand, but it's fairly evident this is a quick notoriety-making, get-rich quick scheme. So most folks, even politicians, can be told that. If not them, the courts will see it for what it is.

The poll is really given much choice. There must be an option that says something like:
The game is appaling and should be taken offline. This does not breach freedom of speech because Newgrounds can do whatever they want with posted content.

He's an Australian guy, right? Like me. Cool.

Aussies don't have protected free speech. It's not in our constitution. We have an 'implied right of political expression', but there are no laws that protect us from being censored.

Though Australia is a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it has not been ratified into law through Parliament, and proposals to add free speech to our constitution were rejected back in the 40's.

I'm no lawyer, and things may have changed since I last checked, but the creator of this work has no personal right to free speech.

That being said, it would stil be morally wrong to censor him. But it would also be morally wrong to sit back and let him do this without complaint. Just as it's morally wrong to make people PAY in order to remove his work. If he knows his work should be removed, then he should remove it. Otherwise he's blackmailing people over the spread of reprehensible material.

I don't think anyone ever said it was illegal. It is offensive and morally repugnant though, moreso now that he's trying to extort money over it.

Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD do it.

Making a game like this, knowing it wil cause outrage and hurt people who have lost loved ones in this tragedy, putting it on the web and then asking for money is an act by a very very sick person.

I personally hope that something very horrible happens to him, preferably over a period of a few months involving a cheese grater or similar device.

If you'd like to give Ryan Lambourn a call, his number is: (02) 9670-2947

Or, for those of you calling from outside Australia, that's: +61 2 9670 2947.

It's just past 10:30pm here Sydney time, so you won't want to call in say, 3 hours time from now.

And he lives here if you're interested:
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=8+Barossa+Close,+St.+Clair,+N...

In my opinion, this is not really expression of anything but greed. I don't believe the Super Columbine Massacre was necessarily a good idea. I don't know if Danny Ledonne's heart is where he says it is, but the potential exists for what he says to be true--that the intent was to cause people to reflect. This guy lost that the minute it became a ransom. Now it says one thing: "I'm pissing you off to get money."

Does he have the right to do this? In the USA, yes. I'll defend Ledonne's right to go forward with SCM. I'll laud his bravery, and the fact that he didn't back down under pressure. I'll definitely defend his right to freedom of expression. I acknowledge this fellow has the same rights. But please don't defend freedom of expression in this one particular case, because he doesn't care about his freedom of expression here--if he did, it wouldn't be for sale.

I will say this, though: I don't want Newgrounds to pull the plug, for one reason: it sets a precedent that would likely cause meritorious, but potentially offensive things to be pulled as well. I would much rather see pressure from people who know him, and are disgusted with him, cause him to remove it.

I think he's a horrible person.

There's a clear difference between what he's done and made and the Columbine Game.

For what its worth, I hope this stays with him, and that no legitimate workplace, game industry or otherwise, find hims a worthy person to employ. For all the rights he has, human, moral or governmental, I can't, now, find a way to respect him or what he's done.

I thought about this a good deal; frankly it's a tough one. The man is a whore, that's all there is to it, he did this solely for the shock value and attention (and now, evidently, some money) and not to make some great political statement. That being said it is free speech, New Grounds should not take the game down although it is their right to do so, I say this because New Grounds is a bastion of free expression, and if they start to make a distinction about what is in too poor of taste to be accepted by their site and what is not, they are leading themselves down a slippery slope of censorship. It is easy to defend free speech when there is no controversy, it is times when we feel the line should be drawn, times when there is no reputable defense or purpose of the speech in question, times when the speech in question actively seeks to contrast itself with all that we find compassionate and decent that we must tell ourselves to NOT draw the line and defend that person's right to say whatever disgusting and purposeless thing they choose to.

Ok lets get this trainwreck on track

1. This isn't blackmail or extortion because we choose to view it on one site on the vast internets.

2. There is no governing body of the internet.

3. Newgrounds is the only company with the authority to remove the content.

4. Anyone willing to see this medium go to status of art and rightfully be protected better think twice against censoring this man.

5. The asshole posed this proposition because he worked on a project and people then screamed for its removal. He doesn't want to take this down but he's willing to see if people will pay for its removal.

I personally applaud Newgrounds for not taking this game down because they obviously know whats at stake. The creators of Newgrounds just recently dropped from an awards ceremony because of this very censorship with SCMRPG (Behemoth Studios).

Quality and choice of media be it hard coding or flash should not matter to us because we would like to see games protected as art and speech. Not just EA and Acclaim titles but also independent ones. This forces us to take in the good with the bad. So stop being hypocritical and realize what the hell you're supporting.

The guy sells his Freedom of Speech for a very low amount.

Now, if someone wants to pay ME to shut up (written and vocal) on all issues, I'll take 10 billion dollars. Non negotiable

To pay me to speak only in favor of someone else's opinions and beliefs, even if I don't agree with them, the bidding starts at 1 trillion dollars.

Relly, you're gonna have to do better than a few thousand dollars, even for an apology I wouldn't mean.

Nightwng2000
NW2K Software

Well said, Konstruct.

This guy is an idiot, and is clearly trying to profit off a tragedy in a heartless way. However, the way he's doing it, though tasteless, is not illegal.

The solution is simple. The guy's manipulating the media to create the controversy that will drive traffic to his website, and therefore more people who might be willing to pay up. Media, therefore, needs to ignore this guy and anyone else who tries a stunt like this, to minimise the traffic.

Complaints should also go not to Newgrounds for hosting the site - free speech reasons, etc. - but to whoever is processing the credit card payments, be it Paypal or whoever (I didn't bother to grace his site with a hit to find out). If the payment facilities are pulled, then free speech and morality are restored.

I think he should take it down not because it's offensive, but because he's using the situation to make money. Maybe when someone in his family dies we can make a game about it and demand money from him to take it down.

Just as he has the right to be a duche and make the game...

We have the right to call him a duche and show the world that he is the abberation. We do not, however, have the right to sensor him. Yes, that would be the easy thing to do...but the consequences of that one act will come back and bite us.

I find this game to be extremely offensive and in the worst taste. I know the anti-gaming nuts will latch onto it as ammunition for their little crusade.

But that *can't* trump free speech. The response to garbage like this should not be censorship, but to drown it out with our own speech. Make it clear that he does not represent us, and then just hope that the mainstream gets the message. That's all we can do, really.

You may not see any relationship with the industry, but the media does. Remember, the media and the politicians believe all video games, homebrew or retail, are part of the same industry. Therefore, when something like THIS comes out, guess who has to take the blame. I'll give you a hint, it's not the kid who made this in his mom's basement.

I think David Ikari's comment needs repeating from another Aussie:

"Aussies don’t have protected free speech. It’s not in our constitution. We have an ‘implied right of political expression’, but there are no laws that protect us from being censored."

Yes, there is no governing body on the internet. But this was posted by an Australian from an Australian computer. It's abhorrent and disgusting that this child has taken it so far and asked for money to take it down and is selling an apology. But if it was to be censored, it could happen here and he could scream "freedom of speech" til the roos come home (to put a twist on the old saying) and we'd just laugh at him.

Yes, Aussies are considered to be laid back people and a lot of things that people say tend to get shrugged off. But there is a line, and this kid didn't just step over it...he stepped over it, spat on it and gave the line the finger before walking away.

MaskedPixelante.

But those same people in the political and media ring are out of touch with the average people.. if anything, the people out of touch with video game would be drawn to those conclusions.

But when it comes to blame.. it would be illogical to blame the industry.. But I think it's just the time.. in 10 or so years things will change. Right now, it's people picking up on things while ignoring more important matters....

though maybe the problem is I can't see it and can only think of it in a technical and objective view.

There is almost no point in arguing anything on this topic. He's got everyone caught, and if you donate, its just like troll feeding on forums. You only get more asshats to do it. I say just lean back and forget about this new scar on our reputation >,

even though I belive that this guy should of had the right to make and publish the game. I think that what he did was insensitive and is only giving fuel to the people that want to make laws prohibiting games and put them in the same categorie as porn.

Well even if other seem to find this antic disgraceful I still think pulling this kind of publicity to make money is no different than what happened after 9/11 with the whole "flag companies" making massive amounts of money on the whole "patriot"up playing done by the current administration.

Despite what you may think when something bad happens someone is always ready to cash in a buck on it.If you don't like it just ignore it.Hes selling his art in a reverse fashion....kind of how i wish i could pay game companies to not make games based off of movies (bleh).

It's been said before and it's simple.

The game, politics, commercial value, free speech blah blah..that's not really the point.
The reason that this kid is a major douche bag is because he created this POS game, solely with intention of try to get money.
He put no thought, heart, or love into the game. There is no point to the game, there is no story to the game. He whipped the thing up to try to make some dough.
THAT'S why this is disgusting, and if he makes any money off of it, those people who actually donate are just as bad as he is.

Altough I think that the game should be left alone since it's proctected by free-speech and it's no-ones business (much like the columbine game). But the fact that the author wants money for putting it down correlates with me to the fact that it's pretty much the same as the Columbine game. In other words it's my belief that he is simply looking for a quick buck. He took something that had already been done that he saw he could make money off of and posted it on NG to antagonize the world into paying him.
For altough most people would simply ignore it, there only needs to be a few for him to get his money.

I think that the Tom Fulp and the other owners of Newgrounds should remove the entry themselves for a money-grabbing attempt from the game maker.

Probably debatable poll we have had.

Danny's comment on the matter has increased my respect for the guy, SCMRPG was a piece of satire and commentary of the game industry, its critics, and the political situation surrounding columbine. It asked the important question of why its ok to make paintings, films and books on a tragedy but not interactive software.

But above all, it was a prime example of a good man defending his work respectfully.

Unlike Ryan Lambourn who has just abandoned his work out of greed.

Unlike Danny Ledonne, this guy had lost my respect for him and his work.

BUT...

Its freedom of speech, sure Newgrounds can pull it down if they want to, just slam dance could pull down SCMRPG because they wanted to, but there will never be a reason to fully justify censorship. And so I may not respect this guy, but I don't want this pulled down against his will.

But...

That doesn't mean VTR and its creator can't be criticized and insulted to no end.

I think you're all (well, most) being hypocritical. This game, like SCMRPG before it, delivered in a documentary-esque way, no? What changed here? It's recent? Different 'protagonist'? It's really not that big of a departure.

You're all (well, most) acting the way politicians do/did about Super Columbine Massacre RPG.

Honestly, I hate this guy and everything he has done. This game is in EXTREMELY poor taste. It's glorifying the actions of an evil psychopathic son of a bitch who's rotting in hell right now.

But, I also understand free speech. I don't think censorship is the answer here. Rather, people should just ignore this game enough until it will go away on its own.

y;know i have no idea why this game is even getting above a 3 rating on newgrounds... even if you don't consider the controversial issue, it is still a very crappy game, most game of such low quality would probably down at like 2... it's crap in most every form and way.

@jakethe8lf

this is not like SCMRPG... SCMRPG actually made an attempt to say something. Its a game that actually had meaning... it was a thought provoking game, so much so that independent film makers wanted to nominate it for a film documentry (until, once again, the founder of slamdance pulled some strings to ake the game down)... hell the main reason SCMRG was done as a video game and not as a film was because of how the media was commonly blaming video game for what happened, while ignoring the actual issues.

This V-tech games does not try to do any of what SCMRPG was trying to do. This piece of crap provides no thought or insight... it tells us nothing that we don't already know; it only tells us what everyone knows Cho did, nothing more (shoot a girl, mail his tapes, then attack Norris hall). Hell there isn't even a reason why this should be a game instead of a film (sometimes other mediums are better for adressing such issues), afterall, unlike columbine, the majority of the media (with VERY few exceptions) are not blaming video games at all...

there are things that COULD have been done, things that could have be said... such as attempting to get into Cho's head, and attempt to figure out what went wrong and what happened. What triggered all of these events? what could have been done to prevent it? Mental, Social, Family, society issues? there are many things such a creation could say that would be very thought provoking, and this piece of crap doesn't do any of it. all it is a crappy game made in exremly poor taste...

now, if i were making such a game (though i would probably choose film as my medium), i would probably start it off months before the incident... the game would be mostly about interacting in class and such, getting an idea of how messed up Cho was... it would probably then go into Cho prepaing for the day, such as buying his weapon and going to the sooting range. All the while might include some flashbacks if the is anythign in his past that might be relevent to what went wrong with him; such as the period of time he spent in that mental institution, but was later released... or perhaps showing how much of a loner he was back in his teen years. it all leads up to the point when he actually goes and commits his act. it can even include details about how the police and the school handled the situation, along with the reaction for after the game. A great amount of research and time would be needed to make the game in that much more information would be needed to be known about Cho so as to present the incident and the events leading up to it in fairly accurate manner (thus need to wait a couple of months or so for more details to come up about cho); we can't know the exact truth, but we can take some pretty damn good guesses. The whole concept would be to give poeple an idea of what probably went wrong and what they might be able to do in order to prevent such a thing from ever happening again. poeple would undoubtably still get offended by such a thing, but atleast the game would actually attempt to say something... and not just be some pile of crap that some kid decided to make just to grab some attention...

Well as a joke it's *just* as hilarious as the actual game.

Sigh.

I voted "not sure" in the poll, because while I personally find the game to be reprehensible and offensive, and I fear the further anti-game backlash from uneducated mainstream media and political opportunists, freedom of speech is important. I am, and always have been against censorship in all forms. I guess I feel like the game should be taken down, but it shouldn't be *pulled* down, if that makes sense. I would hope that good taste and common sense would prevail on the part of the maker, but obviously he's far too impressed with his own cleverness for anything like that to happen.

I guess I just yearn for a world where crap like this could just be ignored. Where it wasn't destined to become a big deal and could be treated as the drivel that it is.

Yes, Virginia, there are muppets here, too.

WEN-DY'S FROS-TY

Sorry, just had too.

This is absolutely disgusting. He's not only putting up the game simply for shock value, But he's demanding money for the industry to save face. Dispicable.

Cashing in on tragedy is reprehensible, whether you're a television network or an insenstive idiot on another continent. Here's hoping the game industry blacklists Ryan Lambourne from present or future employment. The industry is full of "characters" but insenstive jerks like this don't belong in it.

What a douche. At least the creater of Super Columbine didn't try to profit off his work, financially speaking.

(And what's up with those Carl's Jr. posts?)

I'm thinking of those who probably HAVEN'T forgotten about the real event.

Well, looks like the kid's account has been suspended. Not sure if his provider pulled it, or if he's used too much bandwidth for the month.

Personally, I think that it's a shame if he got pulled. While I agree with many that the joke is a little tactless, I also believe that laughing at our tragedies is an excellent, and cathartic outlet. Further, the game itself is a good political commentary on the state of part of our world (not the videogame representation thereof) wouldn't you say?

Truly, who cares if he's made a game about it? Power to him, I say.

And for those of you who are about to flip out because I support the guy, let me ask you this: how many of you who are so offended had already begun to forget all about the real event? Just something to think about.

I'm a hokie, and I hope it stays up and he doesn't get a cent of his money.

Or that I can e-mail Tom and get him to take it down, and that his website gets DDOS'ed. =)

@ fffffffff

well you're a prime example of humanity aren't you?

Controversy = Cash

Now maybe you didn't find this in good taste.

Not us.......you.

However YOU have made an inappropriate joke.
However YOU have watched the OJ Simpson case.
However YOU stayed inside your house during 9/11

You have perpetuated acts that were morally reprehensible by watching them, and talking about them. Even if it is outrage, you still feed the beast by giving it any attention.

Now you are mad that someone is making money from it when:
The person that laughed at your joke gave you value of affirmation.
The Television you watched made a ton of money in commercial revenue because you watched.
So on and so forth.

When you give reaction at all, you feed it. That's the thing about controversy, as long as you are "outraged" you are giving it as much validity as the person that made the game and everyone that played it.

Have a day.

A lot of people bring up Freedom of Speech. My opinions on Freedom of Speech have evolved over the past year or so after my encounter with a "man" (really more of a child in my opinion) I used to work with named Fred. I won't post his last name, to protect his identity.

I attempted to discuss things with him that I would catch on this site.

I mentioned the Massacre Chaser's suit against Midway for the ability to create characters, and the fact that people were making him and posting on the Internet how to do so. He said Midway should have know better than to allow people to do so. I countered that according to his logic, if you made a child porn using a Sony camcorder, people could sue Sony. He disagreed.

He "preached" (I mean it, talking to this guy for five minutes gave me the feeling of talking to a creepy cult leader) limiting Freedom of Speech. Saying that violent games, and movies were corrupting people. He even told me he didn't want his young children to watch Star Wars! Not too mention that I am too "protected" and too young to have an opinion.

He said people didn't have the right to walk into Wal-Mart and yell "FIRE". I say you do, but we have to right to prosecute you for the inevitable structural damage, lost profits, and potential loss of human life. Besides, only an idiot, attention whore, or sociopath would intentionally do something to cause others harm. Like it's been said before, I may not like what you say, but I'll defend your right to say it. Unfortunately, I guess that applies to Fred, too.

So you know, he was later found in the break-room passed out drunk with some one's chips all over his shirt. Taken to a local doctor to have a drug test, I heard he used toilet water in an attempt to get out. Then, before a second test could be administered, he left. He was fired.

People may remember a phrase I coined and would say on this site quite often. Fred was the reason I came up with it.

"Protect your children. Don't Protect me! I didn't ask for it, nor do I need it."

@ffffffff

"Hey has anyone made a 9/11 game?"

There have been several. One documented various floors in the WTC above, at and below the crash sites, and your object was to try to escape the flames. Some levels had good endings (you make it to the stairwell). Others did not (you had two choices, burn or jump).

It was basically made to convey what those trapped in the towers might have been thinking. To demonstrate just how screwed they really were.

Apparently this is all just another joke:

"Danny, the donation thing is there as a joke against all the people commanding me to take my game down. I didnt think anyone would donate money to it and so far my paypal account has proven me right (BUT I COULD USE SOME FUCKING MONEY THANKS!)."

i sort of prefer the game be up however.. I believe the person had no intention of getting money.. but because so many people were so offended, he matter well make a profit for something the person appearantly doesn't want to do.

Though he could have said no, he refuse.

"Thing is, he’s charging for it, so it’s not even ‘Free’ speech any more"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH FUCKING WOW

@ Barakku

I didn't really check up on this guy. He's a bit too much of an ass to waste the time on. So....oops, my bad. :D

@Jabrwock

Obviously it's "disguised" as a joke. It's too ridiculous to be a straight-up ransom note. But he's hoping that a few people will send money by taking it seriously. He's not putting his game up for ransom, he's trying to rip people off. And that's probably worse.

/facepalm

Seriously. This guy is giving everyone a bad name now.

Some thoughts:

http://lawofthegame.blogspot.com/2007/05/virginia-tech-massacre-game-wha...

It amazes me how many of the 'lollers' on here can't seem to be able to read two posts in a row. let alone the entire feedback.

Yep, I definately get the feeling that was just done to wind up the already wound up.

Is it a dumb game? - Yup.
Is the person who wrote it thorwing gasoline onto a fire? - Yup
Is that a bad thing? Don't know, needs to be faced up to at some point.
Should it be removed? - No. Crap game it may be, but then, we have crap politicians too, and there's not a thing we can do about those either.

Mike:

Oooohh! I didn't realize there was copyright violation involved too. That would actually work (at least until he released a new version without the copyrighted material). Do you have any details as to what songs are being used?

Cho Seung-Hui went an hero.

so should you all

POOLS CLOSED.

To the guy who said it isn't "free speech" anymore because he's paying for it... Go back to school... I hope to god that this is a joke and that no one in America really is this utterly stupid.

What many of you are failing to see here is that he has a right to make whatever game he pleases.

It wouldn't be an offensive video game if people weren't offended by it.

He's not paying for it or charging for it. Nor is he "making a profit off of" it.

The game is not profiteering. He is in fact receiving no monetary benefit from it.

What he is profiting from is his actions. He is selling, to the people willing to pay, his ability to take the game down. The game itself, as far as the law will acknowledge, is not making him money. He is selling his willingness to take it down.

That is why no legal action whatsoever can be taken.

I couldn't get past the first part of the game. I quit after 10 minutes of trying and having the cops find him over and over.

Thanks for your support-Im glad you guys have it all figured out-

I like this man
He is getting money out of people's grief and i salute him

ha ha ha, oh wow.

'To the guy who said it isn’t “free speech” anymore because he’s paying for it… Go back to school… I hope to god that this is a joke and that no one in America really is this utterly stupid.'

No one said it isn't 'Free Speech', look again at where the apostrophes are and then think about the meaning of the word 'Free' from a financial point of view....

I can't believe I'm actually having to explain this....

Wow, how original, we're being spammed by 7chan...

F'ing losers.

Seems his hosting provider decided to take it down themselves. The account is suspended.

the media uses situations like this to make money just as this man has. its ironic that news stations go crazy over stuff like this although they do the exact same thing. don't play the game if you don't want to.

I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting! Look for some my links: