Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1484https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4819The part of the game that actually reflects the event of the Columbine Massacre is over and was followed by a photomontage to music of the mourning victims, families, friends, colleagues and others who were affected by this tragedy. The photos of the killers were even included. Next, I, Dylan, end up alone in a place that appears to be the gates of hell (where the game losses all connections to reality). In hell, you fight your way though demons and lost souls while trying to find your weapons. The game is relatively easy to play by this point in terms of knowing how to navigate through the menus. Avoiding the enemies is a little harder. I am trying to encounter less of them because I am trying to sustain health, which is inevitably lost from battle to battle. After awhile, you run into a lot of people from history in some type of purgatory between heaven and hell. Confucius and what seem to be Malcolm X by the, “by any means necessary” and “I converted to Islam” dialogue. It is almost comical because Pikachu (spelling?) and Darth Vader are there as well. To me, this portion of the game seems to be a bit disrespectful to the actual issue that this entire game was based on; as if the fact that the game continues in hell wasn’t bad enough. I do hope that I am getting close to the end of this game. I have gotten lost on this hell part a lot. This is my last log entry but I plan on playing later on in the week to figure out what happens next; just out of curiosity. Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:47:33 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4819&iddiary=8924https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4819Though I feel no remorse for the main 2 characters. I do feel empathy for how these killers were created. They were picked on and ridiculed according to these cut-scene parts of the game. One of the killers was hurt by this one woman who didn’t want anything to do with him. She never called him back and aside from feeling alone at school, now she didn’t want him. I took the time to watch some of the documentaries on the massacre and the two murderers’ profiles. My assumption is that these cut scenes that act as “prequels,” if you will, are derived from the detailed and sadistic journals that Eric and Dylan wrote. They basically fit the classic profile and had the perfect make up for mass murderer. After the cops show up, the two get into a shoot out with the cops. As a player, you get the option to “end this all forever” or “to keep killing more shit heads.” I find this to be an ultimatum, and ultimately the climactic point of the game. The next cut scene into the mind of the killers brings us to an island. This islan is a place where no one could pick on them or tell them what to do; a place where America couldn’t reach them. But even then, the characters decide that they would be found and that to dream about such paradise on islands was “meaningless.” They didn’t want to be questioned or studied like their predecessor “Kip” Kinlke, who I looked up and found he was another teenage mass murderer from Oregon. I decide to end it, rather than continue with the repetitive and monotonous killing and the two characters kill themselves. The script is implicit by reading that the two had lost the will or care to live.Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:30:43 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4819&iddiary=8914https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4819The game seems to trivialize violence. It makes it so easy to lose a grip on how destructive and the amount of carnage that happened at the Columbine Massacre. The “Trench Coat Mafia” Eric and Dylan seem to have an issue with how they were treated at school. They feel like they are superior to their peers, thus being the reason for their need to be killed. They do not care about being discreet. They want people to know who they are. They think they are making history as they run around and destroy the campus. Truth is, they aren’t revolutionaries. They are sick psychopaths. Though old, the game’s “Game Boy-like” animation disassociates one from the violence and the importance of how tragic this massacre was. The dialogue between the students and killers brings that realness and connection to the killing back. The fact that some are spared also helps to make the player of the game more in control and more attached to the actions in the game. The fact that these were real events and that these were the actual names of the killers does as well. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:52:08 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4819&iddiary=8905https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4781The hood seems to be a place where everyone can be safe…to an extent. Its home and the cut scene of the Johnson brothers arguing about whether to be cool with people selling crack in the hood is a nice touch. It touches on ethics and historic events. The line, “They’ll sell crack to their own mommas” was a very important line. Historically, gangs were organized by immigrants to keep drug dealers and troublemakers out of the hood. Older gangsters didn’t sell crack but their successors did and the “OGs” ended up losing control of the ranks in their gangs. Is it right for CJ and Ryder to roll up and put pressure on these dealers to get them to stop; even if it means to kill the sellers to keep them out of the hood? Most of the violence is in retaliation or efforts to find CJ and Sweets mom’s killer. I don’t know that the game would be as violent without that part of the story. Another thing is that the constant shooting over turf gets old. The characters can’t even get food without getting into a shootout. The missions get boring and mundane. I feel like the game gets repetitive sometimes. Some of the dialogue and cut scenes are also unrealistic and over the top. It is so stereotypical that it gives a misrepresentation of all gangs and black people alike. I actually know a few people who were gang affiliated and they never acted wild and out of control. I know the time periods are off but its still inaccurate. Wed, 28 Sep 2011 06:43:13 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4781&iddiary=8829https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4778The man character is Carl Johnson (CJ) and at the start of the game, you are already thrown into immense action. First your mom dies, then you get thrown into rival gang territory. It’s quite exciting. You seem to be some type of minority. I cannot quite remember which one though. The game is a lot of fun and now I know exactly what people were talking about a far as manslaughter. The pedestrians are always in the way. I feel like the developers wanted the game to be as violent as possible. The characters seem like hey are all going to be dynamic, starting with the crooked cop, Officer Pulaski. He is already antagonizing CJ from the start. You kind of actually feel like CJ when you play too. This must be because he has a name and story unlike the last Grand Theft Auto games in the series. Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:38:09 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4778&iddiary=8807https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4781After spending so much of the game on a bike, I started to steal cars. Steering the bike is a little tricky and driving is faster and requires much less effort considering you have to feed yourself and have stamina and energy in this game. CJ must work out to stay fit. The language is a tad vulgar in the game but it is for effect. Gangsters aren’t exactly you most polished men though. I find it interesting that though CJ has done everything to avoid trouble but despite being clean, he still “puts his colors on” and continues his life of crime. I also find the options to stop taking the cars or stealing interesting. It’s a choice. You don’t have to steal and pillage the city. It is an option than most choose. Missions have more violence that cannot be avoided. So far, I have made it past the botched pizzeria robbery and on to tagging. I see that because of the storyline, I have to regain my respect that I lost after being away from home for 5 years. The other Johnson brothers seem to give me a hard time but I am gaining respect and trust.Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:34:46 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4781&iddiary=8806