Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1556https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4992Upon figuring out how to plant the bombs in the cafeteria, next I waited for them to go off, which actually caused me some anxiety because the anticipation level was high. After, I had to kill people at random as they came out. The various weapons that were available ranged and I didn't know if this aspect was true to the original incident or if this was added for gameplay (it's been a while since I've brushed up on the exact events of this story). The bombs that were used were seemingly homemade, so it would have taken a lot of premeditation on the boys' end if they were also making homemade bombs. I know the massacre was premeditated, but I'm curious as to the how long the plan was in the making and if they ever had any doubts. I'm assuming no because they went through with it anyway. I did notice a trend between the victims that I was murdering; they all appeared to be very logistical in terms of high school co-eds. In other words, they were the stereotypical individuals one would find at a high school, athletes, stuck up girls, etc. I'm sure it was individuals such as these that caused the boys grief and bullied them, so this aspect of the game seemed to coincide with the original events. One of the moments that I can recall from a book I read several years ago about the incident was a moment where one of the boys asked a girl if she believed in God. She replied “yes” before they executed her. This is just one of the powerful moments I remember about the Columbine Massacre, though I did not reach this moment in my gameplay. It just stood out to me as one of the most infamous moments from the event, and I was curious as to how the game maker would present this moment. I'm sure it would have been a bit painful to swallow, since many are familiar with that moment, due to the news stories and book about it, so it reigns true with many who empathize with the massacre. I'm sure it is a controversial moment in gameplay as well.Mon, 28 May 2012 15:58:44 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4992&iddiary=9236https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4993In the game, their were many moments, if not every experience, that reined true with the actual events of the Columbine Massacre. The dialogue, the sequences of events, and the interactions with others were all moments that I'm sure really happened at the massacre, though some moments could have been enhanced or reworded for gameplay. The moment where the Marilyn Manson CD was found and the message popped up that said this CD may increase rage, etc. was true to the world of the game. It was experiences such as this within the gameplay that made it feel incredibly real. I'm shocked to say, but I found myself even feeling sorry for Eric and Dylan at moments because if they had been helped, all of those events could have been prevented. It was almost meticulously painful going through each of those phases as they had. The “levels” in which the two boys gained access and bought the guns really blew my mind. It was so easy for them to get access to firearms. Another moment that really intrigued me was when I planted the bombs in the cafeteria. It was odd doing this firsthand (through gameplay) since I would never turn to an act such as that. This was different than the violence in Grand Theft Auto, since that stuff wasn't necessarily based on one true event, nor was it based on an incident that will forever remain in the history of this country as one of the most deadly massacres of our time. Being this character led me to understand what goes on in his head and his reasonings for things, so participating in the violence was surreal and was not as easily brushed off as when I played Grand Theft Auto. The music changed in intensity during the more violent levels too, which is something I noticed. I thought it was interesting that for a game with so little graphics and technological achievements, I was still immersed into the world of the story nonetheless, partially due to the music that was incorporated to highlight the more detrimental moments of gameplay.Mon, 28 May 2012 15:35:19 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4993&iddiary=9235https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4992Prior to playing the Super Columbine Massacre RPG game, I took it upon myself to read about it from the website provided to us, since I had no prior knowledge of the game or what it entailed. The fact that the game involves the premise of the Columbine Massacre behind the lens of the two murderers, proves that this game revolves around controversial subject matter. Even before playing it, I was already offended; I have no personal connection to the massacre, though I can empathize with the victims and families who did. A game such as this was sure to conjure up a lot of mixed feelings, which I 'm sure offended many at the time of it's release. I decided to try to stay open minded in regards to the game and see if I could figure out what the game maker was trying to accomplish in creating a game such as this. When I first began game play, similar to Grand Theft Auto, I took my time at getting used to the game and it's functions, as well as the world of the game. The world of the game was pretty easy to understand, as it was a little dated, so the functions were a lot simpler than that of Grand Theft Auto. I thought the dialogue between Eric and Dylan was authentic and represented what went on during that morning. After a while, their intentions became clear, as did the reasoning behind their actions. Though I don't agree with it, I started to see why they did what they did; Eric and Dylan felt incredibly alienated and shunned from their peers, so much so that they hated those around them and themselves. I thought it was interesting that the game maker chose to include the section where the one boy was apologizing to his family and his parents, saying how great his dad was. This showed that they weren't just monsters, they had remorse and feelings about the situation as well. They had people that they loved. I was starting to see the reason for creating a game like this: to shed light on the internal struggles that individuals go through to lead them to do destructive decisions. Maybe if members of society experience this through gameplay, they will be able to spot signs of this behavior in others.Mon, 28 May 2012 14:51:29 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4992&iddiary=9234https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4967By this time, I learned a bit more about the logistics of the game. I realized that my character had “missions” to accomplish. I followed the map to the destinations and entered the little colorful orbs. Again, I feel that this was a Kantian decision because that is what my character ought to have done. Personally, I enjoyed running around, riding bike, stealing cars, and running into random people. This part of the game was entertaining to me, so when I was engaging in these aspects of the game, I was making utilitarian- based decisions. I was looking out for my own personal entertainment, thus focusing on the consequences of my actions. In this case, the consequences of my actions were enjoyment from the game. This perspective is what led me to recognize that I was using a utilitarian perspective. When I focused on my missions, I didn't necessarily want to participate in them but I new that I ought to so I did, which made it a decision based on the Kantian perspective. Playing this game helped me understand the differences between the two major ethical perspectives that we discussed in class. I now have a better understanding of what a utilitarian perspective is versus what a Kantian perspective is. Upon playing, I also paid attention to racial stereotypes within the game. I did not see any gangs that included a diverse community. Rather, all of the gangs I noticed included members of the same race. I suppose this is a common stereotype among the gang world and it was highlighted in this game.Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:43:06 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4967&iddiary=9187https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4966By this time, I learned a bit more about the logistics of the game. I realized that my character had “missions” to accomplish. I followed the map to the destinations and entered the little colorful orbs. Again, I feel that this was a Kantian decision because that is what my character ought to have done. Personally, I enjoyed running around, riding bike, stealing cars, and running into random people. This part of the game was entertaining to me, so when I was engaging in these aspects of the game, I was making utilitarian- based decisions. I was looking out for my own personal entertainment, thus focusing on the consequences of my actions. In this case, the consequences of my actions were enjoyment from the game. This perspective is what led me to recognize that I was using a utilitarian perspective. When I focused on my missions, I didn't necessarily want to participate in them but I new that I ought to so I did, which made it a decision based on the Kantian perspective. Playing this game helped me understand the differences between the two major ethical perspectives that we discussed in class. I now have a better understanding of what a utilitarian perspective is versus what a Kantian perspective is. Upon playing, I also paid attention to racial stereotypes within the game. I did not see any gangs that included a diverse community. Rather, all of the gangs I noticed included members of the same race. I suppose this is a common stereotype among the gang world and it was highlighted in this game.Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:42:23 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4966&iddiary=9186https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4966Since I was a little bit more acquainted with the game, this time around went a lot better. In my last session, I just ran around a lot, confused because I wasn't sure what exactly I was supposed to be doing. In this session, I interacted with other characters, rode on a bike, and stole a few cars. I noticed a lot of the dialogue in the game was offensive and contained racial slurs. I was wondering what the premise of this was in relation to the game. I came to the conclusion that this type of language was meant to help distinguish between different groups and call attention to which gangs were which. It seemed that many of the groups were separated based on their ethnicity. This reminded me of our class discussion on stereotypes; certain gangs used certain language and lingo, while a different gang used language that pertained to their ethnic background that might be offensive if used by someone outside of their “category.” Upon noticing this, I learned the ability to punch and I ran around punching people for a while. This choice was not utilitarian, but rather a Kantian choice. I feel this way because I was not punching people because they harmed me or anything of that sort, so I was not focusing on the consequences of my actions in that sense. Rather I was punching people because I'd heard in the past that this is a violent video game, so I assumed that my character should engage in violence. In other terms, from what I understood about the game, punching people is what my character ought to have done, hence why it was a Kantian choice.Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:30:59 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4966&iddiary=9185https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4958I haven't played video games in about ten years, so getting used to the setting and atmosphere was a little new for me. I'm a visual person, so I started out by just walking around and getting a feel for the world of the game. I noticed pretty quickly how segregated the different groups seemed to be. It seemed like they were in gangs depending on their race or ethnic backgrounds. I had a few run ins with some gangs in a car and I just ran to avoid them. I liked the fact that I could swim, that was pretty cool. I chose to eat at a restaurant and play things safe so as to stay out of trouble and avoid gang involvement. Perhaps I will expand in my next session and see how things go. I like to think that I chose a utilitarian perspective during this session, since I focused on staying out of trouble so as not to cause my character any harm. I like to swim and eat in real life, so doing this interactively was kind of fun for me. I focused on the consequences of my actions, which ended up being keeping my character safe and enjoying myself during the gameplay.Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:12 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4958&iddiary=9175