Wednesday 28 October, 2009

I've come to accept the inherent irony skillfully crafted into video games these days. Most of the public see games like GTA and Manhunt as products of the minds of what they would say are demented people. But most fail to realize that video game creators are artists, and that they, like almost all artists, have an intent that is not always immediately discernible based on the external content of the game. These creators aren't encouraging the behavior in their games by any means. They are attempting to illustrate the detrimental aspects of our society and avert the very behavior that they recreate virtually. This may seem completely backwards to some, but that is what satire is.

Having said that, I put Super Columbine Massacre RPG in the same group as aforementioned video games and ones similar. To a player who may not be willing or able to grasp the aspiration of the creator, the game seems abhorrent, disturbing, and offensive to those affected by the events. Films like Gacy and Dahmer (coincidentally both of the titles are just the surnames of the subjects at hand) depict graphic pictures of grisly acts the men committed, but the intention of the artist is very obviously not to disrespect the victims or pardon the offenders. These films and other pieces like them explore the harsh realities of these incidents in an attempt to paint a comprehensive embodiment of the distorted consciousness of these people and to find any relative basis for their justifications.

Playing the game, I found myself being caught up in the inert attention to detail in the environments and backstory of the characters. This game was obviously extensively planned and exceptionally executed. I began to forget that I was playing a unusually taboo simulation, and found myself challenged to complete the objectives. It was easy for me to get past the content, so playing it was enjoyable. I'm actually eager to continue playing and see what else it has in store.

It is quite amazing how quickly and easily one can slip away from the representation and into the gameplay. In the end, to a certain degree, you almost forget that it's innocent schoolchildren. Or not?