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Sunday 21 February, 2010
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started to play this game. The design of the game resembled other RPGs I have played before like Final Fantasy VI and Pokemon. But this game would most certainly have values different from any other game I have played. Like in every RPG, I went around examining everything. I found the Doom video game and the Marilyn Manson CD. Questions were asked in the game if the content of Marilyn Manson and Doom could have made a person commit a killing spree. When these questions came my impression of this game was that it was going to be a satire on the media blame that came in the wake of Columbine shootings. I started to wonder if Manson’s music could really a major factor in motivating the Columbine shootings. I didn’t think so but equipping the CD did raise your stats a bit.
While I continued to exploring the basement Eric and Dylan talked about their motives during their flashback and their last recording. Then in the car ride to the school they continued to talk about why they wanted everyone to die. The reason for their motive was simple, they heated everyone and everything. But they also didn’t want to bring any pain or blame to their friends or family. I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
Later, after arriving at the school my next mission was to plant the bombs. At this point I wasn’t concerned too much about the character’s motives behind their actions. Even though this game was based on a real event it still felt the game was just trying to establishing a reason for playing it.
Before entering the school I was warned me to avoid security cameras but it didn’t say anything about talking to other people. In other RPGs it is common to go around talking to people, even if your characters are in enemy territory. When I first entered the school I thought it would be ok to talk with the first person I saw. But this was the wrong action. It was a hall monitor, everyone was a hall monitor. I couldn’t speak to anyone with out being sent back and forced start over again. I couldn’t be seen by anyone.
It took me several tries to make it past the security cameras and avoid the hall monitors. I planted the bombs and waited for them to detonate. But they failed to go off. Eric and Dylan just decided to carry on with the killing spree. In the parking lot everyone was a target, an enemy, someone who could be killed. However there was one boy, a friend of theirs I guess, that Eric and Dylan warned to run away. There was one person that the two boys spared. I don’t know how closely the values in this game reflect those of the Columbine shooters. Eric and Dylan both hated everyone but they still wanted to spare their friends and family from any consequences of their actions. These characters do express a little sympathy but everyone else is at the mercy of the player.
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