|
Sunday 19 February, 2012
I was very skeptical going into a game that is based on the tragedy that was the columbine massacre. Prior to receiving this assignment I had never heard of the game Super Columbine Massacre RPG, and I had little knowledge about the events that took place around the columbine shootings other than that it was the worst school shooting in the history of the United States. Within the first few seconds of gameplay I was immediately reminded of Pokémon based on the graphics and the point of view that you are given as the player. This was a minor observation in the grand scheme of things but was something that I noticed right away. But after my Pokémon observation I did definitely notice the darkness of the game. The dialogue between characters is very solemn and was very good insight into the mindset they were in before they went ahead and killed their peers. I don’t know how much of recorded dialogue between Dylan and Kyle was recovered after the shooting, but the dialogue in the game seems very accurate to me.
While I was given the task of collecting things from my house before we set off to go to the school I decided to go up to the random objects that could be found in the basement to see if I could find any objects that were separate from the main objective. I did manage to find a Marilyn Manson CD, and a copy of a DOOM game. Not that these two pieces of media automatically make people decide to slaughter innocent civilians, but I do know that it was documented both enjoyed violent video games, and Marilyn Manson’s music. Along with the dialogue this part of the game was also realistic, and played true to the age group that Dylan, and Kyle came from. But this also gave some insight as to what may have influenced them, if only a tiny bit.
Along with the extra items that I did manage to find, I did also stumble upon some extras. One of which was a monologue from the movie apocalypse now. I found this interesting that they would include this into the game, but realized that it did make sense. The monologue that is featured speaks of war and the horrors that can be found in it. This is probably a good indicator of how the boys felt about the world, meaning that others didn’t understand what they were going through and they’re only solution to that problem was to try to change the world that they lived in. Unfortunately they’re means of carrying out that task was through violence.
I didn’t get that far into the game, but from what I have seen thus far it seems like a very realistic and dark game. I’m sure when I reach the part where the killing task place there will be more ethics in order to discuss.
|
