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Tuesday 29 May, 2012
In my play through of Columbine Massacre RPG what I have noticed is that the extreme attention to backstory, timing and details. In the first level, you are in the basement of the main characters plotting for the school massacre. I pick up two bombs, a Marylyn Manson CD, and watched a recording of the two giving an explanation as to what they plan on doing and why. When you pick up the CD the character states that, this is what inspires him. As the main character drove to the school, they put on a KDFMD CD, loaded the bombs out of their car, and snuck around the cafeteria placing them under a desk set for an approximate time. Once the bombs were planted, they went to the car and got their weapons out of their duffle bags. The next cut scene reveals the two shooters overlooking the city, sharing a moment together before the massacre to reminisce the reasons behind the attack and their hatred. They talk about their disgust at everyone while they load their weapons all shown with pictures of the evidence of the actual shooting. They warn their friend when the shooting begins. “Preppy girl” appears and you gun her down, followed by “Jock” I entered a classroom, where students were running around and I killed a “jock” with my shotgun then killed “Sheltered Girl” and a “Janitor”. I think the purpose of giving victims nicknames was done to create a de-humanizing effect, as the two shooters did to their classmates. As I killed throughout the cafeteria and the halls, Bill Clinton appears on the screen and gives his speech praying for the students. What I notice is that when you go after a student, carrying the background is that of an actual school. Next, I set the fire alarm off, the music changes to a different beat and the bomb goes off. Every time I kill it says “Another Victory for the trench coat mafia” When the second bomb explodes a cut scene of the shooter always sitting along appears where he shares his sadness of never being liked. I actually start to feel a little sad at the personal emotions of the main character being ostracized. The designer clearly wanted us to gain a deeper feeling about the characters actions and reasoning beyond the standard shooting game. In a final standoff with the police, you both kill each other. Throughout my gameplay, you begin to realize just how depraved the designers were to put this much detail and attention, even going so far as to extend the gameplay levels past the shooters deaths, with a level in hell that makes references to their favorite music and video game choices. I hope these designers feel remorse for just how offensive this is to the families.
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