Ryan Lambourn's Slaying Of Sandy Hook Draws Condemnation

Andy Chalk

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Nov 12, 2002
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Ryan Lambourn's Slaying Of Sandy Hook Draws Condemnation


The Slaying of Sandy Hook, a game based on the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre created by the maker of V-Tech Rampage, has inspired outrage from all corners of the political spectrum.

The 2012 mass murder at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, had nothing to do with videogames, but as usual, games were drawn into it [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122752-Cop-Blames-Videogames-For-Sandy-Hook-Massacre] anyway. And now a game created by Ryan Lambourn and based on the events of the massacre has earned widespread condemnation from both gun rights and gun control advocates for "exploiting" the tragedy.

"I'm just horrified. I just don't understand, frankly, why anyone would think that the horrible tragedy that took place here in Sandy Hook would have any entertainment value," Newtown First Selectman Pat Llordra told CTPost.com. She said she's turned matter over the the local police and FBI for investigation.

"I find the exploitation of this unspeakable tragedy is just shocking," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said separately. "From what I've heard and what's been shown to me, it's absolutely abhorrent. My hope is that it will be voluntarily taken down because it's offensive and hurtful."

The National Rifle Association described The Slaying of Sandy Hook as "reprehensible" but refused to comment further in order to avoid giving more attention to "this despicable excuse for a human being."

But the maker of the game claimed that the point is to draw attention to the need for worthwhile gun control laws in the U.S. "Here we are a year after the Sandy Hook shootings in which 26 people were killed, 20 of which were first-graders, and absolutely nothing positive has come out of it," he said. "I'm someone who rarely follows the news, so these updates have been a constant reminder of just how commonplace mass shootings and school shootings have become."

Lambourn is no stranger to controversy: Back in 2007 he created Twitter [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/71901-Backlash-Continues-Against-V-Tech-Rampage], "its not like I didnt know this would happen." But he also insisted that there's a serious message behind the game.

"these people love to tout their 'self-defense' statistics as the good of guns but when you actually look at what's defined as 'self-defense' its just one person killing another and having to believe their story because there's no alternative," he wrote. "right at the top of the declaration of independence everyone is equal, we all have inalienable rights, the very first of which is LIFE. the concept that taking life isn't encroaching these rights if done is self-defense is just wrong."

Senator Blumenthal's wish has been partially fulfilled, as Newgrounds has pulled the game, but it's still available through other sites. It is pretty graphic, as Flash games go, but it's also a very effective reminder of the horror of the real-life events. The Slaying of Sandy Hook ends with a tally of the students and teachers killed in the game, and also cites the actual Sandy Hook body count; and after having completed the game in the "Historical" mode, others open up, including a "Gun Control" mode in which the player must remove the AR-15 from a locked gun safe - and cannot.

Source: Googumproduce [http://www.ctpost.com/newtownshooting/article/Newtown-massacre-inspired-game-sparks-outcry-4994724.php]


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JazzJack2

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Played it, the gameplay is horrible clunky and boring but I guess it gets its message across.
 

WhiteTigerShiro

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Andy Chalk said:
"I'm just horrified. I just don't understand, frankly, why anyone would think that the horrible tragedy that took place here in Sandy Hook would have any entertainment value,"
And that's all the proof I need to know that she isn't nearly informed enough on video gaming as a medium to make any kind of educated decision. Video games have long-since established that they are not always about "entertainment" (though sadly, and obviously, this isn't mainstream knowledge yet). Honestly, I could take her quote and argue how I don't understand how World War 2 could "have any entertainment value" to argue why several movies shouldn't have been made, yet they get mass appeal for being "artful" and "thought provoking".

As for the NRA, I don't even care enough to read their quotes. They're basically dead to me with the way that they threw video games under the bus pretty much the instant people started talking about gun control after the tragedy.
 

Hero in a half shell

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Meanwhile over in IGN there's uproar because the website only gave it an 8.5 out of 10.

I'm in two minds about this, at first I thought it would just be a pure exploitation game, but the defence the developer gave actually has me swayed a bit, especially the gun safe bit. It's a bit like satire; creating a piece of imaginary media to deliberately get criticism of for being sick, then point out that the exact same thing is happening in real life, yet we don't do anything to stop it.

Makes you think.
 

TiberiusEsuriens

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Andy Chalk said:
after having completed the game in the "Historical" mode, others open up, including a "Gun Control" mode in which the player must remove the AR-15 from a locked gun safe - and cannot.
I thought this was some sort of sick joke too and then that last bit of info comes to light. As far as making a political statement that would be a slam dunk, if only the important people bothered to notice it. They didn't and won't, because in their own words it is so reprehensible that they never actually played the game. America in a nutshell, ladies and gentlemen.
 

CriticalMiss

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I don't really have a problem with someone making a game about a school shooting as long as it is a fictional one and they are doing it for something other than shock value. And it seems like this guy has succeeded in getting attention even if he hasn't quite managed to get those people to see the point he was trying to make.

"I find the exploitation of this unspeakable tragedy is just shocking," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said separately.
Does he feel the same way about WWII movies/games/books/t-shirts I wonder?
 

blackrave

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How does this game differs from any movie about horrible events
I would argue that this game is less insulting that that 9/11 movie
Not that I really care for any of those
 

omega 616

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At first I did have the knee jerk "some sick fucks in the world" but even just skimming the article, my opinions changed from "yeah, of course there is some political point to it AKA shit I am getting a lot of heat for this, quick make up an excuse" but after reading it (especially the gun safe bit), I am kind of with the guy.

I mean Columbine, Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech (probably missing out on a good number of them as well) all took place and 6 months later nobody even talks about it. It's like a media frenzy for 2 weeks after the event and then it's yesterdays news.

Piers Morgan went over and even though he is a wretched human being, he kind of had a point but from I what I saw it turned into "fuck this limey dick! What does he know about 'murica?".

Just think the conversation should carry on, without people who have a financial investment in it. I know Americans love there amendments and constitutional rights but it's almost 2014, shouldn't they be reconsidered for the modern age?

Just having a quick skim on the wiki, I can't speak lawyer but it sounds a little ... founding fathers to me. "The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right of individual Americans to keep and bear arms, regardless of service in a militia." I mean, when was the last time any American was in a Militia?

"Early English settlers in America viewed the right to arms and/or the right to bear arms and/or state militias as important for one or more of these purposes enabling the people enabling the people to organize a militia system.
participating in law enforcement
deterring tyrannical government
repelling invasion
suppressing insurrection, allegedly including slave revolts
facilitating a natural right of self-defense. "

What are the chances some of them are going to happen? The most likely are "participating in law enforcement" and "facilitating a natural right of self-defense" but "repelling invasion" and "deterring tyrannical government" ... seriously? Although you really should be deterring your tyrannical government at the moment, then again it would be hard to organize what with NSA watching ... listening ...

(Sorry, I got a little ranty/carried away)
 

BreakfastMan

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Jul 22, 2010
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Hero in a half shell said:
Meanwhile over in IGN there's uproar because the website only gave it an 8.5 out of 10.

I'm in two minds about this, at first I thought it would just be a pure exploitation game, but the defence the developer gave actually has me swayed a bit, especially the gun safe bit. It's a bit like satire; creating a piece of imaginary media to deliberately get criticism of for being sick, then point out that the exact same thing is happening in real life, yet we don't do anything to stop it.

Makes you think.
That isn't the only thing. There are actually 3 modes: Historical, Gun Control, and Eagletears. Historical is what you would expect. In Gun control, however, the gun is locked in the safe and the game tells you to assume that the killer ordered a katana online. You play the game like normal and it tallies up the kills at the end, which are much less than in historical because the katana requires you to be right next to people and is also much slower than the rifle. Eagletears, on the other hand, arms all the teachers with pistols. This doesn't really effect much, as you can kill them before they can fire. So... Yeah. Interesting game that actually gets across its message across surprisingly well.
 

hazabaza1

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V-Tech game always seemed like a standard tasteless RPG maker game to me, so I never really played it. This? This makes a bit more sense.

It's not fun. Wasn't made to be. There's very little of anything to raise the mood (excluding some of the notices in the non-standard modes) and it feels how a game handling this subject matter should. Slow. Morbid. Grounded brutality. So while I can't say I'm thrilled to see this released, and I don't know if it's the best way to handle it, at least it has a point and isn't just an exploitation game.
 

Bug MuIdoon

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I have to echo most other people's responses. To be honest I'm quite surprised at that response, I would have figured most people here would be pitch forking against both sides.

I was pretty much ready to be disgusted at the game, but then I read the article. Got to say I'm sitting on the dev's side. It's a shame that the people rallying can't take those 30 seconds that I and the other people who've commented did, to put the preemptive-pitchfork down and process the message of the game.

I'm actually going to give it a play now before I think about it anymore.
 

DugMachine

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I played it and was deeply disturbed, so I guess it did it's job. I only tried the historical mode as I think I get the message. Strange how I have no problem mowing down "bad guys" by the hundreds but I can't shoot some pixelated black silhouettes. Even stranger is how easy something like that is to pull off. The game wasn't far from the truth, get a gun, walk into a school. It's that easy. Sad
 

Phrozenflame500

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Fairly standard post-tragedy gun game. We get these all the time, I'm only surprised how long it took for one to be made about Sandy Hook.

I guess sort of props for it actually having a semi-humorous political message instead of being just another troll.
 

lacktheknack

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The problem is simple: He made it about a school shooting that happened recently.

The game is very emotionally injurious to those directly affected by the massacre, as it's still fresh in their minds. There's a reason that we generally don't like people who "piggyback" on tragedy to make a statement. It's disrespectful and painful.

Sure, the message wouldn't have quite the same effect if he made it about a fictional school shooting, but that's just too damn bad. Cry me a river.
 

kael013

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OK, after having read the article (grabbed my pitchfork by reflex at the game's title) I have to say that while the execution is a bit tasteless (I'm not sure this is the best way to do it, but I can't think of a better way so...) the way the point is made is pretty good. Shame all of the people in charge are going to follow the politicians and condemn the game without having played it. I bet if they did they would change their minds (at least the Democrats would. Given that the message is counter to the NRA's stance it wouldn't and the Republicans are so deep in bed with them they most likely wouldn't change their tune either.)

Now on to some tangentially related stuff[quote/]"I'm just horrified. I just don't understand, frankly, why anyone would think that the horrible tragedy that took place here in Sandy Hook would have any entertainment value," Newtown First Selectman Pat Llordra told CTPost.com. She said she's turned matter over the the local police and FBI for investigation.[/quote]

I'm getting really tired of this view of games. All these people do is look at the best-selling games - usually Call of Duty, the game equivalent of an 80's action film - and then judge the entire media on that. It's completely idiotic. It's like comparing [i/]Schindler's List[/i] to [i/]The Scorpion King[/i]; it doesn't work because while they're both films, they where made in different genres and for different reasons - one is a film about good and evil and of sacrificing for others while the other is an action comedy.

Also, love how this is cause for cop and FBI investigation. Seems like they've got worse things to deal with than someone expressing their political views in an unorthodox manner.

[quote/]"I find the exploitation of this unspeakable tragedy is just shocking," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said[/quote]

Same could be said for pretty much anything related to WWII. Yet we've got tons of movies, games, and tv shows about it. Hell, Hogan's Heroes is a comedy set in a German POW camp for crying out loud! (Note, I'm not saying these things are bad, I love Hogan's Heroes. I'm just saying it's a bit stupid to cherry pick which tragedies we're allowed to exploit.)
 

Vivi22

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lacktheknack said:
The problem is simple: He made it about a school shooting that happened recently.

The game is very emotionally injurious to those directly affected by the massacre, as it's still fresh in their minds. There's a reason that we generally don't like people who "piggyback" on tragedy to make a statement. It's disrespectful and painful.

Sure, the message wouldn't have quite the same effect if he made it about a fictional school shooting, but that's just too damn bad. Cry me a river.
So school shootings are bad, but a person should ignore a perfectly good way to get a gun control message that might actually stick with some people out there because it might hurt the feelings of those affected by it? I'm sorry, but that strikes me as ridiculous. You're basically saying don't deliver a message that might actually get people talking about how change is needed because feelings. I have no issue with someone ruffling some feathers if it keeps the dialogue that needs to be happening happening. Because apparently a bunch of dead kids doesn't get the job done for more than a week or two.
 

rasputin0009

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kael013 said:
Now on to some tangentially related stuff[quote/]"I'm just horrified. I just don't understand, frankly, why anyone would think that the horrible tragedy that took place here in Sandy Hook would have any entertainment value," Newtown First Selectman Pat Llordra told CTPost.com. She said she's turned matter over the the local police and FBI for investigation.
I'm getting really tired of this view of games. All these people do is look at the best-selling games - usually Call of Duty, the game equivalent of an 80's action film - and then judge the entire media on that. It's completely idiotic. It's like comparing [i/]Schindler's List[/i] to [i/]The Scorpion King[/i]; it doesn't work because while they're both films, they where made in different genres and for different reasons - one is a film about good and evil and of sacrificing for others while the other is an action comedy.

Also, love how this is cause for cop and FBI investigation. Seems like they've got worse things to deal with than someone expressing their political views in an unorthodox manner.

[/quote]

I was thinking "There's nothing illegal about it! It's free speech. The authorities should laugh in their face!", and then I remembered that authorities, doesn't matter what kind, love to shit on free speech. Somebody at the local police station and somebody at the FBI will actually spend part of their work day looking into this instead of doing something productive.