Backlash Continues Against V-Tech Rampage

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Backlash Continues Against V-Tech Rampage


Flash game V-Tech Rampage is continuing to draw widespread ire and condemnation, both for its tasteless content as well as the complete indifference to the uproar surrounding the game shown by its creator.

Senator Helen Coonan, Australian Minister of Communications, has said that she will be instigating an "official investigation" of the game. She also added that she believed the game's creator, Ryan Lambourn, should seek some form of therapy or counseling, saying, "The individual responsible for the game is using a terrible tragedy to draw attention to himself and his work. It is in very poor taste and the person concerned may want to consider getting some professional help."

Lambourn, an Australian who lived in the United States until he was 14, responded to the furor surrounding his game by asking for money to take it down. Backlash against the game forced his hosting service to take his personal site down completely, but the game is still available on Newgrounds [http://www.newgrounds.com]. "My site is down because they got too many angry emails and they won't put it back up with Vtech still on it. At least newgrounds still believes in freedom of speech, thanks," Lambourn said.

Meanwhile, New York State Senator Andrew Lanza is calling on retailers, manufacturers and web hosts to boycott the game, apparently unaware that as a flash game produced by an individual, retailers, manufacturers and the game industry as a whole have absolutely nothing to do with it. "There are certain things in life you don't make light of and should not be turning into a game," he said. "It's not a game, it's a tremendous loss of life."

In the game, players take on the role of Seung-Hui Cho, who went on a killing spree at Virginia Tech on April 16, murdering 32 people before killing himself. While most observers believe V-Tech Rampage was initially created as a cheap publicity stunt, Lambourn has so far vigorously defended the game and his refusal to take it offline. "Yeah, it's staying up - freedom of speech, man," he said in the Daily Telegraph in Sydney, Australia. "Someone is offended by something all the time - it doesn't matter what it is."




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Bongo Bill

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Jul 13, 2006
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The guy's only keeping it up because people want to take it down. He's making his point (but not articulating it very well). Sort of martyring himself for it, but more power to him. I don't see why it's a problem to be irreverent, if you're willing to put up with the backlash.
 

Russ Pitts

The Boss of You
May 1, 2006
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Freedom of speech, man, indeed.

I'm not sure I agree with the martyring suggestion. Perhaps his demand for money (in a three tiered fee schedule) was some convoluted way of making a point, but then again perhaps he really did want money, and has now "turned martyr" because he really has no choice.
 

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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If you're legitimately trying to make a point, though, sooner or later you have to quit dicking around and make it. The game was inarguably controversial or offensive, depending on your perspective, but once it was out there the opportunity to "make a point" was at hand. Once he moved from that to slack-jawed mutterings about freedom of speech and a request for cash to take it down, joke or not, he squandered his chance to be seen as anything but an attention-whore.

Which isn't to say I don't think he should've made it, or that it should be pulled. Free speech, absolutely. I just don't happen to believe that "freedom of speech" necessarily translates into "Ryan Lambourn isn't a gigantic douche."
 

Blaxton

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Dec 14, 2006
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Malygris said:
Which isn't to say I don't think he should've made it, or that it should be pulled. Free speech, absolutely. I just don't happen to believe that "freedom of speech" necessarily translates into "Ryan Lambourn isn't a gigantic douche."
Summed up expertly there, and the last line is as close to perfect as you will see any manipulation of the english language.
 

C Town [deprecated]

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May 19, 2007
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It's ironic - NBC plays Cho's video ad nauseum, every news outlet acts like media whores and no one mounts an "invesstigation". Investigating what? That's freedom of speech also - journalistic freedom, etc. The news outlets laughed all the way to the bank while shedding fake tears.

This guy tries to capitalizes on that bandwagon and he's condemned by self-righteous, preening politicians posing in front of these media whore-houses. Trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of a tragic event. Who's really the attention junkie?

You wonder if this game and guy aren't a plant - like that Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie ad campaign that hilariously spooked Boston, MA.