The School Shooter Mod
Our panel put the School Shooter controversy into context.
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Our panel put the School Shooter controversy into context.
Read Full Article
The School Shooter Mod
- Thread starter Extra Consideration
- Start date
This is probably my favorite content on the Escapist right now. It always makes me think.
I agree that the school shooter mod is tasteless, and I'm not defending it. But I'm not going to ask people to take it down, or stop playing it. I will make fun of those people, perhaps, but at the point where you start employing new regulations just because you're "offended," you've gone too far.
I agree that the school shooter mod is tasteless, and I'm not defending it. But I'm not going to ask people to take it down, or stop playing it. I will make fun of those people, perhaps, but at the point where you start employing new regulations just because you're "offended," you've gone too far.
Okay, Art can come from movies, but not every movie is art. Sure we are "fighting" for video games to be considered art, but there are tons other mediums that are "officially" considered art that pour out **** as bad as the School Shooter mods. The Jackass movies, Beavis and Butthead movie, parody movies, Postal, most drug based movies, and on and on.
I am not saying that some of those movies were not entertaining, because they damn were. I am saying that any medium that is now considered art has bad examples to prove said medium is art.
So in short games like School Shooter will smear the name of art as bad as those odd pieces of construction found in big cities, basically very little to no effect.
I am not saying that some of those movies were not entertaining, because they damn were. I am saying that any medium that is now considered art has bad examples to prove said medium is art.
So in short games like School Shooter will smear the name of art as bad as those odd pieces of construction found in big cities, basically very little to no effect.
Jim is DEAD ON
and also Jim is one of the few sane people on this planet
for more on this subject search for "dickwolves controversy"
The south park answer is "20 years" so we got a ways to go before columbine hits that mark.
and also Jim is one of the few sane people on this planet
I wish I could stop being offended by people being outraged at things that offend them, yes I know that is either hypocrisy or circular logic or possibly an oxymoron
for more on this subject search for "dickwolves controversy"
We replaced our normal angry Brit with one with more body mass. Let's see who notices...
Seriously, Jim's got alot of valid points. Though MovieBob's point about the tone of how a game is being exploitive (DNF is very tounge-in-cheek about it, while this thing sounds like something that... well, a troll made) is also valid. Honestly, the fact that I haven't heard of this thing until now seems to suggest I'm doing my job of not feeding the trolls.
Seriously, Jim's got alot of valid points. Though MovieBob's point about the tone of how a game is being exploitive (DNF is very tounge-in-cheek about it, while this thing sounds like something that... well, a troll made) is also valid. Honestly, the fact that I haven't heard of this thing until now seems to suggest I'm doing my job of not feeding the trolls.
A huge plethora of great arguments were made in this column. I anxiously await the next one. A bit disappointed that Yahtzee did not join in this week. Perhaps he is still hung up about Portal 2...
Jim raises some interesting point, but I find myself agreeing more with moviebob. Just because you are against censorship doesn't mean you should troll or you're deserving of awards for making a tasteless shooter...it's so juvenile...
I agree with Bob.At first I thought "damn some crappy mod is getting a lot of attention".Then when the drama started I was kinda thinking "they'd need to create a game equivalent to train up a school shooter".If it wasn't for all the outroar this could've been brushed off with a laugh and while Fox was going for the big news we could just laugh at them.
I don't really think anyone could make a game about school shooters if he believed games were the cause for those in the first place.We could've trolled so hard.Wasted opportunity :/
I don't really think anyone could make a game about school shooters if he believed games were the cause for those in the first place.We could've trolled so hard.Wasted opportunity :/
Scrumpmonkey said:
Basically this.
@James. If you read this, I would love to play your SPS idea!
My issue with the mod isn't its existence. It's its reason for being and treatment of the topic it's addressing. I myself have never played GTA or any games like it, but I think the reason why people don't mind killing defenseless NPCs in those games is because there has never been a similar incident in real life (Or at least not to my knowledge. Feel free to correct me.). We're not replicating any real life massacre that we know of or can remember.
The same cannot be said of this mod. We can think of two real life incidents off the top of our head. We remember the news coverage. I am assuming that we all were born prior to at least the Virginia Tech massacre. (Because if you weren't, you're four now at oldest.) This is not like our army games. Sure, those games replicate real life events, but you're playing as soldiers fighting against other soldiers, people who are not defenseless. The people in this mod are. The developer doesn't want it to be educational. He doesn't see the potential of video games as an art form. I almost get the sense that he feels it shouldn't be. He just wants his mod to be fun. If you don't believe me, check MovieBob's link. Replicating such horrific incidents should never be fun.
The same cannot be said of this mod. We can think of two real life incidents off the top of our head. We remember the news coverage. I am assuming that we all were born prior to at least the Virginia Tech massacre. (Because if you weren't, you're four now at oldest.) This is not like our army games. Sure, those games replicate real life events, but you're playing as soldiers fighting against other soldiers, people who are not defenseless. The people in this mod are. The developer doesn't want it to be educational. He doesn't see the potential of video games as an art form. I almost get the sense that he feels it shouldn't be. He just wants his mod to be fun. If you don't believe me, check MovieBob's link. Replicating such horrific incidents should never be fun.
Someone get the clapping Citizen Kane .gif!
NOW!
In all seriouness:
I agree that singling out School Shooter out of everything, when there are plenty other ones just as bad (KKK Race War, for one.). It shouldn't have become a big deal. But now that it has, the maker is going to get all sorts of undeserved attention. A lot will be negative, but no publicity is bad publicity.
The South Park example was a good one. And it also reminds me of the Taliban BS from before: nobody minded playing as terrorists until they used a slightly more topical name for them. But on the other hand, this particular guy is clearly just doing it for attention.
Good points all around. I'm eagerly awaiting the remainder of this conversation.
Once again I have to agree with Jim.
Anyone else think he should switch to written articles? The guy has (some) valid points, but he just doesn't work on screen.
Anyone else think he should switch to written articles? The guy has (some) valid points, but he just doesn't work on screen.
While I read this I actually thought of the opening cut-scene to Bulletstorm, and how the story would have been a lot more interesting if placed in artistic hands. You could make an emotionally engaging game where you think you're gunning down generic bad guys until it turns out you were manipulated into slaying innocents. However, I don't think People Can Fly or Epic Games are the right studio to accomplish such a thing.
Then again, there are a lot of gamers that weren't really disturbed by No Russian (Hell, I was more disturbed by the fact that I WASN'T disturbed by it). I know some have suggested that gamers are desensitized, but I wonder if the exposure to games has created such a rift between reality and fantasy that it makes it troublesome to feel the emotional impact of some games.
Then again, there are a lot of gamers that weren't really disturbed by No Russian (Hell, I was more disturbed by the fact that I WASN'T disturbed by it). I know some have suggested that gamers are desensitized, but I wonder if the exposure to games has created such a rift between reality and fantasy that it makes it troublesome to feel the emotional impact of some games.