Inside the Sick Mind of a School Shooter Mod

[Chrinik]

BTW, I don´t find it in anyway insulting when I compare it to things like the Concentration Camp Manager...someone would have to try REALY hard to beat that one in terms of offensiveness.

 

[Eldarion]

How did you feel when you personally heard about Columbine or the Virginia Tech shootings?

I think the media tried to cover it in a way that made the events more dramatic than they actually were. Even in my younger age, I saw right through most of it. The way the news victimized the victims and overplayed the evil of the shooters disgusted me more than the actual shootings themselves. The fact of the matter is, I never knew any of the victims, or anybody else who attended the schools. It affected me as much as hearing about the quakes in Haiti. Which is to say, not very much at all.

Saw right thru the government/media hype did he? So what those body counts all made up? The news victimized all those people who lost children to totally avoidable violence?

This guy is a massive tool.

 

[samsonguy920]

This is just wrong in so many levels and will do nothing to justify any sort of point he may be trying to make, as wrongheaded as it all is.
I speak as someone whose best friend was involved in a school shooting. He survived but he still carries emotional scars from it. As I would.

 

[TheNewDemoman]

Look I get freedom of speech it is necesary and I love it.

But sometimes you gotta think, "Hmmm is this in good taste." The answer.... NOOOO!!.

What's next,
Nazi simulator where you torture jews?
KKK, where you lynch black people?
Pedophile Simulator, after all freedom of speech.

There is a line, and he has crossed it, should be stopped no. Should the community tell him to stop yes.

 

[MinishArcticFox]

You're right the Escapist, this is what is going to convince the public that games are "evil". Not EA and all the shit it's done, or people that stand on their soap box and preach the "evils" of the GTA series; it's going to be this, a low profile mod that, as the creator mentioned, has the potential to prevent shootings.

We've all saved and then proceeded to murder the entire unarmed population of Freeside, or take turns passing the controller around the room as we mow down sidewalks packed with civilians in Liberty City, but when someone puts that setting in a school it becomes worse than Satan. Everyone gets frustrated from time to time and I'm sure that many of us have taken out our rage on a game (me included) so why would a game that helps someone do that be bad? While tragic a relatively small number of people die in school shootings especially when compared to WW2 which the gaming industry has made plenty of games about.

Just because you find the concept offensive doesn't mean that it's not okay for someone to make a game about it. Plenty of people found putting the Taliban in a game to be offensive but many of you said that was fine this just crosses your morals so you don't like it.

A key part of the development of any art form or creative work is authorial intent, even if the intent is for the piece to have no visible purpose that still counts as an intent. The intent of the developer of this game is to make school shootings fun, or rather to use the scenario as grounds for "entertainment". You ask what's the difference between this mod and AAA titles like MoH? EA stated that MoH was intended to pay homage to the soldiers serving overseas, they mightn't have done a good job but that was what they were aiming for. Furthermore I doubt the developers of those other games you cited had the sole intent of making pointless slaughter entertaining, they may have offered you the opportunity to do so but that's by no means similar to what this modder is doing.

This modder is instilling a reward system designed to make the mass murder of children fun and that is his sole purpose. No message, no deliberate shock value, just fun. I personally believe this course of action is morally wrong and in breach of the International Game Developer's code of ethics namley "As individual developers, we commit that we will: 1.continually strive to increase the recognition and respect of the profession..." . While that code is not legally binding and is volountary it indicates that this modder has strayed from what a normal developer would consider tasteful or beneficial for the medium and industry.

Furthermore from the screenshots all I can say is that game looks like arse and that shooting things that only run away from you in such a bland and horribly thought out environment will be a chore rather than a cathartic remedy for disturbed individuals.

First of all thank you for disagreeing and being civil something I personally failed at.

Secondly I have to admit I had never thought of it from that point of view and from that point of view you are correct. However I do think that the game has some use, as he mentioned in the interview this has the chance to relieve stress and potentially prevent these events from happening. It may also hammer home the point to some people that school shootings are horrible and if you think someone is going to commit one you should report them.

However your original point still stands that his intent is to make slaughter of children fun which I agree is awful. But it does have a chance to do some good (and I agree it does look like arse).

 

[bushwhacker2k]

Actually a surprisingly intriguing article. At first I was like, damn. Whoever made this only did it to piss people off but now it seems like he may have been trying to make an actual point.

I do disagree that games are all immature thoughtless fun though, I think that's just how most are. I don't dislike that kind of game, really, I loved Saints Row 2, but at the same time I really believe games can evolve as a medium and actually be more meaningful.

---

Also, I agree that games can impact people, but that enforces my belief that games can teach beneficial things and actually be meaningful.

I am also of the belief that this game will be utterly incapable of making anyone go to a school and shoot people. If a person was already willing to go to a school and shoot people, I think this game will either make no difference or maybe even make them less likely to go out and kill people.

I'm also of the belief that people need to get over being offended most of the time, when does it ever help? I dislike it when I, myself, become offended, because it's a waste of time and just clouds my judgment of what's actually being said.

 

[squidbuddy99]

The mere fact that this man defends his creating a game that attempts to turn school shootings into a form of entertainment makes me sick to my very core. I am fully convinced that there is a damp, dark void of nothingness where his soul should be. I admit, gaming isn't a peaceful medium by any means, but there are lines no sensible person should cross, even for games.

 

[Tdc2182]

I love how you assume I think i'm being a hero by defending his right not be told that he can't mod a game in his own free time.

- which is about shooting up a school based upon real school shootings that happened.

Kinda forgot a few key words there, didn't you?

Yeah, so?

I fail to realise how this affects the victims of the shootings. I fail to realise how this affects anyone except knee jerk reactionists.

At the moment, this would include you, just so you know. Take a step back and think "Does this actually hurt anyone" then tell me i'm wrong again. Because I doubt anyone directly affected by this will be shown it unless someone links them.

Knee jerk reactionalists aren't a thing. Especially seeing how reactionalist isn't a word.

Who's affected by this? Think about this website. Go look at a thread about school bullying. See the amount of people who say if they could get back at their tormentors.

Their affected.

This is no doubt gonna hit the news, they are gonna get the blame. I'm sorry, but I very much dislike insensitive people. It is one thing not to care. Another to disregard humanity entirely.

 

[awsome117]

No offense, but some of the posts here are (in my view) are worse than the game. Remember when we described things to friends as "oh it's just a game" or "it's only a game, calm down" etc etc.

Come on, there are FAR worse games out there. Bulletstorm anyone? Hell, look at most FPS games. They take war, a gruesome and terrible place to even think about, and we play it like it is a game! So everyone, step back for a minute, and look at gaming as a whole, then come back to reality (the irony is funny so laugh!)

anyway, I couldn't play a game like this, I would get bored so fast. I mean, it's fun for a few minutes, but if they don't challenge me, it gets so boring. Oh well, I guess someone would enjoy it.

 

[GeeksUtopia]

Oh god, this is sick twisted stuff, I mean I play dead space, Run like hell, doom. I mean games like Grandtheft auto is pushing that narrow line, this game has no kind of merits

 

[Brian Hendershot]

Well, looks like this dude succeeded in pretty much offending everyone.

 

[AngryFrenchCanadian]

The mere fact that this man defends his creating a game that attempts to turn school shootings into a form of entertainment makes me sick to my very core. I am fully convinced that there is a damp, dark void of nothingness where his soul should be. I admit, gaming isn't a peaceful medium by any means, but there are lines no sensible person should cross, even for games.

I bet you know what that line would be? FYI, the "game" you play is still Half-Life 2, just with a different name, with some of the textures and level design swapped. That's what we call a "mod" and this guy doesn't have a "damp, dark void of nothingness where his soul should be" as he's just a massive, massive troll who played 5 minutes with the Source Engine SDK before claiming having created a "mod" for it. He's an idiot, but far from being a "sick bastard" as some might claim. It's scary, how quick people are to judge without looking at the circumstances.

 

[MR T3D]

Well, looks like this dude succeeded in pretty much offending everyone.

except for the people who know he's just making it to get a reaction, and as such is more funny than anything.

 

[AngryFrenchCanadian]

Well, looks like this dude succeeded in pretty much offending everyone.

Basically, yes. That was his only goal, and everyone gladly helped him reach it.

God dammit, how easy it is for a guy to get this amount of attention just because he has a cheap juicy news story that anyone can use, both the gaming and mainstream press, even though what he created can barely be called a mod. It's akin to the amount of attention PETA receives, even though they don't do shit.

 

[Hells High]

Signed up because of this thread.

To all of the people saying how sick and twisted it is: Ever play Grand Theft Auto? You can shoot innocent people, cops, and have sex with hookers. How about Modern Warfare 2? You run into an airport with a heavy machine gun and shoot innocent Russian citizens. Hell, there are pools of blood everywhere and you can execute people as they attempt to crawl away. Kane & Lynch? Rob banks, kill hostages, cops, etc etc.

My point is, you guys attack this mod and say how sick and twisted the devs are, yet you overlook the already mainstream examples which are 100x worse than this. All of the NPC models are adults anyway, its not like you are actually shooting a small child onscreen.

Consider all sources before blatantly shooting off your cannons.

PS

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZqrG1bdGtg

 

[Drake_Dercon]

I watched the trailer and I admit, I was completely unfazed by the violence (images of the seal hunt are actually fairly low on my mental disturb-o-meter, so that isn't saying much). That's not to say it wasn't completely sickening and terrifying. They just kind of... stood there... waiting to die. I hope this mod is as depraved and unsatisfying as it looks. If the dev wants legitimate arguments against his game, I have five:

1.

In SS:NAT2012 suicide is just a fancier way of ending your run through the level. If you're backed up into the corner and you have no ammo or something like that, instead of just getting shot until you die you can choose to end your life with your currently equipped weapon, and every weapon will have its own unique first person animation. If you have a pistol equipped you put the gun into your mouth or if you have a grenade you can blow yourself up. We're also in the process of writing catchy one-liners that the player will spout just before ending his life.

That whole concept is the catchphrase accompanying the metaphorical gun you have placed to the games industry's head. What you have done cannot be accepted or even dismissed on a large scale until games make significant progress. Until then, you only serve to push back that progress, hurting everyone.

2.

That mentality is precisely the kind which SS:NAT2012 is meant to appeal to. Hard as it may be for some to admit it, we all enjoy driving over NPCs and firing into crowds in GTA.

No, it is not. I enjoyed toying with random civilians in games like Prototype and Infamous. This looked dissatisfying and appearing to be directly linked to psychopathy. Not a player's, yours.

3.

I think the media tried to cover it in a way that made the events more dramatic than they actually were. Even in my younger age, I saw right through most of it. The way the news victimized the victims and overplayed the evil of the shooters disgusted me more than the actual shootings themselves. The fact of the matter is, I never knew any of the victims, or anybody else who attended the schools. It affected me as much as hearing about the quakes in Haiti. Which is to say, not very much at all.

What the FUCK?

The shooters had problems, true. Problems which people should have recognized and gotten them help for. But that doesn't mean that they didn't kill more than one person on the same day. This is the 21st century and it is not soldiers fighting against a clear enemy. It is one teenager killing his/her classmates, who (for all we know) had no intention of killing anyone else. For that matter, I'd like to review the last point. GTA is not--repeat: NOT-- a simulation or representation of real-life events. This is a representation of a reality with no villains involved. It is not an epic, nor is it blown out of proportion to defy the concept of realistic representation. Yours is a game about the systematic murder of innocents. This is no longer the crude plaything you make it out to be.

4.

Failing that check, however, I guess one of our intents with the game is to make it it's own sort of exclusive experience: That any angst-ridden kid who has the idea in his head to shoot up his school, who ends up playing the game, finds it amusing enough of a substitute that it keeps them from doing it in real life.

That makes sense only in a naïve sort of way. The thing is, there's no substitute for murder and your mod certainly doesn't come close. It's also not a vitamin. I don't need my vitamin M so much that I have to supplement it, and the average public doesn't have a deficiency. People liable to kill are not going to get hooked on your game and stop themselves. THAT IS CONCEITED AND NARROW-MINDED.

On the other hand, if you showed the inhumanity of the whole thing, I might be able to believe you. Not because it's believable, but because it's more so than the other option. It also has the bonus of portraying the wrongness of murder, something that games don't do often enough. Also, it's naïve in a good way.

5.
And of course, the icing on the cake:

Because that's exactly what games are. The media is right to dismiss games as "bang-bang shoot 'em ups" and "murder simulators," because at their core, that is exactly what most games boil down to. Take Bulletstorm, for example: It is pretty much the full embodiment of what the media assumes games to be. It's humor is crude, it's writing is dumb, and it's gameplay is ultra-violent. And that is exactly what makes it so appealing, not only to adults, but also to kids.

With all the excruciating coverage that came with the Wii and the Kinect - complete with television hosts flailing their arms and legs around like idiots trying to play baseball and jumping in rafts - the myth that all games revolve around violence has been thoroughly debunked. The media understands now that games are aimed at specific audiences. They also know as well as we gamers do that kids do manage to get their hands on violent games. It's their responsibility as sensationalists to discuss how kids inevitably get their hands on games they shouldn't be playing, and how said games have the potential to corrupt them.

I have a friend that thinks like you. He's a prick.

Games are not murder simulators in reality. Games are overblown and over-the-top or emotionally evocative (or trying to be), sometimes both. They try at least to demonstrate that they aren't hate devices at their core (mainly through being silly about it, like bulletstorm). They are not an attempt to re-create horrific events of the past. A good game is not created with a known risk of emotional trauma, to create a game in order to place a general "Fuck you" note on society's face is, while commendable, a bad idea in this situation.

Just because you responded to this thread:

Signed up because of this thread.

To all of the people saying how sick and twisted it is: Ever play Grand Theft Auto? You can shoot innocent people, cops, and have sex with hookers. How about Modern Warfare 2? You run into an airport with a heavy machine gun and shoot innocent Russian citizens. Hell, there are pools of blood everywhere and you can execute people as they attempt to crawl away. Kane & Lynch? Rob banks, kill hostages, cops, etc etc.

My point is, you guys attack this mod and say how sick and twisted the devs are, yet you overlook the already mainstream examples which are 100x worse than this. All of the NPC models are adults anyway, its not like you are actually shooting a small child onscreen.

Consider all sources before blatantly shooting off your cannons.

PS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZqrG1bdGtg

That game was, as I defined earlier, is attempting to be both over-the-top (i.e. beyond the realm of believability) and emotionally compelling (that'd be dead island). Your mod is neither. The same with all the other games you mentioned (although they do stray dangerously close to that line, which is why I don't make a habit of playing them, on principle). They are not an attempt to re-create the horrible event of a school shooting (except CoD, because the existence of that series is objectionable in nature), they are an attempt to create fun and they use unbelievability to fulfill that. Until one of your police officers has a lightsaber, I will find your mod to be crossing the line of acceptability, because it strays far to close to an attempt at actual realism, without the moral catch of say... the guilt of killing the 20+ people in that room.

 

[BreakdownBoy]

This guy is fucking nuts!!! It is shit like this that give games a bad rep.

 

[Brian Hendershot]

Well, looks like this dude succeeded in pretty much offending everyone.

Basically, yes. That was his only goal, and everyone gladly helped him reach it.

God dammit, how easy it is for a guy to get this amount of attention just because he has a cheap juicy news story that anyone can use, both the gaming and mainstream press, even though what he created can barely be called a mod. It's akin to the amount of attention PETA receives, even though they don't do shit.

Well, looks like this dude succeeded in pretty much offending everyone.

except for the people who know he's just making it to get a reaction, and as such is more funny than anything.

Regardless of why he is doing it, he is going to draw a lot of unneeded negative attention to the game industry. Which is BAD.

Also, this is off topic but I heard PETA kills more Animals then they save. Is that true? I could see it being true...

Is there nothing sacred left in this world?!

 

[AngryFrenchCanadian]

Signed up because of this thread.

To all of the people saying how sick and twisted it is: Ever play Grand Theft Auto? You can shoot innocent people, cops, and have sex with hookers. How about Modern Warfare 2? You run into an airport with a heavy machine gun and shoot innocent Russian citizens. Hell, there are pools of blood everywhere and you can execute people as they attempt to crawl away. Kane & Lynch? Rob banks, kill hostages, cops, etc etc.

- Snip -

Didn't you know? You can't criticize the heavy-weights like Rockstar or Activision! Apparently, when a game has so much support from their fans and have a multi-million dollars PR team the game suddenly has a "higher" purpose and are untouchable! People don't like it when we hate on their favourite games! On the other hand, it's much easier to viciously attack modder and independent teams because they lack support regardless of how relevant the message in the game they develop is!

 

[PrinceofPersia]

I wouldn't ban or delete this game, He has the damn right to create a game like this to tackle on the problems of the society. Or is it banned to point flaws in western civilization? Is it the 2nd Cold war again, but this time we are missing 2nd party in it.

There is the flaw of your argument. He didn't make the game to tackle the problem he just created because he wanted an entertaining, functional, non-buggy school shooting game. He and his friends could have built a message into the mechanics, they could have put something in the game to give it some depth, but instead they went for the shallow crass end of the
pool. That is why both him and his buddies get an epic fail.

I wouldn't call them fail, they had balls to do something that this far no one has done. Would you had the balls to do something like this?

Any idiot that can hold a brush straight can paint a scene of violence and gore that doesn't make them avant guard or having big balls. The same applies here, this selfish and apathetic douche has made nothing that contributes to human advancement or understanding, and while he can do it he, and his creation, shouldn't be praised for it but ignored.