Inside the Sick Mind of a School Shooter Mod

[Vanbael]

Well, this will set the relationship between the mass media and video games back a few years. I seriously think that he does have a right to make it, but you know that it will have a bad reputation with the media. And I don't expect it to be good, looks kind of half assed on todays standards. And really a school? It sounds sadistic more or less, I would prefer the Modern Warfare 2 airport.

However this is really drawing a personal bias out of me. We all were gaming during highschool and when I was in highschool 2 school shootings took place and the Virginia Tech shooting to boot. The worse of the shootings the kid commited suicide at the end. In the other the shooter was actually captured and pleaded not guilty and used video games as a crutch to make him look mentally unstable. I'm just happy the jury never bought his story. Now after I see this, its like "Why?" I know its being made but I'm out to defend the image of gaming and this is not helping build a positive image of what gaming is. If Fox News catches wind of this, this might do it in. But I'm not saying "way to go asshole" until it actually happens and the worse case scenario takes place.
As for what it is, its just another stupid mod that I'll never play.

 

[Communist partisan]

It seriously sounds like.... fun, I have waiting for this moment for ages, being able to kill kids, in game of course and I find the hole point very amusing, I want this... now.

And why does everybody think they crossed the line?

because the tragedy is now relatable, and not just zombies, or forigners

That's just racist, specially against the zombies

 

[jakefongloo]

Seriously? Inside the "sick" mind of a school shooter mod? I'm guessing you're slightly biased against this guy.

I agree with most of his points. Not about why he wanted to make it, because that's just silly, but his answers to your questions. I mean, it was hilarious that people were going on about how they wanted to kill Jack Thompson and its brilliant that he sticks by his idea of what a game should be. He wants the game to be a mindless shooting game that's rude and offensive and where you kill people, and do you know what?

That is absolutely fine

More power to him. At least he's sticking by his ideals as a person, and these ideals aren't truly hurting anyone. The man gets a respect five from me.

Edit:

As a point of interest. I wonder how many of you would mind so much if it was shooting monsters for points before the big bad boss monsters killed you?

And as pointed out below, I wonder how many of you were ok with Call of Juarez but not ok with this?

The big word here is defenseless. That seems like a minenute reason but it's actually the biggest one. Monsters and gun wielding anybody are perfectly capable of fighting back. Shit even the cabala's hunting game the animals can run. This guy is very good at convincing people he should have no accountability for his actions.

 

[Okysho]

Just watched the gameplay video.

I still think the concept is completely sick, but that mod just looks fucking boring! You're gunning down civilians in a 2metre squared room. It borders on tedium rather than fun. I'm reminded of the pint-sized slasher in fallout 3 (which also got to me) where you have to chase them around and around trying to pick off the people in the street one by one. While fallout 3 had more context, and unless you knew the secret was practically the only way of getting out.

This is a display of nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not only is the simulated subject material sick, but it doesn't even provide fun like the developer claims. It's downright boring.

Make a mod about holding your own against a horde of metrocops that you're passing off as swat, and that'd make for a better game.

This is all a load of crap

 

[Karilas]

Gotta say I highly disagree with the sweeping blanket statement in the OP.

I for one am not even slightly offended by this mod. I am, however, offended at people assuming offence on my behalf.

Seriously though, this may well be a thoroughly despicable gaming experience to many, but to me it's just a game. I have no desire to shoot up a school, nor have I any real desire to play a school shoot-up simulator, still I kind of applaud the makers for their approach. While the tone of the interview was one of barely masked disgust and outrage, the answers provided were disarmingly forthright.

 

[xPixelatedx]

I don't see this mod actually doing any harm, aside from offending people.

It's not like someone is going to play this and then decide it would be cool to go on a school shooting. The people who do that are tormented and crazy individuals who snap under pressure. What about thoes study's that said people who commit acts of violence in games are less likely to do them in real life? I wonder if something like this might actually help appease those with the initial spark to vent their frustrations about their school's and peers before they actually get frustrated enough to go on real killing sprees. I mean, let's be honest, many of us have vented our roadrage it GTA?

I will also state I do not like this mod and I don't want it to exist, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't. Honestly aren't we getting into territories involving 'thought police'? Where does that actually start and end?

And hey, it could be even worse. You could be using a chainsaw and grinding your way through maternity ward's across the country while being rewarded on how stylish your slaughter is.

The big word here is defenseless. That seems like a minenute reason but it's actually the biggest one. Monsters and gun wielding anybody are perfectly capable of fighting back. Shit even the cabala's hunting game the animals can run. This guy is very good at convincing people he should have no accountability for his actions.

You do know goombas are kind of defenseless to, right? The pedestrians in GTA? The Moas in Halo Reach? The moas don't always run, sometimes they just stand there and you still get an achievement for killing them needlessly.

 

[The Hungry Samurai]

If this guy really wanted anything more than to troll the gaming community he'd have no problem revealing his true identity. He has the right to make this but I hope who he really is gets found out, and then I hope the entire community from players, to developers and distributors all blacklist the hell out of him worse than Ewe Boll.

 

[lacktheknack]

So THIS is where the "games are not art" road leads? Consider me a pretentious games-are-art fag then. (Note: Yes, I have actually been called this. I'm now officially proud of it.)

But the dev had a point, they really aren't art- it's all the same trash these days hiding behind less controversial subject material.

Things like this need to happen. Society needs to get to a point where either everything is ok, or nothing is ok. Meaning people finally stop blaming things like crazy kids and/or bad parents on death metal and violent video games.

The need to defend gaming will never go away otherwise. Not until something makes us take a good hard look at it, instead of just using it as a bullshit political football.

I disagree with both points.

1. If you truly haven't played any games you would consider art, you need to expand your horizons (The Path? Myst? What "same old trash"?)

2. Society needs to get to a point where everything is OK or nothing is? That doesn't even make sense.

 

[ProtoChimp]

That, that... that made way too much sense. I agree this is fucked up and one is well within their right to say it's fucked up but on the other hand some of the stuff he says is really, reeeaaally insightful and intelligent... FUCK I am so FUCKING TORN *sigh*

One thing I can say with complete confirmation is that this guy is an uncaring dick.

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 is wrong with that guy. How can you not be affected by the quakes in Haiti and how can you say "the victims were victimized" like they were the bad guys- THEY WERE FUCKING KILLED ASSHOLE, OR HAD A CLOSE FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND TAKEN AWAY. Even if the victims did do something horrible THEY DIDN'T DESERVE TO FUCKING DIE, and considering that quite a few innocent people were still killed as well just proves how fucked it was even more so than those who some may think "deserved it". Oh and "overplayed the evil shooters"... THEY FUCKING KILLED PEOPLE DUDE THEY'RE NOT THE GOOD GUYS IN THIS FUCKING NO ONE IS THE GOOD GUY IN THIS! Not the shooters, not the victims, fucking no one.

His reasoning and motives are generally sound and their are some things here that make a lot of sense. But really all I think he's doing is trying to offend people, thus making his mod popular and get noticed by people and he's hiding behind free speech as a shield, I believe in free speech but this is just trying to ofend people.

I'm going to go slightly off topic here but I have a point to this.
Perhaps this is a weak shitty comparison but it makes sme think of some(JUST SOME DEFINATELY NOT ALL BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT ARE HARD WORKING) some immigrants who go into a country, then take advantage of their tolerance and do whatever they fucking please, and when someone calls them out on it they cry "racism". I'm not racist but I can tell the difference between "foreigner who wants to earn his wage" and "foreigner who just sponges of tolerance". Oh and anyone who does call me a racist is, if you allow me to quote Yahtzee, a knee jerk lemon scented pussy wipe.
I'm using this as an example because like they take advantage of tolerance and cry racism to anyone who calls them out on it, he's taking advantage of free speech and making this fucked game then crying "ignorance" when it OBVIOUSLY offends people. And the sad thing is people are going to say I'm wrong for saying he's wrong, *sigh* fuck this. I'm going to go play FF13, JUST AS ANOTHER REASON TO BE HATED.

 

[chris89300]

This is some hilarious news.

The guy has valid points. The mod might also be ironic. As a few pointed out, would anyone make a big deal out of it if instead of kids, the "victims" would be let's say aliens? Or monsters? Or even human adults? Of course not, everyone loves GTA.

Even in other games, sometime you kill eggs ... UNBORN CHILDREN. Yet, no one gives a shit about it.

See my point?

Not yet? Thing is, people are looking for meaning where there is none, or close to none. Sure, you murder innocents all day long in GTA and a lot of other games, but when it comes to kids, it's a catastrophe?

No, it's not. It's just a game, same as all other games were before it, JUST GAMES.

My god, people, don't you realize you're basically butt-fucking the freedom of speech? You demand it, but yet, it offends you?


People who actually get offended by this mod should go to China, they won't have anything offensive there.



And get this: Most people that get shot at in school are actually little bastards that bully the weak. Some kids just can't take it anymore and go nuts, just like all the kids that commit suicide instead of going on a killing spree. See the pattern there?


Do they commit suicide because they've played too many "violent" games or because they're constantly harassed by their asshole, badly raised classmates?

Obviously because of the harassment they get. Have ya ever heard of a popular kid, like a cheerleader or a jock go on a killing spree? I haven't, or at least not yet.

This kind of judgment against "violent" games is insulting on so many levels.

Yes, I am defending the mod, because, if ya use basic logic ... it's just another violent game in an ever-increasing list of them.

 

[DTWolfwood]

So he wants to martyr himself for all the anti-violent videogame pundits out there.

"let me make a game that is the epitome of everything that these critics say is wrong with videogaming so that they can use it to support the view point i also agree with"

the man's logic stream is fucked up if he isn't setting himself up as some kind of Martyr.

Hope whatever website he posts this mod to gets voted down to nothingness. relegated to obscurity like so many terrible terrible mods.

 

[boyvirgo666]

i almost agreed with him but his position about all games being shoot em ups is wrong and incredibly shallow. his right to make the mod is unquestionable but what he says is just vain.

 

[Dogstile]

Seriously? Inside the "sick" mind of a school shooter mod? I'm guessing you're slightly biased against this guy.

I agree with most of his points. Not about why he wanted to make it, because that's just silly, but his answers to your questions. I mean, it was hilarious that people were going on about how they wanted to kill Jack Thompson and its brilliant that he sticks by his idea of what a game should be. He wants the game to be a mindless shooting game that's rude and offensive and where you kill people, and do you know what?

That is absolutely fine

More power to him. At least he's sticking by his ideals as a person, and these ideals aren't truly hurting anyone. The man gets a respect five from me.

Edit:

As a point of interest. I wonder how many of you would mind so much if it was shooting monsters for points before the big bad boss monsters killed you?

And as pointed out below, I wonder how many of you were ok with Call of Juarez but not ok with this?

The big word here is defenseless. That seems like a minenute reason but it's actually the biggest one. Monsters and gun wielding anybody are perfectly capable of fighting back. Shit even the cabala's hunting game the animals can run. This guy is very good at convincing people he should have no accountability for his actions.

What, he should be held accountable? For what exactly? Making a mod, that he isn't selling, isn't putting it on shelves and aside from the news sites making a fuss, didn't advertise greatly that he was doing it.

Also, I never said the monsters could fight back. Nice one for assuming though.

I wonder if this person works for the EA marketing dept.

Considering this is on valves engine being released for free, I would say not.

 

[deleted_scifidownbeat]

DELETED

 

[Trolldor]

We play Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, and even pretentious yet ultimately unfulfilling games like Myst.

Wait... So, CoD and WoW are somehow fulfilling, yet a puzzle-solving game with a storyline isn't? Okay, sure.

You COMPLETELY MISSED the meaning.
Which I am not surprised because of how often it happens.

Go back and read it slowly and you'll realise I'm equating the three.

 

[duchaked]

admittedly I laughed out loud when I read the game's title...and yeah it's still horrible of him

but at the same time he made some good points about society:

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.

sad...but true (for a lot of the world we live in, we see it on TV and say "ohh that sucks" but then we forget about it)

and this just made me laugh too, tho only at it's ridiculousness:

We're also in the process of writing catchy one-liners that the player will spout just before ending his life.

really? no he can't be serious...ohhh but he is

 

[Hells High]

Oh come on. You're not seriously comparing a school shooting simulation to GTA, MW2 and Kane and Lynch, are you? Alright, let's debunk that nonsense now:

Oh come on. You're not seriously calling this a simulation are you? I see basic source engine mapping with some new weapons and a few bits of code. Hardly a simulation, when you shoot one of the NPCs with a shotgun and it falls down into ragdoll with a gigantic blood splatter all over the wall. Seems more akin to Postal.

Also, by your logic, if the creator was to ACTUALLY put the settings, characters, and back story of a bunch of school shooters it would "tell an unflinching story of true crime and believable, irredeemable characters"? By the way you can't just "omit" a game from a franchise (GTA4) in order to make your point.

***Note, I love all of those games and am not attacking them personally. I get all of your points and agree 100% but I'm still just trying to prove MY point as well. Also worth noting is that I am probably one of the nicest people most people I know IRL have met. I am generous, kind, caring, and loving. I may be 6'5 but I wouldn't hurt a fly unless that fly happened to threaten me or anyone I care about. I play shooters. I quite enjoy shooters. I play incredibly violent games and watch movies of the like. However, the values instilled in me by competent parenting have shown me the very basic fundamentals of right and wrong and what is okay in real life and what is not. As Pawnstick said, to cite a video game as the only influence in such actions is absurd, and I am literally living proof.

Maybe if this game had:

-Some advanced character animation systems like the Euphoria engine (characters react realistically using physics based on impacts)
-Horrifying death screams + cringe inducing pain sounds (ever play the flash game Happy Wheels?)
-Procedural damage to characters/environments
-Animations like the MW2 airport sequence where NPS squirm around in pools of blood trying to get away from the players

ETC ETC

I could understand why someone would call it a simulation. Honestly, if the game was as I described above I would not support it (though admittedly I would probably play it to see what all the buzz was about). However in its current state you might as well open up HL2 Hammer editor, place a few NPC's, and walk around shooting them. I am not trying to directly disagree with anyone who doesn't support it and thinks its sick, but merely produce counter-points to show another side of the argument.

EDIT:: The argument against his "preventative" stand is one I support. You have to be very morally and psychologically unstable to need to fill a "killing void" with video games. Even then, criminal behavior is proven to only escalate; looking for the new "high" if you will.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

*excellent points have been snipped*

I agree that "simulation" was a poor choice of words. Obviously it is just a mod, and more than a little arcadey. Actually, I omitted GTA4 because I think the gritty GTA is kinda... Offensive. I haven't played the game, so I can't really comment on it, but it seems not very classy for a game to trivialize realistically-presented violence as a game. And I think GTA4 kinda tries to go for both wacky fun and gritty crime drama, a balance which quite frankly doesn't work-you need to go for one or the other. Crackdown or Kane and Lynch, not both.

I'm probably the last person who would argue video games promote violent behavior (especially since I just finished a session of Enslaved where I did nothing but stick my staff up robot bums while grimacing), but I think games like this add fuel to the fire without presenting a sufficient reason for why they should exist. I'll fight for something controversial and bold if the artistic vision behind it is unique and presented effectively. I'd support a totally realistic depiction of the Columbine Massacre if the intention was to educate and present some kind of thesis.

Movies like Se7en, Fight Club and Apocalypse Now aren't "enjoyable" in the way Smoking Aces, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings are, but I believe they deserve to exist regardless of their content because they have something to say. I'm just not getting that from this mod, or the modder. He seems like the kind of guy who'd play Hitman just to randomly kill people, completely missing the important stuff, like the predator/prey dichotomy and weight of each innocent death on the player.

Of course he has a right to create whatever he wants, and your points are well taken. Still, I have no plan to play his game and hope anti-game lobbyists won't use this as fuel.

 

[SteewpidZombie]

This game is perverse, sick, and twisted. No matter how anyone could try and justify this, it just isn't right in anyway, shape, or form. I can understand fictional games using fictional scenarios where random violence can be tolerated (Fallout, GTA, Postal, Saints Row), but those games are all pure fiction and have such a unrealistic tone that it can be easily waved off (I doubt that firing a rocket launcher at a pileup of police cars, or slashing through wastelanders with a flaming katana is going to happen often if at all). Plus in those games it is OPTIONAL to do such acts of violence, yet this game's SOLE purpose is the gunning down of students and teachers at a school?

This mod is a sick creation of a sick mind. This is based around non-fictional events that non-fictionally happen around the world. Aside from obviously harming or offending people who have been affected in real life by such events, this game is glorifying such violence for points. Mods such as this, and the laws protecting it's sick creators, are the exact reason that videogames are being scrutinized and watched by the world. This mod alone could be responsible for setting back videogame respect, rights, and global view by several years to those who already look unfavorably upon the medium.

If anything I believe that someone should start a petition to prevent the release of this mod, even if it is their 'Right' to make this mod, that doesn't mean that they should be allowed to. I don't like when judges or courts get involved with videogame related cases (as most are for stupid reasons), but for once I advocate and encourage someone if ANYONE to preventing this mod from being released. The thing that disturbs me the most, is that if such a sick concept of a mod is allowed to be released, why should we even bother trying to defend videogames as being anything more than mindless garbage (basically proving that all the negative critics are right about our enjoyed medium).

 

[GotMalkAvian]

You COMPLETELY MISSED the meaning.
Which I am not surprised because of how often it happens.

Go back and read it slowly and you'll realise I'm equating the three.

Okay. My apologies.