ModDB Shuts Down School Shooter Mod

[Neverhoodian]

I misread the title at first as "School Shooter Mod Shuts Down" and got my hopes up. While it turned out not to be the case, this is the next best thing.

The mod is extremely distasteful and Pawnstick continues to behave like a dick, so I don't blame ModDB in the slightest for pulling it from their list. I just wish there weren't so many morons who thought ModDB itself was responsible for the project in the first place.

 

[lacktheknack]

Once again, gaming flinches at the first threat of controversy.

I agree it was in poor taste, but there are plenty of films that are in poor taste, yet they reinforce the artistic freedom of the medium. (I'm looking at you, Inglourious Basterds.)

Ummm,the guy has publicly stated that his mod has no artistic merit whatsoever and is meant for the simple use of emulating shooting up your school.

When the maker himself claims his work isn't art, it's pretty freaking contrived to read artistic merit into it.

 

[Bretty]

I am glad this was taken down.

This is just as lame and pointless as Rapelay IMO.

Did you actually play Rapelay?
The story itself is no more than a 5 minute thing, after that it's just a sex simulator. Honestly if it wasn't for the title you'd never know.

This on the other hand is just pretty fucked up.

That was my point.

Read what I wrote.

"lame and pointless as Rapelay" - The school shooter is just more on the pointless side.

 

[DTWolfwood]

The mod being taken down is good, but the fact that Jack Thompson will now believe he was right is bad.

ditto!

he is gonna try to take credit for this too. D:<

 

[scottsteve]

Once again, gaming flinches at the first threat of controversy.

I agree it was in poor taste, but there are plenty of films that are in poor taste, yet they reinforce the artistic freedom of the medium. (I'm looking at you, Inglourious Basterds.)

What was in poor taste about Inglourious Basterds?
Was it the amazing cinematography or the awesome action? Or maybe you had a problem with the perfect pacing that compliments the suspense in certain scenes?

I'm super confused as to what was in poor taste.

 

[Sam17]

Hope it'll be available elsewhere, I think it's quite interesting personally, albeit crude

 

[xXDeMoNiCXx]

Indeed, if the kid wants people to play it then let him distribute it on his own so that he can take all the shit for it.

Also, since Gabe Newell never did do anything (not like he could) did Jack Thompson ever follow up on his threat?

How can he? He has no power anymore, the most he can do is egg his house. Besides people like him are just big bags of self-congratulating hot air so there's a better chance he may support video games than him actually following up on any of his lame threats.

 

[lacktheknack]

Am I the only one who wasn't offended by this? I mean, I couldn't even tell the game was a school-shooter-sim(or whatever you call it) after I saw the video. It was just a guy shooting NPC's from Half-Life 2 until some Combine came in and shot him. Maybe he changed it after the video, but come on. This is just false controversy.

He was in the middle of designing children and police to replace the NPCs, last I checked.

 

[shogunblade]

I really have to wonder, and I mean Really wonder, where was this shock and awe when a game like Postal 2 Came out (The Game, there hasn't been a sequel to the Uwe Boll Movie)? I am more bothered a game like that got released and this one just has the creator saying you can play a guy running around commiting School shootings for the inner psycho in all of us, when Running With Scissors basically released the same thing many years prior and all it has is offensive jokes and bad taste.

I wonder how many movies can be as "tasteless" as a video game and no one says anything. Also what about books, I'm sure there are books that can be just as tasteless.

Spoiler: Big Wall of Text

I think the issue on tastelessness is that it has to be sincere, as if the person making it really thought this was a good idea, and it also helps if it is funny. Look at any market of film and you will see Comedy is allowed to be as tasteless as it wants to be, but drama, not so much. I think if the guy who made the School Shooter Mod had something of a sense of humor (even if it was only funny to him), the shock wouldn't have been near as bad, but this guy made this with an intention of being absolutely serious.

Look up (actually, don't) any of those videogames made by White Supremacists (I don't have a name in front of me), they believe their agenda is so appropriate, that putting what they want in their games is a good idea (Like advertising about "Realistic Sounds" and putting the sound of a chimp screaming in place of a human scream), and it is more poor taste than an actual good idea. Mortal Kombat, on the other hand, has this really over the top sense of humor about itself and it is the reason why it was so big (and is coming out with Kratos as a fighter on the PS3 this year).

Big Difference in genre, but it all makes sense when you think about it. Even if Postal II was in bad taste, it meant to have a sense of humor about itself (Though nothing about it was funny) and it works for some people.

Also, I really hope ModDB will put the notice out now to say that Jack Thompson didn't have anything to do with this so he won't start bragging about it now.

 

[Chibz]

I fail to see what makes this mod any less legitimate than any other mod ever made.

I guess freedom of expression only counts if they say something you like.

 

[The Night Shade]

At least someone has morals

 

[Booze Zombie]

There's violent nature in all of us, but no one will ever admit it.
I'll probably get a response like "no, it's just you, leave me alone, for I am a perfect being".

 

[smut]

There is no such thing as free speech on a private site. ModDB can host or not host whatever it wants, no one says the mod can't be made. ModDB just said they won't be hosting it. The guy can host it on his own if he believes in it so much.

 

[Lucane]

And ModDB crumbles under pressure.

Just because someone supports free speech doesn't mean they have to let Hitler rent a room in their house to say he wants to commit Genocide again. Your aloud to have a negative opinion of it and if you own/run/take care of/etc. whatever you have the right to close/shutdown/discontinue the access.

Unless there's a contract/statement made prior saying you wave the rights forever or a set period amount of time to close any programs you just don't agree with or otherwise then it's not hypocritical.

 

[lacktheknack]

I fail to see what makes this mod any less legitimate than any other mod ever made.

I guess freedom of expression only counts if they say something you like.

It's still being made. And I support its release, thanks to freedom of expression.

However, freedom of expression =/= keep level headed about all material. I'm going to use MY freedom of expression to spew as much bile and hate as I feel is appropriate at it. Just because I think it should be released doesn't mean I have to like it... at all.

 

[lacktheknack]

Fecking double post failure.

 

[Dr_Steve_Brule]

That Pawnstick is a sick fuck IMHO

lol I know that guy from Facepunch, he's a total troll
I wouldn't believe a single word he says

 

[lacktheknack]

There's violent nature in all of us, but no one will ever admit it.
I'll probably get a response like "no, it's just you, leave me alone, for I am a perfect being".

My question: Why should we celebrate it?

 

[ProfessorLayton]

This isn't just a small controversy. This is something that no one should want to see. It's not just "this is in bad taste because it's a game", it's something that would be in bad taste in any medium.

I wouldn't want to watch a movie where some guy went on a shooting rampage in a school. I wouldn't even want to read a book about it or look at a painting of it. This isn't freedom of artistic expression, this is just completely crossing the line.

As gamers, we stand up for our medium when a game is harassed because of the medium it is. For example, when a war game is trying to portray a very specific battle with very specific people. In a movie, it would be acceptable, but in a game it would be controversial. This is where we stand up for games. But if it's something that no one would ever want to see in any situation EVER, then it's crossed the line.

Exactly. This is unacceptable, no matter how it's displayed. This could have been a sculpture and it still would have been offensive and terrible. Six Days in Fallujah got a ton of crap from the media when it didn't deserve it. We stood up for it because if it were a movie or a book, it would have been perfectly fine but because it was a video game, it was unfairly judged. That was an example of us doing right. But there is no medium in which this is appropriate. It's an embarrassment and the fact that anyone would want anything to do with this is disgusting.

 

[Lucane]

"We believe in the right to free speech, but we're going to go out of our way to stop them from saying this."

Above: Logic.

(For the record, I personally found the game to be interesting, but ultimately tasteless. I in no way was a "supporter" of it, but it still had the right to be made).

From what I've read no one is demanding it to never be released and destroyed they can either Host it themselves and shoulder the burden of any and all negative responses or find a new distributer that doesn't have an issue with the project.