columbinegame.com

In this blog-post I wish to highlight the terrible habit of ‘passing the blame’, in particular with regards to videogames being blamed for high school shootings such as Columbine and Virginia Tech. Videogames came under serious scrutiny in the aftermath of these massacres as did most other violent or seemingly influential pop culture fads of the time such as Marilyn Manson and Eminem. When ‘experts’ and others with opinions on the killings such as Jack Thompson, called for actions taken against any and all outlets of teenage culture that could have indirectly caused the shootings, videogames, especially those of the first person shooter type, seemed an easy scapegoat upon whom to pin the blame on. Thus ignoring the deep seeded psychological problems of the few individuals who attacked their peers and focusing on raining down accusations on games played by millions of teens and adults all over the world. Whilst the debate over the affect videogame violence has on the players is a long winded and ever-changing dispute, one cannot ignore the connection. It is causation that is still indeterminable. My personal opinion on the school shootings has always been that if in fact the killers did play violent videogames (the Virginia Tech shooter did not) then this is the a run off of the personality type that already existed within. Thus the videogames are not to blame, merely abused by the shooters to simulate what they were already planning in their twisted psyches. Whilst researching this blog I stumbled across a very controversial free RPG available on the internet. Players are able to act as either Eric or Dylan and recreate the Columbine High shootings. This game delves into the morning of April 20th 1999 and asks players to relive that day through the eyes of the killers. The game is not a sadistic role-play but seeks to deepen the understanding of the shootings and its possible causes. You can play the game and read about the controversy surrounding it at www.columbinegame.com.

Madeleine Simpson (3rd Post)