SCM Reloaded
April 6th, 2008 Ryan G.
Although I have already written my own inquiry response to SCMRPG, I can’t help but write more about it in comparison to JFK Reloaded. As brought up in class, I tried to identify which format would be most offensive for each game – RPG or FPS. This proved to be an interesting point for analysis as it required thought on the ways in which information is presented in each format. Nevertheless, it is my belief that SCMRPG would be more offensive in an FPS format whereas JFK Reloaded would have been more offensive in an RPG format.
I was quite thankful that Ledonne was “kind” enough to place an auto-action command in the “attack sequence” of the game. It actually allowed me the respite from having to think about awful things such as ammo conservation or the best way to dispatch a group of classmates, faculty and/or staff. But this begs the question of the morality of my actions in other videogames as well. I suppose that I simply never considered myself on the “wrong side” when killing anonymous aliens or attacking the look-alike insurgents from more recent games. Despite the fact that the kids portrayed in SCMRPG were the anonymous and stereotyped “jocks, popular, and church-going”, they were still kids. That kind of action sticks with you for a few days after playing it and honestly got me to walk away from my more violent videogames for a weekend.
As a result of being this disturbed simply from a cartoon-like representation of the killing of children, it can be assumed that performing these actions would only be worse if done in a perspective similar to Doom. Compared to a relatively abstract set of options, an FPS perspective would quite literally place the player in the head of Eric or Dylan. Instead of simply watching pieces of realia text appear on-screen, an FPS version of SCMRPG would likely involve the “actual” reproduction of a piece of documented evidence. As disturbing as this concept could potentially be – depending on how it is realized – it doesn’t even approach the taboo subject of slaying schoolchildren from an FPS perspective. As violent as the shooting of invading aliens or clearly-labeled terrorists is in an FPS, I honestly think that looking at a classmate and pulling the “trigger” would cross the politically-correct line for most of us.
On the other hand, JFK Reloaded would likely be worse as an RPG because it would effectively mock the assassination of a president. However, since the game is more of a game designer’s critique of the “official report” than a recreation for gamers’ enjoyment, it only makes sense as an FPS. In an RPG format, JFK Reloaded would really only be political commentary in that it would be a satire of the event. Rather than sparking debate based only on the game’s merit, JFK Reloaded “RPG” would probably succumb to the same game-surrounding controversy of SCMRPG. There’s also the fact that JFK Reloaded would be almost entirely infeasible as there is only one action-event which makes for poor skill building.
At any rate, as the formats of these “games” has not yet been reversed it is hard to know exactly what the public outcry would be. Moreover, it hard to know how offensive the “games” would actually be; of course, this also depends on the amount of time put into creating them. Still, it is important for videogames to tackle taboo issues if it is to be considered a legitimate art form so long as this task is approached tactfully. Perhaps then the public would relax somewhat about the media in which gamers choose to immerse themselves.
Entry Filed under: Game Log
2 Comments
1. Billy | April 9th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I agree that the format of the game can have an impact on how offensive a game can be. However the reason SCMRPG is more offensive than JFK Reloaded is more than just about the format of the game, I believe that it also about the intent of the game and the reason the game is made. While it makes it appear that it is like a game that many could find offensive, the intent of JFK Reloaded is to recreate a moment in history and to have a better understanding of what had happened. On the other hand, the intent of SCMRPG is to go into the minds of the killers to better understand why they did what they did. It goes beyond simply recreating a moment in history and finding out what happened, it attempts to discover why it happened by putting you into the mind of a killer. JFK Reloaded does not give you any knowledge of who the shooter was, what his motivation was, or in what psychological state he was in, it merely gives a way to understand a piece of history that many are still not sure of how it happened. SCMRPG is more about learning about the killers than it is about the actual events, the goal is not to recreate events exactly as they happened, but to explore the thoughts of killers, which creates the controversy. Even a book told from the perspective of Klebold and Harris, with their hatred and unsettling thoughts, could be nearly as offensive as the RPG. While SCMRPG would probably be more offensive and controversial than a book and a FPS would be even more offensive, the reason SCMRPG is more offensive than JFK Reloaded is that it tries to put you into the mind of the killer rather than just studying how an event happened.
2. hmalik1 | April 10th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I agree with you Billy about the fact that SCMRPG is MORE offensive than JFK Reloaded. But do you think that it is more offensive to the people in this class because of the fact that we were all teenagers in high school at one time? I think it is important to come back to the point of how video games relate to the personal side of someone. I don’t think I was offended at all by JFK Reloaded because I think it catered to a more scientific thought process than SCMRPG. It seemed no different than something that could be seen on CSI or some other crime-solving show where it would be important to retrace a murder. I don’t think anyone would be offended by the game if it was just some random shooting and not a former president. However, I am less affected by JFK Reloaded partly due to the fact that I wasn’t alive when he was assassinated. However, if there was a game that was made that had you assassinating Benazir Bhutto, I still wouldn’t be offended (and I’m Pakistani). I think the main difference really is how detached we are from JFK and Bhutto (and just like we are detached while playing Halo 3 or some other violent game). Whereas in SCMRPG, every one of us could have fit into some role in the game (the Jock, Popular Girl, etc). It catered to a more emotional thought process that doesn’t deal with aspects like the precise timing of a shooting or the different camera angles. It’s interesting that for all of the controversy behind SCMRPG, the game does not focus too much on the actual shooting/killing aspect of the game. I think that’s one of the main reasons why Ledonne gives the auto-action command. He doesn’t want the player to focus on camera angles and shooting range. He wants the player to focus on WHY there is shooting to begin with. Personally, I think he does a great job with it.