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eden06 · 11-28-2006, 06:37 PM

Sorry for the length of that post, but I felt I should reply to the questions you asked.

I'd like to say that since playing this game I have come to know a lot of people who share a passion for gaming and it's ability to say things in a way no other medium can. I can say with all honesty that I have never perceived anything but good intentions from the maker of this game, or the people who enjoy discussing it. Regardless of whether as a gamer, you love or despise the concept of this game you currently have the trust placed in you, and the freedom to choose whether to play it or not, nobody has the right to take that away from you.

Gaming is an amazing medium, much like the Internet or any other interactive media, and we as gamers have a right to games that don't just cover the same old ground, but force discussion and foster debate, on subjects that we wouldn't normally touch, as this game clearly has. If this game was in any other form, a book, a movie, a documentary, then lovers of literacy, celluloid and factual accounts would have the right to enjoy it, and the authors ideas on the subject, without persecution.

We as gamers are intelligent people, with the same variety of tastes as any other subsection of society, and hopefully this game will eventually help the makers of games create new forms of story and prose, that don't just stick to the tried and tested cliché's that we have come to expect. To be honest I'm a bit sick of rescuing the princess.

I can't say that I agree with every decision that was made in the creation of the game, however I do feel that all people have the right to create art of any type, on any subject, without it being censored. History has a way of filtering true expression from that which is dumb and ill researched. This games presence in the media, both positive and negative is proof of that, when compared to “Super KKK Brothers” or similar garbage, had that game been spoken of in these forums, I doubt there would have been so many thoughts for and against.

The choice ultimately lies with the player, and no one else. How they interpret something can turn a potential priest into a potential Oklahoma bomber, a potential “Fatal1ty” into a potential Klebold and Harris, and a potential flamebait into a potentially constructive conversation, like this one, which I hope has given more people food for thought than just myself.

The gamer decides what games he plays, what games he makes, what he thinks of those games and how he discusses the content. It's either all okay or none of it is. We have a medium here that is both provocative in creating discussion on things a lot of us wouldn't talk about in day to day life, and causing us to think about things in a different way than any other medium. If something is acceptable to make a movie about then surely it is acceptable to make a game about, we each have the right to decide the role of that video game in our life. I personally feel this game has a right to exist in any form it's author deems suitable, and you as a gamer have the right to choose whether you condone it or not. I personally feel that the creator of this game has approached a difficult subject that I find tasteful, and provocative, and has been able back up his claims in making the game. If you don't then you have the right to make that decision for yourself.

I hope there are some people tracking this discussion who feel they would like to play this game and find out more about it, discuss it with the creator or simply look deeper into the possible causes of school violence. I don't care whether what you think about a game is positive or negative, but you have the right to choose to play whatever you want.

11-28-2006, 06:37 PM	#34 (permalink)
eden06 Upright	Sorry for the length of that post, but I felt I should reply to the questions you asked. I'd like to say that since playing this game I have come to know a lot of people who share a passion for gaming and it's ability to say things in a way no other medium can. I can say with all honesty that I have never perceived anything but good intentions from the maker of this game, or the people who enjoy discussing it. Regardless of whether as a gamer, you love or despise the concept of this game you currently have the trust placed in you, and the freedom to choose whether to play it or not, nobody has the right to take that away from you. Gaming is an amazing medium, much like the Internet or any other interactive media, and we as gamers have a right to games that don't just cover the same old ground, but force discussion and foster debate, on subjects that we wouldn't normally touch, as this game clearly has. If this game was in any other form, a book, a movie, a documentary, then lovers of literacy, celluloid and factual accounts would have the right to enjoy it, and the authors ideas on the subject, without persecution. We as gamers are intelligent people, with the same variety of tastes as any other subsection of society, and hopefully this game will eventually help the makers of games create new forms of story and prose, that don't just stick to the tried and tested cliché's that we have come to expect. To be honest I'm a bit sick of rescuing the princess. I can't say that I agree with every decision that was made in the creation of the game, however I do feel that all people have the right to create art of any type, on any subject, without it being censored. History has a way of filtering true expression from that which is dumb and ill researched. This games presence in the media, both positive and negative is proof of that, when compared to “Super KKK Brothers” or similar garbage, had that game been spoken of in these forums, I doubt there would have been so many thoughts for and against. The choice ultimately lies with the player, and no one else. How they interpret something can turn a potential priest into a potential Oklahoma bomber, a potential “Fatal1ty” into a potential Klebold and Harris, and a potential flamebait into a potentially constructive conversation, like this one, which I hope has given more people food for thought than just myself. The gamer decides what games he plays, what games he makes, what he thinks of those games and how he discusses the content. It's either all okay or none of it is. We have a medium here that is both provocative in creating discussion on things a lot of us wouldn't talk about in day to day life, and causing us to think about things in a different way than any other medium. If something is acceptable to make a movie about then surely it is acceptable to make a game about, we each have the right to decide the role of that video game in our life. I personally feel this game has a right to exist in any form it's author deems suitable, and you as a gamer have the right to choose whether you condone it or not. I personally feel that the creator of this game has approached a difficult subject that I find tasteful, and provocative, and has been able back up his claims in making the game. If you don't then you have the right to make that decision for yourself. I hope there are some people tracking this discussion who feel they would like to play this game and find out more about it, discuss it with the creator or simply look deeper into the possible causes of school violence. I don't care whether what you think about a game is positive or negative, but you have the right to choose to play whatever you want.