Tag: Entertainment

  • A tout le monde

    A tout le monde

    Megadeth defends music Dawson College gunman loved:

    I am a huge Megadeth fan. I didn’t even know that Kimveer Gill had referenced one of my favorite Megadeth songs in his lunatic ravings. I was pissed when I found out. I can only imagine how pissed Dave Mustaine was…

    In his blog posted on vampirefreaks.com, Gill, who described himself as a huge Megadeth fan, had singled out the song À Tout le Monde, urging others to listen to it. He wrote in his blog that the song helped convince him to go on his shooting rampage that killed one and injured 19.

    Megadeth likes to perform the song À Tout le Monde in Montreal because the title and lyrics are in French, Mustaine said in an interview before the concert.

    The song’s chorus says: “A tout le monde/ A tous les amis/ Je vous aime/ Je dois partir,” which means: “To everyone/ To all my friends / I love you / I have to leave.”

    Mustaine was deeply offended when he found out Gill referred to the song in his online plans for Dawson.

    “I was so angry that this guy would use my song, and that he would try and turn that beautiful song into something ugly and nasty,” he said. The singer wrote the song about his mother, who died when Mustaine was young. “I had a dream that she came back to me, and said ‘I love you.’ That’s the whole song.”

    The song is in memory of the living, Mustaine explained. “It’s for those who lost their lives, and it’s a gift to those who are in the process of healing.”

    There was no question in Mustaine’s mind that Megadeth would perform the song in Montreal during their show Wednesday night. “[Gill] is not going to control us from the grave.”

    I don’t always agree with Dave Mustaine’s opinions, but I have more respect for him now than I ever did.

  • A chicken comes home to roost

    A chicken comes home to roost

    Killer loved Columbine game:

    MONTREAL — On a scary website, Kimveer Gill describes himself as a potential killer and admits that his favourite video game is Super Columbine Massacre.

    For those of you just joining us, Super Columbine Massacre RPG (or SCMRPG for short) is a homemade video game put out by amateur game designer Danny Ledonne that puts you in the shoes of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

    I’ve previously called it something along the lines of a sick tribute to one of the most horrific mass murders of all time, or something like that. For some of my previous takes on the game, you can go here or here.

    I’ve emailed Mr. Ledonne asking for his comment about it, but as of this posting, I have yet to hear back from him.

  • Zero Day

    Zero Day

    Last night, I watched the movie Zero Day. For those of you who haven’t heard of Zero Day, it’s about a fictitious school shooting filmed from the point of view of the shooters much like what Harris and Klebold did with their basement tapes.

    As far as movies about school shootings go, Zero Day is the best. It is much more interesting than the crap fest that is Elephant, and much more realistic than Home Room. In my opinion, the director tried to make it like Columbine without it actually being Columbine.

    What at first I didn’t like about the movie turns out makes the movie better and more disturbing. In the actual basement tapes, you can see the anger and hatred in Harris and Klebold. In Zero Day, the actors were much more subdued about the whole thing.

    My only complaint about the film isn’t with the film itself, it’s the fact that the mutants look at this as almost a “fan film” when I’m pretty sure that this was not the film’s intent.

    Anyway, I won’t spoil any more of it, but I highly recommend that anybody, especially those with kids still in school, to watch this movie.

  • You’ve created a monster

    You’ve created a monster

    Q&A: Creator of Super Columbine Massacre RPG:

    The same writer who interviewed Columbine survivor Richard Castaldo about the Columbine RPG video game has now interviewed its creator.

    Q. What inspired you to create a game about Columbine?

    A. Firstly the shooting itself. This may seem like a tautology to even mention but it’s resoundingly true. Columbine marked me deeply. I was in a Colorado high school then. I was a bullied kid. I didn’t fit in and I was surrounded by a culture of elitism as espoused by our school’s athletes. I saw so many similarities between the situation there in Littleton and my own. It was very much like being terrified by one’s visage in the mirror. At the same time, it was empowering to see two oppressed, marginalized kids rise up–but we’ll get into qualifying this later because I think there is a dangerous oversimplification to be made by saying this.

    Emphasis mine. Empowering to see 13 unarmed people get killed by a pair of psychopaths? 13 people who had nothing to do with their killers. And who were they oppressed and marginalized by? The ever anonymous “jocks”? Empowered. You have some nerve to be empowered by the deaths of those at Columbine.

    Also there’s something innately comedic about making a violent school shooting into a game with tiny, cartoonish sprites and text-based menus that make firing a TEC-9 feel like casting a magic spell. Part of the point of SCMRPG is that it parodies video games–much like the Broadway version of “Backdraft” from the film “Waiting for Guffman” parodies films adapted for the stage.

    There’s nothing comedic at all about the situation. I can have a pretty sick sense of humor myself at times, but the comedic value of making a game about one of the darkest moments in American history escapes me.

    Q. Would you call this a serious or educational game?

    A. I’m not sure the two are mutually exclusive. I feel like parts of the game are very emotionally powerful–something I wanted to push in a medium best known for innocuous icons like Mario, Sonic, and Pac-Man. The game deals with difficult coming-of-age situations like rejection, isolation, ridicule, and depression. Behind all the pixels is the fact that people really died–including angry two boys who were at times very thoughtful, sensitive, and intelligent young men.

    Yeah, so thoughtful and sensitive, they had no problem with slaughtering so many that had no personal connection to them whatsoever. And they could have had the IQ of Einstein for all I care, it doesn’t change the fact that they were mass murderers.

    This next one is my “favorite”…

    Q. Do you think there are certain topics that should be taboo for video games?
    A. Absolutely not. Foremost, the concept of “taboo” is a laughable one in a society that pretends to care about free speech. I stumbled across KKK versions of Super Mario Brothers, a game about escaping the World Trade Center as the towers collapsed, and a shooting game that takes place at the Branch Davidian. I knew then that I was in good company in making this game.

    I wouldn’t call it good company, but it’s the same company.

    And to top it all off…

    Q. Are you concerned about the impact a game like this might have on the people directly effected by the events at Columbine?

    A. This is actually a more difficult issue for me that my detractors might otherwise imagine. Yes, that is a concern of mine. I realize it’s very difficult for someone affected directly by the shooting to understand or appreciate my point of view in creating a videogame from what is no doubt the most painful experience in their lives. Nonetheless, film directors are embraced for “getting it right” on the Holocaust and I think anyone, including CHS families, who really look at this game will understand that I don’t advocate or endorse the violence but rather am calling for a deeper understanding of the shooting itself. Anyone who rejects outright the search for an alternative perspective is either a fascist or is hopelessly entranced by the emperor’s new clothes.

    The difference is in a movie you’re only a silent witness, not an active participant. Would you design a game where you play as a Nazi and get to put the Jews to death? You probably would, but most people with an ounce of sense wouldn’t.

    You know damn well that the people playing your game, for the most part, are the mutants who worship those two scumbags and get a thrill out of getting the chance to play as their heroes. And I highly doubt your sincerity that you’re agonizing over the feelings of the victims and their families. As you said previously in the interview, “you sleep quite well at night.”

    Here’s what the victims’ families had to say

    “It’s wrong,” said Joe Kechter, whose son, Matt, was murdered in the Columbine library.

    “We live in a culture of death,” said Brian Rohrbough, whose son, Dan, was gunned down on a sidewalk outside the school, “so it doesn’t surprise me that this stuff has become so commonplace. It disgusts me. You trivialize the actions of two murderers and the lives of the innocent.”

    And Judy Brown, who has been immersed in the Columbine controversy along with her husband, Randy, called it a “sad and sick thing to make a video game out of a tragedy where 13 innocent people were murdered.”

    So I guess you can call me, the victims, and their families, fascists for not giving a rat’s ass about the perspective of two mass-murdering scumbags.

    You’re not trying to open a discussion about the shooting like you claim. This is nothing more than your concept of hero-worship. It’s nothing more than a tribute to them, and you act like you’re doing society some great service. The only way you could do society a service is if you left it.

    I hope you get to meet your heroes.

  • Mr. Thompson Goes to Delaware

    Mr. Thompson Goes to Delaware

    Bill would limit sale of video games:

    Our favorite idiot lawyer from Florida is on the move again. This time he’s in Delaware trying to help State Rep. Helene Keeley, D-Wilmington South, get a law passed that would restrict businesses from selling M-rated games to minors. Never mind the fact that most legitimate stores won’t sell M-Rated games to anyone under 18 and that the majority of kids who get these games are getting through their parents. Jack never lets facts get in his way. Like this little nugget of misinformation from Jack…

    Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Colorado teens who massacred 13 of their fellow Columbine High School students in 1999, “literally trained on the game ‘Doom,’ ” Thompson said.

    Sure, they did Jack. Just forget all those tapes they made, showing them at a homemade target practice. I myself, and millions of other people, have played Doom and never picked up a gun in anger but again let’s not let facts get in the way.

    Jack also had this to say about the free speech ramifications…

    Thompson, meanwhile, said the First Amendment debate is misplaced.

    “This isn’t even speech,” Thompson said, holding up a video-game display box. “This is software that enables a machine to allow a player to play a game.”

    Does he really believe the lies that he’s spewing forth?

    When will politicians, especially Democrats, stop getting in bed with this assclown? It’s making them look worse than they already are.

  • Devin Moore Sentenced to Death

    Devin Moore Sentenced to Death

    Man Gets Death for Killing Three in Ala.:

    Devin Moore, the 18-year-old who was convicted of killing two police officers and a dispatcher, was sentenced to death.

    If you remember, Moore’s attorneys tried blaming his actions on Grand Theft Auto. But the defense attorneys are already looking to appeal on the grounds that the video game “evidence” was excluded, and the fact that the jury was all white while Moore is black. 🙄

    An all-plaid jury would have convicted him. He killed three cops. He deserves to die.

    Take that, Jack Thompson.

  • Cop Killer Convicted

    Cop Killer Convicted

    Video Game Player Guilty in Ala. Slaying:

    I originally told you about this story back in February about Devin Moore. He’s the 18-year-old kid who shot and killed three police officers, and when he was arrested, he said: “Life is a video game; everybody has to die sometime.” Of course, the games in question were GTA games. Which in turn prompted a lawsuit against Rockstar Games by Moore’s family, prompted by everyone’s favorite assclown Jack Thompson.

    Anyway, Devin Moore was convicted of capital murder. That means he’s eligible for the death penalty. In Alabama, that’s a very likely possibility.

    Tip to CB.

  • Bully Protest

    Bully Protest

    Teens Protest ‘Columbine-Like’ Video Game:

    Thank you very much, Jack Thompson. Now everyone who is not a gamer is referring to Bully as “The Columbine Game”. Apparently, a group of teenage busybodies known as the Peaceaholics protested at Rockstar Games’ New York office…

    “A lot of youth are playing these games and there’s a lot of violence that people are copying,” said Cordero Sellers, 16. “I’m trying to do my best to stop this release.”

    “It’s important that we’re here today because violent images seen on games are copied by kids,” said Anthony Ford, 17.

    “We’re trying to stop people getting hurt before it’s too late.”

    Oh, and guess who accompanied them…

    Florida lawyer and anti-violence activist John Thompson accompanied the kids.

    “Columbine changed the face of America but you [Rockstar] are about to come out with a game that celebrates, glamorizes and trains kids to do what [Columbine killers] Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris did,” said Thompson.

    “Bullying is not a subject for a video game. We are not asking Rockstar to stop making this game, we are demanding they stop.”

    Again with the Columbine comparison.

    Do these people do any research at all? I have yet to see any gameplay details from the game outside of Rockstar’s official description…

    Rockstar is keeping details of the plot a closely guarded secret but describes it as “humorous” and “tongue in cheek.”

    The company states on its Web site: “As a troublesome schoolboy, you’ll stand up to bullies, get picked on by teachers, play pranks on malicious kids, win or lose the girl and ultimately learn to navigate the obstacles of the fictitious reform school Bullworth Academy.”

    So, as far as I know, there has been no mention of shooting and killing your other classmates. So these people are just assuming. And we know what happens when you assume. Jack Thompson makes an even bigger assclown out of himself.

  • On video games and violence from an expert on both

    On video games and violence from an expert on both

    Violence in games is a GOOD thing:

    This is a great article, possibly the definitive article, about violence in video games. It was written by someone who knows what real violence is all about, Brooks Brown.

    For those of you who may not know, Brooks Brown was friends with the killers and the killed at Columbine. By his own words, he had previously reported Harris and Klebold to the police about threats made at him, and the police did nothing. So I’ll take this guy’s word about violence and video games. It was his closing statement that struck me as most poignant…

    Columbine was not caused by violent video games. Eric and Dylan (the shooters) were drawn to violent video games because they were violent, fucked up kids. I am drawn to these violen games becaue they offer more freedom. And, it may sound naive, but i believe the vast majority of gamers play these games for the same reason as me. Do you?

    Link via Joystiq.

  • Videospiel-Gewaltttigkeit

    Videospiel-Gewaltttigkeit

    Computer games train players to be violent?:

    I guess it’s not just Americans who harp on the alleged links between video games and violence. Now we have a study coming out of Germany from the “Stuff that we pulled out of our ass Department” at the University of Aachen from renowned German scientist Klaus Mathiak which says that video games are training people to be violent. Mein Gott, here we go again…

    Klaus Mathiak, of the University of Aachen, maintains he has discovered for the first time what goes on in players’ heads as a killer character lies in wait on a computer screen.

    Their brains react as if they are treating the encounter as real, says the academic.

    According to Dr Mathiak, when players know violence is coming, the cognitive parts of the brain become more active and during a fight its emotional parts shut down.

    How did Herr Doktor measure these activities?

    According to New Scientist, Dr Mathiak recruited 13 young men who played video games for two hours daily. He asked them to play the game while having their brains scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

    Dr Mathiak studied how brain activity changed during violent interactions.

    I’d be more inclined to believe him if he then dropped the subjects into an actual scenario of impending violence like Iraq or any violent big-city neighborhood, then compared findings. Most of these kids would probably crap their pants if they were in a real situation of violence.

    At least the British are thinking clearly…

    Last night, Mike McClure, director of public education at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said there were individuals who were susceptible to suggestions inherent in video games. But he added: “You would have to say it is a small minority. Most people can distinguish between them as a game and what they would be doing in reality.”

    And that small minority has something wrong with them to begin with.

    And as an added bonus, a follow-up to Rep. Chuck Schumer’s snit over the game “25 to Life”.

    According to the guys at Penny Arcade you can also play as the police. Notice that Chucky boy doesn’t mention that part.

    Instead of worrying about the games themselves, maybe scientists and politicians should worry about the parents that are letting these games into their houses for underage kids to play.