TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Tag: video games

  • Richard Castaldo talks about Columbine RPG

    Richard Castaldo talks about Columbine RPG

    Columbine SurvivorTalks About Columbine RPG:

    For those of you who don’t know what an RPG is, it stands for Role Playing Game. It’s a type of video game that deals mostly in fantasy scenarios. Popular RPG franchises would be Final Fantasy or Suikoden. Think of it as Dungeons and Dragons but as a video game. And yes, someone made one based on Columbine. I’ve seen it, but I haven’t played it. I’m not about to download that to my computer.

    Anyway, Richard Castaldo, who I first mentioned here did an interview with Kotaku, a gaming site, about the Columbine RPG. I won’t reprint the whole thing, but I found this segment of the article most interesting…

    Do you think it glamorizes what happened at Columbine?

    There is a part where after the character’s representing the killers in the game die, and then the game shows an extended real-life montage of what happened that day. And it shows their blood-soaked corpses, and isn’t pretty. Which to me deglamorizes what they did. I’ve heard of some stories where some students try to make folk heroes out of these killers, which is very disgusting to me. I think people who have that mindset and then play this game and see that part it would make it real for them. As opposed to having this sort-of romanticized version that some people have.

    But, at the same time there are some dialog in the game that comes up after you kill the students that refers to you as being “brave boys”, which i would hope was supposed to be ironic, because clearly what they did was not brave or heroic in anyway, it was quite the opposite. It has you killing students with absolutely no protection whatsoever. Which is what actually happened. So if the killers (or anyone else for that matter) thought that what they were doing was heroic in any way they were deeply fooling themselves. People ask me all the time, “Did you know them?” And my answer is of course no, i didn’t. And, I didn’t do a damn thing to either one of them. So, I think the game kinda highlights that. That there was no real rhyme or reason why specific people got killed.

    And that’s from someone who was there that unfortunately did not come out unscathed.

    So, think about that the next time you think that the killers weren’t cowards.

  • 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.

  • Death Recommended for Devin Moore

    Death Recommended for Devin Moore

    Jury recommends death for Alabama man convicted in cop killings:

    The death sentence has been recommended by an Alabama jury for Devin Moore, the so-called “GTA Killer” who killed two officers and a radio dispatcher at the Fayette police station in June 2003. For those of you who may not remember, defense attorneys tried blaming Moore’s obsessive playing of the video game Grand Theft Auto on the killings. Luckily, he was convicted of the killings. The final decision on sentencing is up to the judge and is scheduled for September 30th.

    Hopefully, Alabama will live up to its reputation and execute this piece of human filth. And what do you know, Alabama still has the electric chair.

  • 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.

  • Video Game Violence 2005

    Video Game Violence 2005

    Violent game furor:

    Here we go again, folks. Last year, it was GTA: San Andreas. This year it’s a new game made by Eidos called “25 to Life”. This is the first I’ve heard about this game, so let me quote the article…

    “25 to Life,” allows players to attack police with an arsenal of Molotov cocktails, broken bottles and baseball bats. When weapons fail, players make strategic moves using civilians as human shields.

    The game even lets players choose gang colors and create personalized graffiti tags.

    It sounds like a GTA rip off to me. I bet the gameplay will suck. But of course, that’s not the point here. Certain lawmakers have their panties in a wad…

    “It’s the worst in a series of violent and gruesome games that lower the common denominator of decency,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is trying to block the game from hitting stores in September.

    “25 to Life” makes “other controversial games like ‘Grand Theft Auto’ look like ‘Romper Room,’” Schumer said.

    Schumer called on PlayStation manufacturer Sony and Xbox maker Microsoft to cancel their licensing agreements with Eidos. The senator also urged stores and retailers not to stock the game.

    Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, slammed “25 to Life” for its cavalier treatment of murder.

    “It’s outrageous that a company like this would try to desensitize our children,” Lynch said.

    First off, have you noticed that when a politician is usually involved in calling for the censoring of a video game, it’s usually a Democrat?

    Secondly, these are obviously people who have never held a game controller in their life, or at least not since Space Invaders or the Atari 2600.

    Not all video games are aimed towards children anymore, and haven’t been since the dawn of Mortal Kombat back in the early ’90s.

    Lastly, the bigger a deal you make out of these games, the more hype you’re giving them. You’re taking what looks like to be a mediocre game at best, and you’re potentially making it a blockbuster by trying to censor it. People always want what they can’t have.

    If this game ends up in the hands of children, it’s because of irresponsible parents, and I have yet to hear any kind of blame falling on them. Remember kids, censorship is the solution to bad parenting. Or so says the Democrats.

  • GTA: Grand Theft Assclown IV

    GTA: Grand Theft Assclown IV

    Lawsuit: ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Led Teen to Kill:

    This one actually was in the news last week, but I forgot about until today. More on that later.

    Anyway, our favorite ambulance chaser, not John Edwards, is at it again. “Attorney” Jack Thompson is once again blaming the woes of society on one particular series of video games. He’s filed a lawsuit in Alabama against the game’s manufacturers and two stores that allegedly sold the games to an underage person. The person in question is Devin Moore, who shot two police officers and a dispatcher to death after being brought to the Fayette police station on suspicion of driving a stolen car.

    Of course, the video game series in question is the Grand Theft Auto series…

    The suit alleges Moore purchased “Grand Theft Auto III” at the Gamestop in Jasper and “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” at the Jasper Wal-Mart when he was under 17. The games, which depict police killings and other acts of violence, are rated M, meaning they are appropriate for those 17 or older.

    Named in the suit are Wal-Mart Stores (search) and Gamestop along with Take-Two Interactive Software, the manufacturer of the games, and Sony Computer Entertainment, the maker of the PlayStation 2.

    Why did Thompson file the suit this time?

    At a December hearing, authorities said Devin Moore, when he was apprehended, told officers,”Life is a video game. You’ve got to die sometime.”

    And check out Thompson’s great reasoning for filing the suit…

    “What has happened in Alabama is that four companies participated in the training of Devin … to kill three men,” attorney Jack Thompson told The Tuscaloosa News, which reported the suit’s filing.

    Granted that Walmart and GameStop should not have been selling these games to an underage kid, but why were the parents allowing it into the house?

    My main point is though is that everyone is responsible for their own actions. This assclown Jack Thompson wants you to think that you’re not responsible for anything. These kids that kill who have happened to have played a violent video game are screwed up in the head in the first place. My guess is Jack Thompson is looking for an angle since he missed out on the McDonald’s hot coffee settlement. Either that or he’s just jealous he can’t beat any of the games. Seriously, what is this guy’s problem with video games?

    What made me think of this again was this interview Jack Thompson did with CBSNews.com. I almost posted this under the Tin Foil Hat category because of some of the things he says.

    He calls Entertainment Software Association President Doug Lowenstein, the Joseph Goebbels of the video game industry. He infers that the increase in school violence is caused by video games. Claims he predicted Columbine 8 days before it happened.

    I’ll start you off with a quote from Mr. Thompson from the interview…

    The heads of six major health care organizations testified before Congress that there are “hundreds” of studies that prove the link. All the video game industry has are studies paid for by them, which are geared to find the opposite result. Lawyers call such experts “whores.”

    Pot, I have the kettle holding for you on line 2.

    Read the interview to see what kind of nut job this shyster really is. If it were up to him, we’d blame everything from the war in Iraq to Paris Hilton’s Sidekick being hacked on Grand Theft Auto. This guy really needs to get a life.

    UPDATE: The guys from Penny Arcade have their own take on sue happy attorneys.

    Here’s another take on it from joystiq.com.