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Reconstructing Columbine

By Pierre Boudreau

In 2005, a young designer from Colorado created a video game called Super Columbine Massacre RPG! that would earn him international notoriety. Based on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, players assume the role of the game’s ‘protagonists’, real-life killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Playing Columbine: A True Story of Video Game Controversy examines the game’s impact on society, the battle against censorship and the quest for more open debate on violence in video games. On November 27, 2007, the Montreal Chapter of the IGDA played host to the documentary’s first Canadian screening.

Danny Ledonne, the doc’s director and the designer behind SCMRPG!, could be considered somewhat biased towards the subject matter, but that’s hardly reason to dismiss the film’s merits; Michael Moore garnered himself an Oscar for his own rather personal take on the topic. However, Playing Columbine… succeeds not only in presenting an elegant defense for SCMRPG!, but also in championing the notion of social responsibility in a rapidly evolving interactive medium.

Socially conscious video games are by no means a new trend. Titles like Darfur is Dying have been popping up for years, though well under the radar of many hardcore gamers, never mind the general public. Video games continue to be largely considered as violent, amoral time-wasting distractions. But those perceptions are changing as the gaming generation comes into its own and titles like SCMRPG! turn up the media heat.

It is difficult to remain indifferent to a title like Super Columbine Massacre RPG! Ledonne was clearly aware of this when he created the game while wrestling with his own inner demons. Not wanting to merely exploit a sensational tragedy, Ledonne sought to explore the issue of violence through a video game. Taking pains to provide a forum for users before making the game available for distribution, he posted it anonymously, anticipating the negative backlash that would necessarily follow. His invisibility was short-lived, however, when a web developer and friend to one of Columbine’s victims outed Ledonne in a personal and particularly determined campaign to call the designer to account. Ledonne found himself thrust into the center ring of a media circus and the show was just getting started.

The glare of the spotlight intensified the following year when a 25 year-old mentally-disturbed man took the life of 18 year-old Anastasia Rebecca De Sousa as well as his own and wounded several others during a shooting at Dawson College in Westmount, Quebec. In the aftermath, information surfaced that the shooter was a fan of SCMRPG! The media made a full-course meal of the connection, attracting the condemnation of media massacre-chasers like Jack Thompson. He and other critics, most of which never got past the game’s title, finally had their smoking gun: a “murder simulator” for psychopaths. Angry emails rolled in and the call rang out to shoot the messenger. On top of the virtual death threats, Ledonne also felt the sting of the backlash when he was dropped from the lineup at the Slamdance 2007 Guerrilla Gamemaker Competition.

But for every detractor, there were many more supporters, some of whom had greatest cause for resentment. Melissa Fuller attended Dawson College at the time of the 2006 shooting and wrote an article in defense of Ledonne’s work; she later appeared in Playing Columbine… Joel Kornek, who was seriously wounded during the incident, made no secret of his disgust in a vitriolic email to Ledonne. After learning of the intent behind the game, Kornek eventually grew to respect the designer’s position and also figures prominently in the documentary. Both Melissa and Joel were on hand for the screening, invited by the IGDA to take part in the evening. Authors, educators, scholars and numerous game industry professionals (including our own Jason Della Rocca) came out to speak on Ledonne’s behalf. After his rejection at Slamdance, half the entries, jury members and a festival sponsor walked out in a show of solidarity.

It’s entirely possible that the first cave paintings were blamed for more extreme forms of hunting and gathering. The exploration of violence in our culture is a contentious issue that is not likely to go away soon, if at all. For every John Hinkley Jr. there are a million cinephiles who can watch Taxi Driver without needing to shoot the President. The overwhelming majority of people are able to recognize the line between fantasy and reality; however, some cannot and it is because of these marginalized individuals that we must remain vigilant and continue to search for answers. There are still many dangers lurking below the surface, and we need canaries in the coal mine like Danny Ledonne.

Look for Playing Columbine: A True Story of Video Game Controversy at a festival near you, or visit http://playingcolumbine.com for more info.

**Photos**

Jack Thompson on the big screen during the screening
of Playing Columbine.

Melissa Fuller and Joel Kornek, survivors of the 2006 Dawson
school shooting.

Ben Sawyer (Digital Mill) with Ian Bogost (Persuasive Games)
in town for MIGS and enjoying the post screening social.

Posted by ChristinaReinards on December 15, 2007 02:19 PM