Every week I shall be taking a look at one boss or enemy from a video game. Looking at its history, strengths and weaknesses and finally how awesome it is. After looking at all this, I shall rate one to ten on the "Australian Danger Index"(from Koala to Taipan.)

Enemy: The Executioner
Game: Alice: Madness Returns (2011)

History: The Executioner is a patchwork horror made by the Queen of Hearts, he is the terror of Queensland (not the one in North-Eastern Australia.) Standing (presumably) fifteen feet tall and wielding a giant scythe which slices friend and foe alike. His broad-sweeping strike devastates everything with-in its reach. This monstrosity is finally taken down once Alice eats some cake and steps on him.

Strengths:
• Immune to most damage
• Enormous
• Hard to dodge his attacks
Weaknesses:
• Catches allies in his swings
• Can be stepped on.
Where does he rank?: I would love to see a Panzer Tank scratch this guy. Australian Danger Index: 8/10 (Blue bottle.)

Again, a special thank you goes out to MinMax Games, and I wish them all the best!
 
Remember you can always find more of this author at DigitalIncorrectness.net

Digit's article tackles a difficult subject, one that could potentially offend those who read it. In fact, she told me it was controversial when she sent it in and I even thought hard for a moment about shelving it. Then, I remembered something. I don't care if you're offended. I think the article makes very valid points about a very difficult topic. If you are such a sack sucking nancy boy/girl that you get your panties all twisted up because someone got unPC, or tried to discuss a controversial subject, then it's simple: Don't read Digit's article. However, if you read it and then send me messages about how it was inappropriate or offensive, rest assured that I will quickly delete your message and move on with my life without giving it a second thought. We are all here because we love gaming and this article discusses one of the darker aspects of gaming, We should be encouraging interesting new lines of conversation about our favorite hobbies, especially when our hobby happens to be a much maligned and misrepresented artistic medium as well.

Anyways, rant over, enjoy the Opinions of the Court!
varyar Out

Every week I shall be taking a look at one boss or enemy from a video game. Looking at its history, strengths and weaknesses and finally how awesome it is. After looking at all this, I shall rate one to ten on the "Australian Danger Index"(from Koala to Taipan.)

Enemy: Camula
Game: Yu-Gi-Oh GX: Spirit Caller (2006)

History: This game's plot revolves around the storyline of Yu-Gi-Oh GX, and consequently you meet a vampire who (while not actually doing anything) is on par with the Edward Cullen vampires. She comes to duel you for a "spirit key" she beats one of your friends and turns them into a doll. Ignoring the fact she could easily kill them and take the keys, she challenges people to a card game to steal their souls. At least the gay, paedophilic zoophiles (Twilight vampires) have the minor testicular fortitude to kill someone.

Strengths:
• Theoretically Immortal
• Can take your soul
• Can play a half decent Zombie deck
Weaknesses:
• Uses a card game to steal souls
• Can be beaten by a primary schooler
Where does he rank?: She is a joke as a vampire, and my Six Samurai deck would crush her zombies almost as hard as Emperor throwing Pepsi cans. Australian Danger Index: 1/10 (Koala.)

(Editor's Note - The Following article addresses a sensitive and controversial topic. When reading it, take into consideration that this is one of many viewpoints and is as valid as any other. Furthermore, know that I believe the article has merit, and if it makes you angry or offends you....I really don't care - Varyar)

File #4,201,999 – SCMRPG! Standing on Integrity.

I had an interview ready and prepared, but you will not get that this week. I'm sorry, it will come next week. Every once in a while in a writer's life if they are truly passionate about their work, they must put their pen to paper and put out something that is likely to offend, to disgust, and disturb many people. Occasionally things will hit your nerve in such a way that you feel if you do not write about it, you are doing a disservice to yourself and to your readers.

I will probably upset quite a few people with this review, and with this editorial. Honestly, it might not see the light of the newsletter, but if you're reading these words, it has. Some things are more important than entertainment though, and this is one of those things. Today Digital Compendium takes a look at a game that is not for fun or entertainment, that pushes the boundaries of what games can and should be allowed to do, and one that I know I personally will always remember.

Today we look at Super Columbine Massacre RPG!

Initial Thoughts.

The name sounds horrendous, doesn't it? It sounds like it trivializes a tragedy, devalues human life, and is an abomination of all that is good in gaming. It is a shocker of a title, and it's meant to be, but I need you all to do me a favor, ok? Get past the name, please. I almost didn't, and if I couldn't get past the name, I'd have lost out on an experience worth remembering.

I found the game through a friend of mine who mentioned a documentary called “Playing Columbine”. It's on Netflix, it's biased, and it's extremely liberal but there are some good points in there, and as an added bonus it makes fun of Jack Thompson

Anyways, after watching that, I had to go give this game a try myself, so I went to columbinegame.com and hit the download button. A little while later I had it installed and I was playing one of the most disturbing games I've ever touched upon.

Feelings and Motivations.

I felt disgusted playing this game. Every time I did something like gaining a level I felt that familiar surge of triumph I had in many RPG's past, then I'd realize I'm in a sick, perverted way following the lives of two kids who murdered their school. I was disgusted at how the game community had conditioned me, and how utterly desensitized I found myself getting when I stepped into 'game mode' only to see a poorly digitized photo of what I was doing and get snapped back to reality.

This game is hard to play, and it's captivating but not fun. How far would this go and what information was present? Well that brings us to the next category.

Information.

As gamers, many of us remember the Columbine shooting as one of the best examples of video games as a scapegoat. The fact that they played Doom and created maps in Doom put video games under a spotlight that shone with misunderstanding and visceral disgust. We remember the media blaming bullies, the school, the music, the games, but never the parents or the kids themselves.

This game hits a lot of hard facts that were never shown on the media, shows you their lives and their motivations for going on their gory murder/suicide rampage. When you realize you've learned more real knowledge about what happened in Columbine from a poorly pixelated game than you did in all of the news coverage, that will be the first real point that makes you start looking at this game as what it is, a game with a message.

About the Development.

I looked a lot into what the kid who made this game has done publicly, a lot was said in the documentary but I wanted real research, real facts to back up these claims. He lives in the Colorado area not too far from Columbine, and when he heard, he threw up. He also saw more of himself in the killers, particularly in their interests than he knew how to deal with. He started making movies, very dramatic and emotional movies.

Then he stumbled upon RPG Maker, free software that helps you make a game with little/no programming skill, and he wanted to make a game that could matter. A game that was important. He decided that his game was to be about Columbine, what happened there, and impart his own trials with the realization that he wasn't so different from the killers, he just hadn't snapped.

That right there is a very honest, but very scary admission. You admit freely you were on a similar path, and through luck hadn't jumped onto it. Many will use this to say this game vindicates what these two students did, but he thinks of it more as just an odd game/documentary hybrid.

Media Reception.

This game has gotten a lot of bad press, for good reason. It's a controversial game, it is disturbing, it's a game that can offend a lot of people. The issue? It's judged solely on the fact it is a game and not because of it's content or context. Many news outlets had already blasted the game and made judgments before ever trying the game. Some never have. Video games are odd in that way, aren't they? If a news outlet blasted the movie Taxi Driver without seeing it, there would be monumental backlash, and that could potentially be career suicide. Focus your hate lasers at a game without trying it? Another day.

Community.

This game has definitely built some communities around it, not only for those interested in a true forum to discuss school shootings, motivations, prevention, causes, etc. .. but to discuss gaming as an expressive medium. Danny Ledonne, the creator of this game, wanted to make a game that was important to him, that helped him work through his feelings and to show people what really happened that day. And he got backlash, and has had to weather outcry founded in ignorance and had to stand strong under the scrutiny of many people and organizations.

Slamgate.

Super Columbine Massacre has won many awards in art festivals, though it was pulled from it's first big debut in the Slamdance competition after getting picked as a finalist. Following the announcement of it's removal, sponsor USC Interactive Media Division pulled it's support and 7 of the 14 finalists were also pulled by their developers in protest, including Braid, Castle Crashers, and flOw.

Johnathan Blow, the developer of Braid, was quoted saying “Super Columbine Massacre lacks compassion, and I find the Artist's Statement disingenuous. But despite this, the game does have redeeming value. It does provoke important thoughts, and it does push the boundaries of what games are about.”

The jurors also were going to award a “Special Jury Prize” for Best Documentary, an unofficial award not endorsed by Slamdance. The president of Slamdance Peter Baxter pressured the jury before heading out into not giving out the award.

Author's Final Thoughts and Impressions.

After fully experiencing this game, I honestly had to sit and reflect for a very long while over what I had went through, and what it meant to me. How this game fit into my parameters of games can be art. This was a very borderline game that exceeded the limits of offensive and I wasn't even sure about how to write this editorial.

Eventually I decided to write the article less about the game, and more about the experience. To try to go in depth into the game I really do not feel is my place. If you want to experience it, I don't want to impart how that experience was for me, I'd rather you reach your own conclusions. What I was certain of however, was that this had impacted me and my thoughts and feelings enough I had to share it with you, the readers. That my personal integrity as someone who claims to be passionate about gaming required I put this out there, and in the best possible way I knew how.

This game has faults, this game is offensive, many of the ways this game handles death and what happened could be considered inappropriate. This game is controversial, and this game is hard to play. When you win, you lose. The quality of the game is very sub-par, and a lot of poor design decisions went into it. Some of it's message is greatly lost in it's side-quests and more game-like moments.

But a game that told me more about the event than news outlets did, a game that put me in the position of something dark and vile and made me feel dark and vile doing it, a game that showed me their motivations, and let me feel the pain of both sides is an unforgettable experience.

Also whether or not you like this game, you have to give Ledonne credit for standing up in the face of adversity, for stepping up and claiming his work for what it was, him expressing everything he felt should be expressed about Columbine through one of the outlets that the media blamed caused the incident. He did not apologize for the game or it's content, and has weathered the outcry from the media, from fellow gamers, and from grieving families who look at the name and assume he is a sick, twisted individual. He has stood on his integrity as an artist, and took what could have easily been career suicide.

This is not a game for the faint of heart, or for the young, this is not a game for entertainment. This is a game for an experience, to experience something, to learn more about a tragedy in our history than you probably ever want to know, and if you're lucky, to learn more about yourself and the feelings you have about tragedies like this, and how the media handles them.

I did not enjoy Super Columbine Massacre RPG! But I will remember it forever, and I would regret having never seen it. The only thing I can say is that this article I know in who I am can't do justice to my own torn feelings and beliefs I have about this game.

Arbitrary Rating System: N/A out of 15 Yogstars. (Sorry guys but I don't have the qualifications to try to rate this game for all it's merits and demerits.)

Remember you can always find more of this author at DigitalIncorrectness.net

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