Re: Play The Killer Article
To start off I had neglected to write my impressions about Simcity 3000 and Battle for Middle Earth , it was due to being so wrapped in those games for awhile that I didn't have enough time to invest on it. Play The Killer, Then Ask Yourself What Kind of Person Am I? Response Anyways another great article ( Play The Killer, Then Ask Yourself What Kind of Person Am I? ) came from Patrick regardi...
To start off I had neglected to write my impressions about Simcity 3000 and Battle for Middle Earth, it was due to being so wrapped in those games for awhile that I didn't have enough time to invest on it.
Play The Killer, Then Ask Yourself What Kind of Person Am I? Response
Anyways another great article (Play The Killer, Then Ask Yourself What Kind of Person Am I?) came from Patrick regarding a "non-game" created by Magnuson during his travels to Cambodia, Asia. This non-flash game is featured on Newgrounds about the "autogenocide" in Cambodia where 10,000 people were killed between 1977 and 1979, according to the flash game. From the looks of the article, Magnuson tries to convey through a poetic albeit dark interactive non-game about this controversial issue as the non-game starts with you as the "killer" marching with a prisoner to his/her destination. The game is comprised of pushing the space button while you hull your prisoner as locations and day-n-night cycles change constantly having a basis on the poetry that Magnuson tried to visualized. Then there's alternate endings according to Magnuson (three endings actually) where at least my first playthrough, just follow the objective until a mine had detonated on us killing both of us. Afterwards, as the view drops underground(?) we see thousands of victims lay dead as a testament of the "autogenocide".
This poetic interactive non-game didn't really impacted me so much, there are a number of games and movies that - while doesn't really had developed a sensitive and controversial topic, it has some subject matter regarding this. This article and the non-game instead had infuriated me seeing that it has hit into a controversial and horrible subject; which in case of genocide. I felt at first, reading the title and some of Magnuson's comments that this is yet another sadistic attempt on making video games more violent that it is. And maybe thought that during his travels that he may be a sadist himself on creating this game and had enjoyed killing innocents or perhaps he was racist himself. Even though I had read the whole article and had played this non-game, I still didn't deviate any emotions to this poetic interactive non-game, I has left horrified that I was the killer and pushing and hulling the prisoner was quite depressing. And this is coming from a guy who used to like history, I knew about this genocide and how people got brainwashed to do this, "autogenocide". But this kind of lethal subject regarding genocide in a game no less is a terrible idea and the horrors of pitting you without control of freeing the prisoner or lack of control (even though there are somewhat two options for it) shouldn't be praised because of including these type of options or a moral decision in a historic basis.
This is why games even non-games shouldn't exist - poetic or not, its because of this extremely touchy subject that provoked such assholes like Jack Thompson and Leland Yee to consider to ban video games or restrict them. Newgrounds is the breathing ground of flash games that anyone could make and seeing no disclaimer or any type of warning before playing this game is the reason why I think this is a sadistic killing simulator. Also that Newgrounds and other sites are for everyone even your five-year old kid or a younger demographic that can be easily experience this as a boring game and just brushed off this touchy issue or laugh at it. I was quite disappointed that he didn't at least put on a disclaimer though people in that site also don't do the same thing even though sometimes there's a 18 rating but NOT on the flash where idiots only see in their tiny minds and neglected these disclaimers. And like Youtube (the old system at least) morons tend to rate a 1 or a 10 (signifying a love-hate relationship) regarding this non-game, seeing that in their system, these two options are the only criticism and the only scores are nothing.
Magnuson also attributed that video games doesn't convey much of this type of issue in general; for example Call of Duty. I was kind of pissed off when I heard that sentiment. Having a non-game with no narrative and such could be easily similar to a game that has a narrative and gameplay despite being poetic or not. I just hated his statement about this, games or non-games regardless of anything could be a controversial issue and maybe sensitive to people. I can easily pull up a controversial game back then with some-to-none narrative and its called Custer's Revenge despite being historically inaccurate. That Atari game puts you as Custer and your objective is just rape a Indian while avoiding arrow reigning from the Indians in the nude. That right there is a terrible, terrible concept and I just hope the ones who's responsible on making that game should get a heart-attack or get hit by a bus or something. This could be easily that type of issue even though that interactive game is being serious (or trying to be).
A Terrorist Cell in an Airport may be the same issue but it warns you before triggering it He makes an example of Call of Duty (preferably taking about Modern Warfare 2) and probably had talked about how (not) distinct, powerful and depressing that No-Russian mission in that game. But the main problem in the game that it puts a disclaimer warning you about this controversial mission and also recommend you on skipping it if you do not want to face killing thousands of innocents in an Airport. Despite that it became a touchy subject on the news (anywhere) and had maybe once called a murder simulator.
And his last statement had also gotten into my nerves, "experimenting and thinking outside the box" is a good thing but there are limits to such creativity that having a touchy case isn't one of them. Whether being poetic or not (with games or nongames), its these interactive pieces that really pisses me off and what were they thinking creating a game about it. These are one of the articles that I had to disagree with Patrick and Magnuson should of just stick with his travels and embraced the tragic history of Cambodia and possibly help them by charity or becoming a humanitarian rather than making a flash game about it - salient or not.