A game based on the Virginia Tech Massacre has recently been uploaded on indie game site newgrounds.com. In the game, you play South Korean-born Cho Seung-hui, who last month shot dead 32 fellow students at the Virginia Tech campus, in the worst massacre of its kind in the US. The aim of the game is to basically kill everyone in the game, optionally starting with Emily Jane Hilscher, Cho?s first victim.
The games creator, 21 year old Sydney resident, Ryan Lambourn, says he will remove the game if he receives $US2000 in donations, and will also apologise for $US3000. Ryan added that he made the game ?because he thought it was funny?, and the idea of putting up the ransom demand was a ?hilarious idea?.
This game is in a similar vein to the indie RPG, Super Columbine Massacre, based on the Columbine Massacre, which was pulled from the Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker Competition, amidst some controversy. Though V-Tech Rampage is not of a similar quality.
Ryan expressed his remorse for the victims of the massacre, but also sympathy for the gunman, saying "No one listens to you unless you've got something sensational to do. And that's why I feel sympathy for Cho Seung-hui. He had to go that far."
What a completely hearless, money grubbing, little nob end this guy is. To make a "ransom" demand to remove it and a higher price for an apology. So what's that 2K divided by 32 dead people? Life's pretty cheap it appears.
He is getting his 15 mins of fame from this, thats probably all he really wanted anyway.
Hey, he can say whatever he wants. More power to him.
Doesn't stop him from being an a**hole.
I can't stomach situations like this.
I feel like I get angry to the point of being almost too cool and calm to react.
Not only are the memories of those people who died thoroughly humiliated in this game, but also are the struggling people out there trying to get on with their lives after this tragety.
Not only that, but the medium used also implies a heartlessness that the likes of our favourite Uncle Jack (
wow 6 times in a row there apologetic abuser.
i agree with Talvash. he just wants his 15 mins of fame.
or maybe it was just a bug on my end.... cos now theres only one post...
Cont. You know who I'm talking about) would jump on with all fours to destroy. This is not only a form of Interactive media (the likes of which we strive to create at crunch time) but it's a bad one. The media will only see another GOR-ified "video-game". This doen't help us one bit with try to show the general public that every out there can enjoy interative media.
I'm sorry that the families have had to suffer this kind of more focussed attention.
Apologies also to the spam attack and seperated message... not sure what happened there...
Is it in extreme bad taste? Definitely. And to grab some money while he's at it? Really, really appalling.
Also, I just don't get his comments on his sympathy for the gunman. So what if that guy never got listened to. Anyone who massacres 32 people gets no sympathy from me, no matter what their situation is. There's no justification for it whatsoever.
21 year old Sydney resident, Ryan Lambourn, let me say that you are an absolute moron.
Haha, right on. I find the whole thing thoroughly uninteresting. The game is shit, an obvious attempt to shock and create outrage, nothing we haven't seen before. And his ransom idea is hilarious, but only in the sense that nobody will ever pay it. Not sure if he ever expected it to get this big though. Now he's gone and pissed off a whole lot of people across the world and got his name, resident city and a photo of himself plastered across the net. It seems the internet is not lacking its own sort of karma. I hope the 2 minute slot on local news stations across the world was worth it to you mate...
It's just not his name and resident city. Sites have his mobile number and home address up as well... I think this game really was a bad move on his part. If you are going to do such a game, you really need to have some moral lesson involved like: society creates these very human monsters. And should take some responsibility for creating them and address the real issues involved. Not just pass them over.
He is just a young idiot looking for some short-lived narcissistic fame.
It's kind of interesting this is getting so much publicity when back in the day Newgrounds got popular due in big part to the Pico game.
He's backpedalling at the moment, saying that the ransom was a joke and that he hasn't received a cent yet. Nice try, but it's too late to save yourself now.
JJJ's news program 'Hack' will be speaking to Ryan Lambourn on their program 5:30pm today. As it's ABC you should also be able to download the [pdcast of it within the next day or so.
Will be interesting to see what he hsa to say.
I'm really quite tired of videogames' bad publicity.
And this: "No one listens to you unless you've got something sensational to do." is one of the worst things i've ever heard anyone say.
If your personal goal in life is to get readers of the Herald-Sun or the viewers of Today Tonight to hear about you - then mission accomplished.
Me? I'd rather reach out and entertain an intelligent audience.
Mr Lambourn posted the following message on his newgrounds page: "My site is down because they got too many angry emails and they won't put it back up with vtech still on it. At least newgrounds still believes in freedom of speech, thanks."
From what I understand (haven't played the game) there is no message behind the game. Nor does the creator seem to have a real opinion (not much of a debate with such a weak argument that "no one listens to you unless you've got something sensational to do" and no more to strengthen a perspective). What seems worrying is the fact that a 21 year old brat can be so removed from the reality of it - he really doesn't know what it must feel like to have lost someone like that. That's why its all "a joke" (its only funny until you understand that its really not funny at all). Games should be used to make a statement, to reach people, to inspire, to express a perspective, to offer an experience one might crave but could never do in real life (shooting aliens, GTA style mayhem etc).. Instead, this guy offers a blatantly empty experience - and no depth to justify thought going into some possible debate. He's infuriated people without understanding at all the extent of his actions and his '15 minutes' of fame will cost him dearly at some point in his life (Guaranteed. That is sweet karma/nature's way of balancing things)
It will cost him dearly at some point? Ohh man this kid just committed career and social suicide. He ain't gonna be working anywhere in this industry or probably any other for a long time I think. I know I certainly wont be forgetting his face or name. Who in their right mind would go near him after this?
Now I myself have said things in bad taste in the past at the wrong moments, I'd imagine most people have, but even a crappy indie game like that takes time to make, long enough anyway for even a socially inept person to wake up the next day and go "shit thats a bad idea" But this kid had a month, and he still went through with it, and not only that but he actually, actually thought he'd hold some kind of ransom and people would scurry about in horror in an attempt to gather 'donations' to silence this wicked villain.
"Ohh I wont demand too much money because they'll be more likely to pay it, and I'll break it into a 2k then additional 1k installments so once they pay the first they might as well pay the second! aaannd I'll refer to it as a donation, so as to avoid legal complications!" Yeah the perfect f(percent)&king crime, who are you Ming the f(percent)&king Merciless? Good luck in the future with that on your name son because here's a news flash, it ain't going away. How you feel right now, like maybe perhaps you shouldn't have made that game? Well this is going to be your entire existence for a lonnng time, and no matter how hard you try, you will NOT get used to it.
Wanker.
To jackydablunt:
Blacklisting him is a bit too harsh and a bit unnecessary in my eyes. However, I don't like him, and I think his ransoms are retarded.
I also agree he is a wanker.
I'm not asking others to blacklist him, if they want to work with someone like that, they can. But I don't want to work with people like that, and there's just no use in having them around. If you've not learned the most simplistic lessons of social behaviour such as empathy, restraint, respect, and just plain self awareness by the age of 21, then you wont learn them, and I don't want anything to do with someone like that.
Even if he was the greatest technician and was incredible at production, a personality like that would just bring the team down, so nope, no way.
True enough.
True enough.
I'm not asking others to blacklist him, if they want to work with someone like that, they can. But I don't want to work with people like that, and there's just no use in having them around. If you've not learned the most simplistic lessons of social behaviour such as empathy, restraint, respect, and just plain self awareness by the age of 21, then you wont learn them, and I don't want anything to do with someone like that.
Even if he was the greatest technician and was incredible at production, a personality like that would just bring the team down, so nope, no way.
True enough.
True enough.
To jackydablunt:
Blacklisting him is a bit too harsh and a bit unnecessary in my eyes. However, I don't like him, and I think his ransoms are retarded.
I also agree he is a wanker.
I'm not asking others to blacklist him, if they want to work with someone like that, they can. But I don't want to work with people like that, and there's just no use in having them around. If you've not learned the most simplistic lessons of social behaviour such as empathy, restraint, respect, and just plain self awareness by the age of 21, then you wont learn them, and I don't want anything to do with someone like that.
Even if he was the greatest technician and was incredible at production, a personality like that would just bring the team down, so nope, no way.
True enough.
True enough.
I'm not asking others to blacklist him, if they want to work with someone like that, they can. But I don't want to work with people like that, and there's just no use in having them around. If you've not learned the most simplistic lessons of social behaviour such as empathy, restraint, respect, and just plain self awareness by the age of 21, then you wont learn them, and I don't want anything to do with someone like that.
Even if he was the greatest technician and was incredible at production, a personality like that would just bring the team down, so nope, no way.
True enough.
True enough.
Forget this arsewipes game. Try the casual zombie game: The Last Stand, instead. It should still be on the last page.
One of the best I've played. Perhaps a little too easy, especially when you unlook the last gun.
To Anonymous Coward:
Tried that- Easy after getting Barret. Chainsaw was funny though. Should have allowed more people, more weapon slots and more waves but anyway......
To Anonymous Coward:
Tried that- Easy after getting Barret. Chainsaw was funny though. Should have allowed more people, more weapon slots and more waves but anyway......
That's front-page, on Newgrounds... to make it a bit clearer.
Amen to that Jackydablunt
He shouldn't have agreed to appear on TV.
Someone might actually give him a job anyway,
I think the whole thing has been blown a litle out of proportion. The fact that the media latched onto this and made it big news is the most alarming thing. Is there nothing going on in the world that's more important than the carryings on of an internet troll?
There are always going to be adolescent minds that poke fun at serious situaions like this. It's pretty common for attention seeking adolescents (particularly boys) to make a mockery of sensitive issues. People are usually cured of this when they've lived long enough to experience personal loss for themselves, gaining new insights and sensitivities.
He's a silly boy, the media that promote this are irresponsible, sensationalist bottom feeders, and I don't believe that what he did was in any way a clever politcal statement, an artistic gesture, or had a thought provoking message. It was plain and simple immaturity, which has been exploited by the media to the detriment of our industry's image.
Scott.
Totally agreed, rezn0r.
I've been reading on some of the debates about this controversial game, that it was a social commentary on how media sensationalizes tragedies like the V-Tech shooting, but I think the people who argued on the defense of the V-Tech game have got it all wrong. The guy who did this game really did do it to just piss people off...
<a href="http://www.destructoid.com/virtual-school-shootings-interviewing-two-of…">http://www.destructoid.com/virtual-school-shootings-interviewing-two-of…;
*I HAD A FEELING*
I knew that a game like this would pop up as soon as I heard about the shootings. It's inevitable. It took me 5 minutes after the surprise set in, in order to figure this out.
*ABOUT THE GAME *
I thought people would make a game like this but I thought it would because the makers were noobs and wanted a break into the higher circles with their definition of a "bril game". (Something I swore to try to prevent) I also expect him to turn up as a villain beside some other villains like Hitler, Bin-Laden and the like in a weird shoot-out game or a game like "King Of Heaven & Hell".
I did NOT expect to see a ransom. That guy is so immature- I think no one will pay because there's no way to stop him from keeping this up here.
*ABOUT THE MAKER*
Ryan Lambourn is a tard. Cho almost (about 9/10) never replied when someone said hello. Makes you wonder why he was lonely and had no friends doesn't it? The ransom is also unrealistic. We couldn't give a damn if he kept this game up here. Not many (a significant amount) people would care about it and in time, it will become one of the "WW2 Nazi torture games", sitting on a shelf. Ryan probably typed up wrong- he should be 12 not 21.
*THE GAME ITSELF*
People will play it to be sure. Stuff like this will always have an audience, no matter how small. I won't worry too much about it.
*THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THE DECEASED*
Not many of them will look up the massacre so I'm relatively confident that this game won't affect them too badly. Irritating though
I love how outdated, commented to death and no one wants to read any more about it, news threads. Get someone posting long comments to them when there are newer news items to do so with.
Perhaps there should be a time-limit on news items, giving them a set period where they can be commented on before they get out of date and are then marked as an "archive."
Just a thought...
I guess his 15 minutes are up and well gone. No one cares about this idiot anymore.