This is just sick!

[Ultrawolf]

I saw it on the news this morning in my first period class.
Alot of the student in my class knew about it before I watched it on the news so Im assuming it's getting some pretty big attention.

[BWS-1]

Nobody complained when they made (and still do) games about world wars and ... more wars.

A nameless soldier and a president, it's a human life ... yet ... it's a game. If you are to be outraged by this, then, the least I can understand that you can't stand all those games as well. Only if you are, I'll find it sad, for it's such a misconseption of things to see them as ''outrageous'' and, might I add, ''despicable''.

The problem is the idea, the initial perseption we have when we think of ''a PC game''. Entertainment, fun factor, addiction ... but games can be made for other purposes. I find it interesting that they, apparently, say they wanted to create a ''docu-game''. In fact, it might be the reason why I'd go out and buy it. If all games that are addicting should be about killing ... then games like Myst wouldn't sell. Some games are meant for different forms of gamers, and this might just be a new genre. And even if you don't know, say, the old lady crossing the street in GTA that you just beaten to death with a baseball bat, it doesn't mean that, if you are trilled and itching to do it in real life, that you are ''ok'' since it's not JFK's mom, or whatsoever.

And all this about ''the family being shocked to hear that a game will be made recreating the event'' just doesn't make any sence. Since I'm a kid I keep seeing documentaries on TV, books, articles all about the subject, did they ever blame those people for ''reminding them the past'' in forms of words and images?

Anyway. I can't say I ''like'' this game yet, but I'm very curious to see how it'll be, if it is accurate to what we know or if it's more like propaganda, or fiction. I'm sure that, on a gameplay level, I won't be amazed, but the value of this game doesn't resid in it's ''engine'' ... but in what it wants to bring us; more about the life of the #1 suspect that killed JFK.

And I dought that bringing the ''well now, 11 years old kids will be able to go out there and snipe a president'' argument has any value here. I mean ... I don't think I even have to explain myself.

[Kiyomi]

Excel and I talked about this, and this is what I came up with. Personally, I don't think the books and movies and media should have gone all crazy about it in the first place. No one wants everyone to know their private business, and no one wants to have the fact that their family member was murdered slapped in their face over and over and over. I told Excel if it was for educational purposes, I would have considered it better if they waited until the family members who were alive at the time had passed away. Then it becomes a "historical event" rather than being a slap in someone's face.

I also figured out exactly why it bothers me so much more than games like GTA. The fact that it is based off of a real person and a real situation would, if I had violent tendancies, make me more likely to go out and kill someone than a game like GTA, where everyone is just an imaginary character, would. Excel said it would be the opposite for him, so for him, GTA is "worse". I also see the distinct possibility of people looking at it, saying "Hey, this guy got away with it and they made a video game about him! Maybe I could do the same and not only get away with it, but get some fame."

[BWS-1]

See if people end up thinking: "Hey, this guy got away with it and they made a video game about him! Maybe I could do the same and not only get away with it, but get some fame." (which is true that some might be dumb enough to get to do such things for such stupid reasons) Other could think ''Hey, I can beat up an old lady in the street and get away with it, and not only that, but get some money out of her!'' or ''hey, I can survive on a battlefield and headshot counter-terrorist everytime and never fail to plent a bomb in de_dust, ... maybe I can be a terrorist too!''

See, we must make the difference between fiction and reality within fictional worlds (such as movies, and video games ...) Some people can't make the difference, and it's those people, no matter if the game is based on a reality event or pure fiction with nameless NPCs of rival gangs, that will comit stupid acts in real life.

I mean, if WWII games were giving more freedom to the players, perhaps we could manage to make the Nazi win the wars and take over Europe? but see, that doesn't happen, cause they keep it historical ... but even if they allowed us to do it, why should it be wrong? Surely because some would think that others might consider the idea of ''giving it a try'' in real life since they succeeded in the ''fake life'' (a.k.a. gaming world)... but what are those people anyway to think like that? My opinion, they're losers.

And hey, making the Nazi win in a game shouldn't be considered as being demented. I mean, if we'd end up saying ''you decided to make them win! You are evil! You must die!'' Then we shouldn't be able to play as terrorists in games, or as germans, or as ''alien life forms invading earth'' cause it could mean we'd wish all of Mankind to be doomed to an existance of slavery ... or could it? NO! It doesn't mean anything, it's a freakin' game. No matter the decisions you take in games it should not reflect what you'd do in real life, and people shouldn't judge you on those decisions. For it's self-explanatory, those decisions, they are made in a GAME not in REALITY.

And no, games aren't the origin of people acting crazy, the reason why people will end up thinking they can rule the world cause they shot a president in a game are people that lacked appropriate education and moral ... and at that point, the games aren't to blame, no matter what they are about.

[GAAZ]

The game in essence is perfectly fine...Like Kiyomi said it's a person with a history and such.

However in Wolfenstein your job was to kill Hitler, also a person.

But Hitler was bad right? Sure...But he unified Germany and in essence jump started the American economy.

JFK was a great president that led us into the space age and averted a Nuclear crisis with balls of steel.

But Hitler killed many Jewish people.

JFK Killed Marilyn Monroe. He had ties with the Mafia. He was a rampant drug and alcohol abuser and took advantage of many women.

Both people did good things. One rose to power by force and solidified a Nation that was on the precipice of dying and taught the world that it needed to come together to stop Genocidal maniacs and power hungry dictators. The other was elected and did his appointed job to the best of his ability but lead an otherwise seedy life.

So the REAL question is. Are you outraged that you take the life of a human you admire? Are you mad because you take the life of a normal human? Or are you simply mad that you actually want to play the game to "see what it's like" and it sickens you to the point of revulsion?

I myself don't like the game because you take the life of a person with a name. But yet when playing Wolfenstein I was ok with killing Hitler. Does that make me a bad person? If a German child plays this game taking out an American leader and feels revulsion at killing the man who defined his nation with the only course of action available at the time due to the treaty of Versai is that child to be called a hate monger?

There's two sides to every coin...It all depends on which side you bet on.

[Kiyomi]

They could, yes, but since it is a real event, to me, it would seem more likely that I could repeat the event and get away with it. I see a game like GTA and my mind says, "Someone made up these characters. What I am doing has never been done exactly. No one has truly killed these exact people because they don't exist. What I am 'getting' away with in the game is not real," but when I see a game based off of a real event and real people, my mind says, "Hey, this really happened. Someone REALLY got away with killing a real person." That is why I would be more incllined to go out and try it than I would be for GTA. Not saying I would go out kililng people either way, but that is just how I personally would react if I were the type to let video games influence my actions.

[BWS-1]

[Kiyomi]

[reaper]

You know comparing Kennedy to Hitler is really pretty deranged : P

And killing Hitler is not bad, it’s good. After all he was a genocidal F**khead who murdered around 16 million people.

I don’t care what you say Kennedy was a great president. You know that whole, avoidance of global nuclear war and everything.

[Kiyomi]

See, that is just a difference of opinion. I agree that it was good to take him out IRL because of his actions, but that does not mean everyone should go about killing a real person, good or bad, in a video game. I just think it comes too close to the real thing once a person realizes they are repeating a real even where someone killed a real person. I agree that Hitler did terrible things and was a very horrid person, but his family did not do those things. In fact, he was adopted. What if his real or adopted family is out there feeling terrible already about what Hitler did, then the video game comes out. I, as a family member, would feel even worse, then. Don't punish a person that is not guilty, I say, and that is basically what these type of games are doing.

[quote]I don’t care what you say Kennedy was a great president. You know that whole, avoidance of global nuclear war and everything.[/qupte]

I don't know if this is directed to me, but I did not say anything good or bad about Kennedy, so if this is directed toward me, there is no reason whatsoever to be saying "I don't care what you say."