Monday, November 22, 2004
41 years ago today
Where were you when Kennedy was shot? Now you can relive the moment from Oswald's perspective. Due to be released today, the video game JFK Reloaded, asks you to fire the three shots from the Texas Book Depository. The company is calling it an educational game, designed to disprove conspiracy theories. I'm calling it Sim Assassination.
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7 comments:
It's a sad commentary on the state of this nation. One of the sad side effects of a democracy. I still wouldn't trade this country, or our system, for any other though.
Ok, I'm sorry, but I don't really see why there is so much ruckus over this, but not, say, the various FPS games that allow you to be a sniper. Is it just because Kennedy is famous? Would there be a similar outcry if the game had you assassinate Hitler, Franco or Mussolini? What about Trotsky?
I'm sorry, there are MUCH more violent and bloody games out there; this one just happens to trade off the death of a president which, considering the money made off of the likeness of JFK, has been considered harmless for years.
-Eponymous
I think it was the attempt to market it as an educational game that seemed particularly shameless to me. Though I have no great fondness for killing games in general. I am a wimpy Myst-playing sort of child.
I don't like the whole idea of desensitizing young folks to killing. After having dispatched a handful of Communists in my day, I don't think killing should be glamorized. That isn't to say they shouldn't be allowed to sell it, but my kid wouldn't get it.
Fixer: Oh, I agree (not about the killing commies part). There are plenty of games, movies, books, etc. that are for adults to enjoy and I would do my damnedest to keep away from my (future) children.
But as far as desentizing goes, just watching the news and movies did enough for me. I don't really see how it could be avoided without raising the kid in a commune.
-Eponymous
Epo,
It's one thing watchign the news and another seeing a kid actually taking aim at folks on his screen with bloodlust in his eyes I haven't seen since the last firefight I was in.
I was thinking about this thread all morning. Why does it really seem extra appalling to me? I didn't really "get it" when the Challenger went down and the nation went into mourning. There's always such a pile of death. But maybe that's because the space program never resonated with me the way that I imagine Kennedy would have (okay, I know, I know...). I am susceptible to American mythos. I love Kerouac and Whitman and even the railroad. Somehow if I close my eyes I can ignore the bloody hands for a minute and just appreciate some of that America stuff in a naive way. So maybe that's it. I think Kennedy's assassination was a sort of fall from grace for a lot of America in the way that Watergate was. All of which is to say, you're probably right E.
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