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Columbine game blocked from receiving Slamdance special jury prize
When Slamdance festival director Peter Baxter removed Super Columbine Massacre RPG as a finalist in the festival's Guerrila Gamemaker Competition, he probably thought it would be the last time he would have to block the game from consideration for an award. As it so happened, though, Baxter found himself in a similar position last Friday night, when he reportedly stopped the game from receiving a special jury prize from the judges for the film documentary category. As detailed on Slamdance attendee Patrick Dugan's blog and confirmed by SCMRPG creator Danny Ledonne in an interview with Joystiq, the whole thing began on Tuesday, when Slamdance documentary juror Brian Flemming paused to watch an unofficial demo of the game put on by Ledonne on a laptop just outside the official game competition tent. Flemming, director of "The God Who Wasn't There," had heard about the controversy surrounding the game, and was intrigued enough by the demo to mention the game to his two fellow documentary jurors.
Slamdance left "half empty" over Super Columbine controversy [update 1]
Smatbomb co-author Heather Chaplin attended the Slamdance Guerrilla Game Maker Competition for the New York Times and reported on the "half empty" rows of folding chairs and "uncomfortable quiet" that permeated the whole proceeding. The cause of this melancholy, of course, was the decision by competition president Peter Baxter to remove finalist Super Columbine Massacre RPG from the competition, leading six other finalists to remove their games in a show of support.. Baxter told Chaplin that he doesn't personally find the game immoral, somewhat contradicting an earlier statement to the Rocky Mountain News that "there are moral obligations to consider here with this particular game." The Times article also mentions "outraged phone calls and e-mail messages [Baxter had] been receiving from Utah residents and family members associated with the Columbine shooting," as a reason for the game's removal. In the end, the remaining attendees voted not to award any prizes at this year's competition, implicitly supporting director Sam Roberts' contention that the competition had been compromised. Whether or not the stain of this decision will last into next year's competition remains to be seen. [Update: Fixed a typo In Ms. Chaplin's name. Sorry Heathen ... I mean Heather.]
Slamdance treats games as kid-centric
Take a look at the finalists for the 2007 Slamdance Guerilla Gamemakers Competition and notice how only one game even remotely tackles a controversial subject, Super Columbine Massacre RPG. That game has subsequently been dropped from the running. And like that, we are reminded how video games are perceived.In a biting editorial, Newsweek's resident gamer N'Gai Croal condemns Slamdance President Peter Baxter's decision, noting the disparate treatment between games and cinema. Film festivals (of which Slamdance is a part) are notorious for showing pieces that tackle controversial topics that could make SCMRPG look like Mario Party. Our understanding is that the game's creator was simply trying to explore an issue, much like Gus Van Sant's film Elephant.Though we agree with Croal's editorial, we do sympathize with Baxter's position, who was losing financial backers because of the game's inclusion. We are reminded that the game industry is still in an infant stage, and any controversial subject will have detractors. All we can do is stand up for what we believe in, and know someday the general consensus on gaming will expand into a larger age bracket.
