 |
Braid ditches Slamdance in protestJanuary 6th, 2007 |
“Braid won’t be at Slamdance because of SCMRPG getting dropped,” is the short form. Read on for the details…
As many of you probably know, there’s this game called Super Columbine Massacre RPG!, an oldschool-style RPG about taking the roles of Klebold and Harris, killing kids in school, then dying, going to hell, and coming to some awareness of what they’ve done. The game is pretty divisive — the creator seems serious in his intent to create an artistic response and commentary about the Columbine shootings, but of course many simply find it to be in poor taste.
It’s reminiscent in some ways of the controversy over the “game” that recreated the Kennedy assassination; had it been presented as a “simulation” then likely it wouldn’t have caused nearly as much outrage as it did. Here, a large part of the concern over SCMRPG is that it may trivialize the occurrence, allow people to fantasize about playing the same roles that Klebold and Harris did, and so on. In other words, whether it is in good taste.
The result of this controversy, as has been widely reported, is that the Slamdance competition, whose jury had selected SCMRPG as a finalist, decided to drop the game from the show. N’Gai Croal at Newsweek has pointed out the irony of this game getting dropped when Sundance shows things like Gus van Sant’s film Elephant, which mines much the same territory, though probably more artistically. The conference organizer has stated that he didn’t drop the game due to sponsor pressure, but rather as a moral choice of his own — something which Ian Bogost covers in more detail on Watercooler Games.
Now comes the news that the intensely interesting indie game Braid, a “game fan’s game” about manipulating time to solve puzzles in a platformer context, has chosen not to appear at Slamdance as a gesture of solidarity, even though Jonathan Blow (the game’s creator, and a very opinionated guy) happens to not think very much of SCMRPG as a game.
The game lacks compassion, and I find the Artist’s Statement disingenuous. But despite this, the game does have redeeming value. It does provoke important thoughts, and it does push the boundaries of what games are about. It is composed with more of an eye toward art than most games. Clearly, it belongs at the festival.
Good for Jon.
I found SCMRPG to attempting to seriously engage with the subject - whether it actually accomplished doing so is a wholly separate subject. (Some argue that Van Sant’s film didn’t wholly accomplish it either, after all). I’ve said in the past that the issue with serious games may be that they trivialize — and that this may also be their great strength. Here we see that very issue front and center. Dismissing the game “on moral grounds” essentially argues that it is exploitative; yet we do not necessarily consider clearly issue-driven films or books as exploitative. Rather, the sensitivity of the subject seems to be what is pushing the needle here. Can games, which some allege caused Columbine, then comment on Columbine without being regarded as exploitative?
SCMRPG is no great shakes as a game in its own right. It doesn’t even try to do something new on that front. Instead, it’s incurring controversy based on artwork, content, and most importantly, the medium that it happens to be in. Were its RPG plot excised and written out as a book, would anyone raise an eyebrow? Probably not.
Jon puts in well in his post:
…games should be taken seriously as an art form that can expand the boundaries of human experience. Games can help us to understand situations in a fully-engaged fashion, as participants and co-creators, which the passive media cannot do. As an art form they contain a tremendous power to shift perspective and to heighten wisdom. For the art form to achieve these potentials, game developers need to explore the space of possibilities in earnest. But if games are denied their appropriate level of societal recognition, growth of the form will be very difficult, and human culture will be the lesser for it.
If left unchallenged, the expulsion of the Columbine game sets a precedent in the wrong direction.
Exactly. And while there may be discomfort as we get the games that seriously tackle uncomfortable issues and fail at it, hopefully we will also see those games that do so and succeed, and thereby open new horizons and justify all the discomfort. Discomfort’s just a daily fact of life; new ways to make art and get more insight into ourselves, those come along but rarely.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
I’m a big fan of the medley you point out. If Slamdance did something that people and companies find objectionable then companies can pull their games and individuals can not attend.
[...] The story is that festival organizers whoring the festival out and not taking responsibility for their actions. They wanted SCM RPG! in the festival, SCM RPG! was promoted to a finalist, and they, and they alone made the choice to kick SCM RPG! out. I understand they were under enormous pressure. That doesn’t excuse it. Life’s hard. You have to make choices, and sometimes living up to your responsibilities comes with a cost. A festival that’s supposed to promote independent movies and games comes across as pretty laughable when sponsors can simply have something removed that they don’t care for. Today, Jonathan Blow, creator of another Slamdance finalist called Braid, announced that he’s pulling his game out in protest. I want to applaud Jonathan, as Raph has just done (you write too damn fast and well, Raph). I know Jonathan was looking forward to Slamdance and agonized a bit over the decision to pull out, and that he did so for the sake of principle, as he isn’t a big fan of SCM RPG! Three cheers for him! It’d be great to see other finalists follow suit, though I don’t think there’s any ethical imperative to do so. [...]
[...] Arthouse Games News: SCMRPG Yanked from Slamdance by jcr13Friday, January 5, 2007 [5:39 pm]On the heels of my review of Super Columbine Massacre RPG! comes some disturbing news: the game has been pulled from the Slamdance game festival.I heard the story first from Grand Text Auto. I’ll collect links to other coverage here as the story unfolds: Original coverage at KotakuN’Gai Croal’s scathing critique of Slamdance’s decisionA discussion clocking 30+ comments over at GamePoliticsThe game Braid withdraws from Slamdance in protest.More at Kotaku about why SCMRPG was pulled and the twin story at Rocky Mountain News.Ian Bogost has posted some interesting analysis (with a nice graphic of Slamdance’s tombstone) on Water Cooler Games.The venerable Raph Koster joins the fray[Link][Submit Comment] [Home] [Account] RSS 2.0 General Info: –Mission–The Images–Game Submissions Older Stories: –News: IGF Finalists–Review: The Blob–Review: Book and Volume–Review: Base Invaders–News: Slamdance Finalists[1 in Archive] Other Sites: –A Theory of Fun–Lost Garden–Indy Gamer Blog–TIG Source–Game Tunnel All content on this site is placed in the Public Domain. [...]
Sidebar: updates on this story (as of 1/6): Jonathan Blow, creator of Slamdance finalist and 2006 IGF winner Braid, has withdrawn his game from the competition in protest Raph Koster comments on the above, and the situation in general Greg Costikyan of Slamdance sponsor Manifesto Games responds in detail to the decision and the game, and makes it available on Manifesto’s site. … Continue reading “Slamdance: SCMRPG removal was personal, not business”
Columbine RPG dropped from competition…
I just saw an article, “Exclusive: Columbine Game Kicked From Competition” (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/exclusive-columbine-game-kicked-from-competition-226272.php) over at Kotaku. In short, the game Super Columbine Massacre RPG (http://www.col…
was among many to point out the double standard applied when films addressing the same or even more risquee subject matter are never pulled from such festivals. Greg Costikyan’s post on the subject does so as well, and is worth reading. Raph has also posted a lengthy piece on the subject here, in which I learned the latest twist: That Jon Blow has pulled Braid from the competition in protest. Braid, a game I blogged about briefly in my GDC post (which I really liked plain, despite the fact that it made my brain hurt!),
was among many to point out the double standard applied when films addressing the same or even more risquee subject matter are never pulled from such festivals. Greg Costikyan’s post on the subject does so as well, and is worth reading. Raph has alsoposted a lengthy pieceon the subject here, in which I learned the latest twist: That Jon Blow has pulled Braid from the competition in protest. Braid, a game I blogged about briefly in my GDC post (which I really liked plain, despite the fact that it made my brain hurt!),
[...] Since the annoucement of this dicission, Slamdance co-creator has changed his story and now states that he did not pull the game due to sponsers threats (yeah right) but he pulled it because of his own "moral" choice.(WHAT!!!) Take a look at most of the films your "moral" choice has allowed, Im not believing this BS for an instant. AND even if this is true, This doesnt make it right, What does HIS moral choice have to do with the rest of the world? I’ll be my own Moral guide thank you very much. (Source: GamePolitics.com) Below are some other interesting discussions on this if you are interested. Raph Koster’s Website Grand Text Auot website RockyMountainNews.com [...]
Braid ditches Slamdance in protest
[...] Previously: Braid ditches Slamdance. [...]
[...] Raph Koster has spoken up on the subject. Dismissing the game “on moral grounds” essentially argues that it is exploitative; yet we do not necessarily consider clearly issue-driven films or books as exploitative. Rather, the sensitivity of the subject seems to be what is pushing the needle here. Can games, which some allege caused Columbine, then comment on Columbine without being regarded as exploitative? [...]
[...] can be found as usual from Raph and Greg Bookmark: « Second Life goes Open Source trackback Leave aReply [...]
it does push the boundaries of what games are about. It is composed with more of an eye toward art than most games. Clearly, it belongs at the festival. So, in protest of game’s expulsion, I have dropped Braid out of the competition as well. Raph Koster has spoken up on the subject. Dismissing the game “on moral grounds” essentially argues that it is exploitative; yet we do not necessarily consider clearly issue-driven films or books as exploitative. Rather, the sensitivity of the subject seems to be what is pushing the
[...] Before I get into my own tirade, there’s some recommended reading for you. Don’t worry, I’ll wait: Braid won’t be at Slamdance after all. flOw won’t be at Slamdance after all. Braid Ditches Slamdance in Protest Slamdance Pulled SCMRPG On Moral Grounds (Referenced from a Rocky Mountain News article.) Slamdance: SCMRPG removal was personal, not business Super Columbine Massacre: Artwork or Menace? [...]
[...] Když byla kontroverzní freewarovka Super Columbine Massacre RPG! vybrána minulý rok v listopadu mezi 14 finalistů soutěže Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker Competition, která se bude konat od 18. do 27. ledna souběžně se známým filmovým festivalem Slamdance v Utahu, tak to na tvářích spousty lidí vyvolalo údiv. Byl to vzhledem k kontroverzitě hry od pořadatelů skutečně odvážný, ale rozhodně správný tah, za nějž si vysloužili jednoznačnou pochvalu. Tehdy na konci roku však ještě nikdo netušil, že na začátku roku 2007 bude všechno jinak. Ačkoli to pak bylo popřeno a interpretováno jinak, tak kvůli tlakům sponzorů festivalu byli pořadatelé nuceni Super Columbine Massacre RPG! vyřadit, čehož sami litovali. Spoluzakladatel festivalu Peter Baxter prohlásil, že kontroverzní hru Dannyho Ledonneho vyřadil nerad (prohlásil, že to je špatně), ale musel to prý udělat z morálního hlediska a kvůli přežití festivalu. Danny Ledonne přijal tuto nepříjemnou informaci takříkajíc s klidem, ačkoli mohl působit méně odevzdaně a mohl bojovat.Naštěstí se tvůrci několika, ze zbylých 13 do finále vybraných, titulů rozhodli bojovat namísto Ledonneho, byť se mnoha z nich Super Columbine Massacre RPG! vlastně ani nelíbí (ona ta hra stejně není o tom, aby se někomu líbila). Tak například tvůrce plošinovky Braid Jon Blow na svém blogu prohlásil, že sice v SCMRPG chybí jakýkoli soucit a odkaz hry je tedy neúplný, ale to nic nemění na tom, že hra má i své světlé stránky a rozhodně nutí lidi přemýšlet nad důležitými otázkami. Jinak řečeno, posunuje hranice toho, za co jsou hry považovány, do sféry umění. Hra tedy na festival patří a Blow se proti jejímu vyřazení rozhodl protestovat tím, že z festivalu odhlásil svůj titul Braid.Podobně, tedy stažením své hry z finálové účasti na festivalu (jen abyste věděli, tak jde o budoucí PS3 titul flOw), zareagoval Kelee Santiago. Podle něj se prý názory na kvalitu SCMRPG i téma, kterým se hra zabývá, mohou lišit, ale jedno je jasné - Super Columbine Massacre RPG! na festival patří. Za to, že SCMRPG na festival patří se svým hlasem postavila i celá řada dalších lidí, včetně Rapha Kostera, Iana Bogosta a dvojice vítězů předchozího ročníku Slamdance festivalu (Andrew Stern a Michael Mateas), kteří pořadatelům napsali otevřený dopis, v němž žádají, aby byl titul SCMRPG znovu zařazen mezi finalisty. Uvidíme, jak to celé dopadne, respektive zdali pořadatelé tlaku podlehnout. Ať už to dopadne jakkoli, tak je celý tento humbuk nesmírně prospěšný, protože rozvířil debatu o tom, co jsou to vlastně hry, jakou úlohu plní a mohou plnit v dnešní společnosti a konečně, jestli lze hry označit za umění. [...]
[...] Of recent news is the 2007 Slamdance Guerrilla Gamemaker Competition currently suffering from the aftermath of a decision to withdraw controversial game Super Columbine Massacre RPG from the roster of finalists. A number of finalists have seized the opportunity to voluntarily pull out from the competition citing concerns about artistic merit… [...]
[...] Even if what is and is not art is a matter of opinion (and I don’t think it is), it doesn’t follow that a contest should allow anything at all to be a part of it. The phrase “excluded from consideration” is inexact? Do you mean from consideration in any forum whatsoever? As in, if I were running an art contest, and someone submitted something which I’d identify as blasphemous and evil, like Piss Christ, I’d be morally obliged to let it be considered in my contest? I don’t think you mean this, but you would have to be making a claim this strong for your argument to work. Otherwise, why would the head of this contest be obliged to keep the Columbine game in? If the complaint is that it wasn’t kicked out until it was late in the contest, well, that’s fair - but that’s just sloppiness on the part of the people running the contest, or perhaps the head of the contest was not directly aware of the content of the game. Or was he just hoping to not cause a scene because he assumed it would not get very far? My money is on this last one, personally. I think we’re getting mired down in debating the quality of the game which isn’t really the point. The game was fairly entered and well received enough by the judges to make it to the finalist’s round. The game was then outed by a higher-up because he disagreed with all the judges’ decisions and felt he had a moral obligation to step in and banish the game because it dealt with sensitive issues and was afraid of what would happen if it was kept in the contest. This has resulted in aggrevating the judges, the finalists, and game designers at large not because a crappy game was kicked out of a little contest but because of the act removing it based on the the nature of the issues it deals with symbolizes. As a medium we have to stand up for our ability to create games about all issues, even if they’re particularly unsettling ones. Whether this game is “art” or not; whether the game is “good” or not is irrelevant. It was outed from the competition because either it dealt with a subject matter that was perceived to be too sensitive for games to touch properly, or the interactive nature of a game merged with the important subject matter transformed an otherwise interesting subject into a taboo. And if either of these are seen as true, we’re totally hosed as a medium. [...]
[...] I recall being impressed with the jury at the annual Slamdance indie festival late last year when the finalists for their game of the year category were announced. Way down at the bottom, apparently below anyone’s radar, was the hugely controversial title Super Columbine Massacre RPG, a game - to paraphrase the developer’s stated intentions - aimed at sparking debate, engendering understanding in the violence and videogames issue and exploring the boundaries of the interactive art form.Unfortunately, it looks like someone has developed cold feet.Water Cooler Games and Kotaku both report that the game has been removed from the list due to pressure from festival sponsors. However, a follow-up post at WCG suggests that the decision to remove the game was a personal choice on the part of the organiser rather than due to corporate demands.The froth which is unfurling is covered in detail at WCG, including links to intelligent analysis and updated information. Raph points to a Newsweek article which highlights the hypocrisy in the decision, as the festival has previously shown Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, a film which deals with the same subject.As of Monday, at least one other finalist has pulled his game out of the competition in protest. Slamdance begins 18 January. [...]
Slamdance has not. All the nuances of this controvery are being talked about everywhere else, but for me it says as much about the future as the present. Super Columbine Massacre RPG is disturbing video game, but being banned from Slamdance would have never
the legitimacy of our medium is continuously questioned. I felt the need to make this post because it seems few people put this into practice. For example, Raph italicizes book titles on his blog, butnot game names. I’m putting this tidbit here not so much to make fun of him, but because he might come back to this post while checking referrers.
Seriously, though, I think it’s an important step in showing people the importance of our medium. And, please pardon
Slamdance celebrates independent games only so far as they do not make us uncomfortable”. The center’s withdrawal is only the latest action of what is quickly becoming an exodus. First to go was Braid– not an easy decision in the early uncertain days after SCMRPG’s ejection. Soon after, however, Everyday Shooter, Toblo, Once Upon a Time, and fl0w all voluntarily withdrew. Now the sponsors are leaving. Will there be anything left of
[...] in protest of game’s expulsion, I have dropped Braid out of the competition as well. Raph Koster has spoken up on the subject. Dismissing the game “on moral grounds” essentially argues that it is exploitative; yet we do not [...]
[...] OUT RALPH KOSTER’s piece on this — Raph Koster has spoken up on the subject. it’s a smart, cogent look at what’s happening surrounding this controversy: here is the excerpt from [...]