(Danny Ledonne forwarded this to me.)
A user on the Columbinegame.com forums posted this reflection today:
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prisoner416
Post subject: My Story (Or how I almost was a statistic)
I grew up with a lot of problems. I was hyperactive, and didn't fit in well socially. I was put on various medications, saw a lot of therapists, and was transferred to many schools.
By the time I reached Jr. High, I didn't really seek attention. I was short, because of a delay in my growth from medications. I was also placed into the "Emotional Support" class due to my lack of social grace, which is where they tend to send the violent kids. As a consequence, I was harassed a lot. I was not good at sports or most gym activities. As a consequence, I was targeted a lot by both jocks and so-called "popular girls". The principal didn't care much, because I complained about it a lot to the point that he viewed me as the problem.
Also, unknown to me at the time, the medications I was on were messing with my head. I was on SSRIs like Prozac, Paxil, and the like, and when things got worse because of them, the dosage was increased. This activated a homicidal/suicidal rage in me. This, combined with the amount of frustration I was having with the school, both with the faculty and students, was a very dangerous combination.
Thankfully, I did not have access to firearms or other weapons. Thankfully, I managed to get switched to home schooling after a incident in which someone swung a padlock into the rear of my head in the gym locker room and the principal didn't want to take action. Thankfully, I eventually had a therapist who recognized the problem with the medication and pulled me off of them in time after a failed suicide attempt.
I am in the unique position of being able, thanks to the medication in part, to understand Eric and Dylan's rage. Their desire to not just target students, but to "blow the school off the map". The school I went to is still a breeding ground of hate and violence. Zero tolerance is in effect, but is more often used on those who chose to defend themselves from attackers. They were not monsters, they merely reached their breaking point.
I am still thankful that my plans were never a reality, and hope that instead of placing blame more people will actually study events like this and learn from them in the future.
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I have spoken with this young man previously and he has updated the game to tweak some historical inaccuracies and game play mechanics. Many players have similar stories to share on the forum but this user has gone a step further by contributing to the project itself.
And this relates to games
And this relates to games how?
The top of my window reads
The top of my window reads as such: Game Reviews | Free Games | Independent Games | Game Culture
That last one is the kicker. The Columbine shooting has a very significant tie to game culture and more specifically to how popular culture interacts with game culture. The controversy over the Columbine RPG presents a very good example of how our culture is viewed by those outside it (and how those views can effect even those within our own ranks.)
There remains even now a deep misunderstanding of the antecedent of the tragedy throughout much of the general population. It's much less distressing to believe the easy answers we're given on TV. In my experience most people would much rather believe that video games and music are a corrupting influence on children than to face the possibility that the problem lies in how we, as a society, are raising our children.
A better understanding of (and, dare we let ourselves feel it, compassion toward) Klebold and Harris might very well allow many people to move past the need for scapegoats and truly come to terms with what happened.
Certainly Columbine isn't a hot issue these days, but if I ever happen to get into a conversation about it in the future I'd be glad to be able to reference this article in the hopes that it might inspire some measure of clemency.
And yet that email, and your
And yet that email, and your comment scapegoat psychiatric prescriptions? And seem to argue to absolve a majority of the personal responsibility of these individuals. Everyone needs to help accountable for their actions, and continually passing the buck off from music to games to psychiatry doesn't do that. Look up the Twinkie Defense.
Perhaps you misunderstand
Perhaps you misunderstand the notion of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is not to say, "You did no wrong. You are absolved of all sin."
Forgiveness is to say, "You did wrong. You may not even deserve my compassion. You have it anyway."
I thought it was significant
I thought it was significant that the whole thing was a rationale to start modding.