Video Game Developer Helps Serial Killers Practice Murder
September 15, 2006 – 7:31 amIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
You have to hand it to Danny Ledonne. He’s in the news today, and not in a way that most people would want. This is a person who actually helps serial killers practice their “Art”. The most recent shooting ocurred in Canada, at the hands of a person who loved playing the game “Super Columbine Massacre”.
Can you imagine loving violence so much you make a game out of it? Wow. And now you find out that someone who “really loved your game” like Kimveer Gill has completed a real-life massacre.
If you’re like Danny Ledonne, you make the game “an indictment of our society at large”. I wonder what gives Danny a right to “indight society” at all. His list of accomplishments, if any, is quite small. He anticipated a negative public reaction concerning the game, and tried to keep his role in its’ creation quiet.
Ledonne said:
“The game does not glorify school shootings,” Ledonne told The Washington Post. “If you make it far enough into the game, you see very graphic photos of Eric and Dylan lying dead. I can’t think of a more effective way to confront their actions and the consequences those actions had.”
Imagine the negative feelings that families of the Columbine victims must feel towards Ledonne and his “game”. Even worse, imagine the feelings of the newest victims who will now learn that Kimveer Gill loved playing this violent game, and ended up wearing a black trench coat and killing innocent people!
Here’s a link to Danny Ledonne’s Myspace Profile.
Judging from his picture, Ledonne wouldn’t fare well in most violent confrontations, especially hand to hand combat.
Funny enough, Ledonne even claims he was heading down the same path. So, in simpler terms, he had ideas of doing a massacre himself.
“The same was true of Columbine. I had thoughts of hurting myself or hurting someone else and Columbine forced me to take a long hard look at those ideas and walk away from that.
I’m not attempting to make the point that video games kill people. Ultimately Kimveer Gill was responsible for his own actions. But to act like a video game developer has no connection between the actions of someone who played the game, even going so far as to profess love for it, is also short-sighted.
At the very least, you help someone imagine and execute practice murders hundreds or even thousands of times a day.
In his defense, Ledonne had this to say:
“I am, like most, saddened by the news of the recent shooting at Dawson College. I extend my condolences to those affected by this painful event,” Ledonne wrote.
What do you think? Does Donny Ledonne bare some responsibility for the actions of Kimveer Gill?
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13 Responses to “Video Game Developer Helps Serial Killers Practice Murder”
Listen you, its not his fault that the guy went and shot people up. why should this guy be responsible for someone who went and shot up their school? and whos to say that this guy didnt think about killing people before he started playing that game? you guys are killing america, and you should just die.
By Adrian Trevino on Sep 15, 2006
Thanks for the comment.
I didn’t say it was “his fault”. I said he helped a killer practice.
Now when you say “you guys are killing america, and you should just die.”
Who is “You guys”, and are you saying you actually want me to die?
By Darren on Sep 15, 2006
While one can certainly question the game. I do have to question how a guy can practice shooting up a school by playing a crude, text based, turn based Japanese style RPG, with graphics from the Super Nintendo era. It’s clearly obvious that your only experience with this game, is the sensationalist headlines, and the couple of screenshots shown in newspapers.
If this guy really wanted to glorify the Columbine school shooting? Why didn’t the creator of this game make a 3D point and click first person shooter? instead, he based the game on a old style Japanese Role Playing Game, arguably one of the least interactive, and most story driven genre in video games?
by your logic, shouldn’t we regulate, or at least discourage the Koran, or even the Bible, bast on the fact that a couple of crazies kill people just because they believe their respective book said so?
Personally, If you are going to point the finger at anyone, I would blame the news media. As I believe it’s more plausible that someone would commit a massive school shooting so that they can go out being famous, than the fact that he wanted to recreate some crud video game made by some 21 year old. I get more outraged by the news media glorifying national real life tragedy’s for increase ratings,(and profit) than I could ever be by someone making a violent video game that isn’t real.
Bottom line. I’m more disgusted by the cable news channels glorifying real life violence, and war for increase ratings and profit. Rather than a video game designer making a work of fiction,(like Grand Theft Auto) that glorifies fake war and violence.
By Fandel on Sep 15, 2006
“Can you imagine loving violence so much you make a game out of it? Wow.”
Your stupidity is staggeringly immense. Coupling assumed motivations of the author with irrelevant insults to his combat capabilities? Jesus Christ, get an education.
“I didn’t say it was “his fault”. I said he helped a killer practice.”
Because playing a 16 bit video game really hones your skills for aiming a gun. This is the most pathetic article I have ever read.
By Chimerical_Carl on Sep 15, 2006
Look. I understand the game is a piece of crap as far as video games go. I understand Donny thinks of it as Art.
I find the idea that his crappy looking game is a stinging indictment of society to be laughable, though.
I mean look at who the game appeals to? Guys like you
Good for you about TV. I don’t watch it. You should quit if you feel strongly about it.
You should quit playing crappy video games.
My only point is take a little personal responsibility. A major “fan” of the game has now done a shooting based on incidents glorified in the game. “Another Victory For The Trenchcoat Mafia”. Why should the game author have no responsibilty?
It’s not like even got paid for making this.
By Darren on Sep 15, 2006
“Your stupidity is staggeringly immense. Coupling assumed motivations of the author with irrelevant insults to his combat capabilities? Jesus Christ, get an education.”
Staggeringly immense stupidty. What’s on your resume indicating genius?
Get an education in what? You sound like a complete a-hole.
By Darren on Sep 15, 2006
Even if he didn’t hone his skills as a shooter, I’m sure it helped hone the mindset.
I’ve never been a gamer because it seems like such a horrible waste of time.
And if the graphics sucked even more reason not to play the game, if you’re normal.
By Heather on Sep 15, 2006
“by your logic, shouldn’t we regulate, or at least discourage the Koran, or even the Bible, bast on the fact that a couple of crazies kill people just because they believe their respective book said so?”
What kind of tangential point was this? I didn’t mention regulation at all.
I don’t want to regulate a damn thing.
I guess you guys have practiced your arguments for awhile. I see you’re coming in from the official forum for the game, so you must be the 3 hardcore fans of it, besides the other guy who went off.
By Darren on Sep 15, 2006
There is certainly much to talk about here. I’ve made many press appearances since the Dawson College shooting to clarify my position. Now I think I know what Marilyn Manson felt like in 1999…
I encourage people to post their thoughts on the game’s forum at columbinegame.com.
This comment forced a grin: “Judging from his picture, Ledonne wouldn’t fare well in most violent confrontations, especially hand to hand combat.” I had a childhood of bullying for precisely the reason identified here. What this picture does not show, however, is my black belt in Tae Kwon Do (something that quite quickly made the bullying stop).
By Danny Ledonne on Sep 15, 2006
Darren: So, instead articulating a response, you just take cheap shots at people? For the record, I never defended the actual game itself. In fact, believe it or not, If it wasn’t for me, no one would have ever heard of this game. I originally did a post about this game in my blog, which was picked up by another blogger, who tipped off the editor of the game site Kotaku. Who just also happens to be a writer for the Rocky Mountain News, and the rest is history.
Also, I never bothered to post in the fourms. While I did find your blog from a link in the Columbine game fourms, I went there with the purpose of finding some thoughts about the school shooting from some of the games fans. Regulation or not, all I’m saying, is that if the creator of this game should feel responsible because of the actions of a psycho. Then shouldn’t the news media bear any responsibility because some idiot commits a rampage because he wants to get sensationalised by the news media?
Also, if you look at this psycho’s blog, he has a list of dozens of movies, games, books, and shows that he was interested in. Should all the directors, writers, and producers of these movies, and books feel a sense of responsibility too? Why is it that no one mentions the books that her read, or the movies that he watched? Could it be that it’s easier for the media to scapegoat some 20 year old guy that made a game that almost nobody played, than to go after powerful Hollywood studio executives, television studio’s, or famous stars?
Heather: Funny, I feel the same way about Nascar, most movies, Television, MTV, and crappy reality shows. They are a complete waste of time for me.
By Fandel on Sep 15, 2006
I don’t think this article really has a point. I haven’t played the game, but have only found this article through a bit of web surfing because I’m curious about the shooting in Montreal. Anyway, the game, in my opinion, had nothing to do with the shooting. I could be wrong, but if anything, this sort of game would have gave Gill second thoughts. As the creator of the game says, he shows grisly photos of the shooters lying dead in the game. This would certainly put me off unless I was suicidal, in which case I’d probably end up doing this with or without ever having played the game.
What I’m getting at is, this shooting was the shooters fault, and not the creator of the game’s fault. I truly believe he made it not to glorify the Columbine massacre, but to show how bad it really was.
I also think your mentioning the physique of the game’s creator and his presumed fighting ability is completely off-topic, and puts me off from an otherwise worthy article.
I hope to have a rational and reasonable argument over this, and not a lot of insults.
Thanks.
By Revo on Sep 16, 2006
First, I’ll say that I found your article somewhat… unprofessional. Never mind the insults directed at Danny regarding his appearance (which does misconvey that you support judging and potentially bullying said individuals). Take a look at these more troubling statements…
“Can you imagine loving violence so much you make a game out of it?”
“Imagine the negative feelings that families of the Columbine victims must feel towards Ledonne and his ‘game’.”
Okay, these statements sound right on the surface, but what they do is present partial information and challange the reader to digest them. It’s like an ad that says, “Don’t you want the benefits of vitamin E in your skin?” Sounds convincing, until you realize you don’t know what these “benefits” are. It’s a bad writing habit, and considered by most to be a sign of amateurism.
The first statement reveals a limited understanding for the purpose of violence in most videogames. Most videogames feature some form of death, even if characters respawn eventually. Even Pac-Man involved death. Movie directors, writers, and videogame designers use death to create tension.
The violence in Super Columbine Massacre likely had little impact on the Canadian shootings. People don’t do violent things without first showing signs of being potentially violent. He certainly wasn’t content with his life one day, and shooting up the school the next. He must’ve shown signs months in advance, and chances are, it was he who was attracted to the game, and not the game motivating him. Ledonne’s game attempts to illustrate the consequences of these actions, and if anything it was one of the few forces acting to discourage him from taking violent action.
The last statement there has some credibility, but honestly, with the media pimping 9/11 at the expense of victims and mourners, a videogame that had questionable impact on a school shooting is no where near as accurate an example of the blights of modern society.
Before I go, I want to make it clear that I have the upmost respect for Darren as a person. I disagree only with his writing, but he was also well within his rights to express his opinions regarding these tragic events.
By fire-eternal on Sep 16, 2006
I forgot to mention;
A videogame does not help a serial killer practice murder. The title of the article is dumb.
A serial killer will be able to kill with or without having played a game about mass murdering.
By Revo on Sep 16, 2006