Playing Columbine

Documentary filmmaker Danny Ledonne examines the explosive history of one of the most controversial video games ever conceived, Super Columbine Massacre RPG!. Immediately upon release, Super Columbine Massacre RPG! was chastised by media pundits as a prime example of irresponsible game making, and an undeniable indicator of a deeply sick society. Those who actually took the time to play the game, however, discovered something far different; Super Columbine Massacre RPG! wasn't your typical violent impulse fantasy, but a therapeutic - and in some instances life changing - interactive experience. By contrasting Super Columbine Massacre RPG!'s heated coverage in the press against the rising instances in school violence, Ledonne offers a unique look at video games as an expressive medium. These days, artists are using video games to explore larger societal issues, much like television and film have done for decades. Later, when Ledonne focuses on the moment that Super Columbine Massacre RPG! was unceremoniously dumped from the Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker Competition, and the steps that many other game developers took in protest of the move, it finally becomes clear how such a small game can have such a polarizing and far reaching effect.