Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1301https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4425I finished the game today. I went into the game expecting it to be a tasteless game that would ride solely on controversy. However, this game actually was pretty serious and had a lot to say. It was about looking at the tragedy through the perspective of Eric and Dylan and attempting to give the player some understanding as to why they did it. However, I must say I was disappointed with the ending. It was around the time that I was battling monsters and demons that I asked myself, “wasn’t this based on a real event just a few minutes ago?” The game was pretty difficult to take seriously once this happened. However, most of the important parts had already happened prior to this level. Despite the last level, I can’t say that this is a bad game. This game does depict shocking and evil acts. But it is not an evil game for having evil characters or evil acts. It is the story and the ultimate meaning of a game that should really determine how good or bad a game is. The focus here is on the narrative and not as much the game play. The main focus is not shooting people. It’s about discussing the perspective of Eric and Dylan and why they would do something like what they did, and the game does this somewhat effectively. It seems to argue that maybe they weren’t so bad after all and that their motivation for committing such a terrible act is much more complex than one single reason. It is a story told in a unique way through the medium of a video game. It would be difficult to for another medium to tell this story in a way that is both as shocking and as challenging as this game while at the same time seriously discussing the mindset of Dylan and Eric.Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:22:52 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4425&iddiary=8302https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4425Another interesting thing in this game is that not everyone gets killed. Right at the beginning of the massacre, there is a kid in the parking lot who Eric and Dylan will tell to go home. In one of the bathrooms you can save a kid from a gang of bullies and he is also set free. Finally, there’s a character in the library named, “Tim” that is let go. Although Eric and Dylan are in the middle of a brutal killing spree, the game makes an effort to show that they still draw the line somewhere. It seems like the author of this game is trying to say that Eric and Dylan weren’t complete psychopaths, because they cared enough to let a few certain people go.Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:00:13 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4425&iddiary=8263https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4425Today I began playing the game. I was very surprised to see that it was made with RPG maker. It was overall pretty different than expected. The game was pretty interesting right from the start. There are various things scattered around the house such as a copy of Doom and a Marilyn Manson CD. The dialogue even mocks the fact that these things will later be blamed for the whole incident. Not only that, but the characters mention more than once, that neither gun laws, or anything could have done something to stop them. It seems that the message that the game’s author is trying to put across is that these kids were not motivated by video games, music, or loose gun laws. Their actions were the result of being treated poorly.Sun, 24 Oct 2010 23:42:06 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4425&iddiary=8247https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4333There really is no justice in this game. During the course of my playtime today, I beat several people down with bats, ran dozens of people over in a drive by, and hijacked and derailed three trains. For doing all of this my character lost nothing. There was a mission where my wanted level made it to two stars and I was instructed to go to the paint shop to get the car repainted to erase the wanted level. But the police and rival gangs are generally so apathetic that repainting the car is rarely necessary at the lower wanted star ratings. Once you escape the police, you’re safe. There are no ongoing investigations. Crimes are immediately forgotten once you’re out of sight. My character is the only person in town with a pair of big nose and mustache glasses. But the police never recognize me until I’m stealing their car again. I suppose the only justice in this game is the justice you make for yourself. A good chunk of the population is armed with some sort of weapon, ready for when you try to steal their car or fight them. Even the fast food worker had a shotgun back at the pizza restaurant scene. CJ learns about his mother’s death and sets out to get whoever was responsible instead of waiting for others to do so.Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:32:21 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4333&iddiary=8086https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4333I'm starting to realize that CJ, compared to many of the other characters, is not so immoral after all. Up to this point, almost all of the violence has been initiated by other characters such as the police from the opening scene, rival gang members, or fellow gang members. At the pizza restaurant scene, he pays for his food while his friend tries to hold the place up. Even the civilians are pretty mean. Half of them will insult you or say something rude when you walk near them. CJ seems to be going with the flow. He's helping his friends out when they need him too. He knows that its dangerous and unethical but he’s willing to do unethical things in order to help his friends. He clear values his friends and family far above the well being of others.Sun, 19 Sep 2010 21:31:35 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4333&iddiary=8075https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4333I started playing the game today. This is the very first time I've played this. I've played other games in the series very briefly, so a good amount of the game is very new to me. I have, of course, heard of what this game is about since this series seems to be at the center of controversy quite often. I began the game wandering around at first, ignoring the starting mission. Even then it was pretty apparent that this game is about being as unethical and immoral as possible. Somehow after the cops arrested my character and dropped me off at the other side of town, I still had a loaded gun in my inventory. Shooting random civilians gave me one “wanted star” which did not attract much police attention or consequence. Sometimes the people you shoot drop new weapons so murder seems to be rewarded more than discouraged.Sat, 18 Sep 2010 16:30:28 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4333&iddiary=8063