PLAYING COLUMBINE at AFI FEST

(This is a series of brief unedited descriptions of films in the festival I found time to write about. There are MANY other great films playing at the fest but I only have time to write about these few.)

The videogame Super Columbine Massacre RPG! Instantly provoked more debate and discussion than any other videogame in existence.

After being created it has been held up countless times by media pundits as an example of a society gone off the rails. However what most people fail to realize is that Super Columbine Massacre RPG! is less a violent impulse fantasy than it is something much more interesting. This film follows the history of the video game whose mere existence provokes outrage in some but has actually been therapeutic and even life changing to those who actually sit down and interact with the work.

The rapid advancement of our culture has led to some lagging behind. For some people there are subjects that can never be made into interactive works and for them “games” are always meant for play an nothing larger. Fortunately there are other artists out there who choose to explore larger questions and issues about society

Super Columbine Massacre RPG! Is a magnet for controversy, the most famous example of which was the incident in 2007 when the film was selected for the Slamdance Guerilla Game maker Competition and then unceremoniously dumped out by the festival director. Almost all other games developers in the competition pulled their projects in response and the competition has not returned since.
Clearly the game has polarized audiences worldwide, giving way to ardent defenders as well as staunch critics. Beyond the controversial game itself, the film explores how controversial media is covered in the press, the school shooting phenomenon, and the future of games as an expressive medium.

PLAYING COLUMBINE plays AFI FEST Friday, November 7th 7:10pm