May 15, 2007 -
In the history of video games, perhaps in the history of the Internet, this is something never seen before: an audience held hostage.Ryan Lambourn, the Australian man who created the highly offensive V-Tech Rampage, has posted a message on his GooGumProduce website demanding payment to take the game offline:
ATTENTION ANGRY PEOPLE:
I will take this game down from newgrounds if the donation amount reaches $1000 US, i’ll take it down from here if it reaches $2000 US, and i will apologize if it reaches $3000 US.
Newgrounds, of course, could take the game offline without regard to Lambourn's wishes. It remains to be seen whether the site will do so.
It's unclear whether Lambourn's Dr. Evil-style demand is for real or just part of an elaborate prank. Either way, the clock is now running on Ryan Lambourn's 15 minutes of fame.
UPDATE: We're running a GP poll (see sidebar) on the V-Tech game situation. Be sure to vote!
UPDATE 2: Lambourn writes on his website that the money demand was a joke:
...the donation thing is there as a joke against all the people commanding me to take my game down. I didnt think anyone would donate money to it and so far my paypal account has proven me right...
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Comments
As the site started out with, and still hosts, games based on shooting celebrites, clubbing seals and a game based on the Columbine shootings (created long before Super Columbine Massacre RPG), I doubt they would remove it.
Its to bad I'm sure that the media (Jack Thompson will be the first) are going to jump on this and give it the attention that it doesn't deserve.
Personally, I think that it's a shame if he got pulled. While I agree with many that the joke is a little tactless, I also believe that laughing at our tragedies is an excellent, and cathartic outlet. Further, the game itself is a good political commentary on the state of part of our world (not the videogame representation thereof) wouldn't you say?
Truly, who cares if he's made a game about it? Power to him, I say.
And for those of you who are about to flip out because I support the guy, let me ask you this: how many of you who are so offended had already begun to forget all about the real event? Just something to think about.
Or that I can e-mail Tom and get him to take it down, and that his website gets DDOS'ed. =)
This person is a piece of trash. But if we deny him the right to utilize Free Speech, we are no better than the politicians, censorcrats, and nanny groups that try and stifle our rights to speech.
well you're a prime example of humanity aren't you?
Now maybe you didn't find this in good taste.
Not us.......you.
However YOU have made an inappropriate joke.
However YOU have watched the OJ Simpson case.
However YOU stayed inside your house during 9/11
You have perpetuated acts that were morally reprehensible by watching them, and talking about them. Even if it is outrage, you still feed the beast by giving it any attention.
Now you are mad that someone is making money from it when:
The person that laughed at your joke gave you value of affirmation.
The Television you watched made a ton of money in commercial revenue because you watched.
So on and so forth.
When you give reaction at all, you feed it. That's the thing about controversy, as long as you are "outraged" you are giving it as much validity as the person that made the game and everyone that played it.
Have a day.
I attempted to discuss things with him that I would catch on this site.
I mentioned the Massacre Chaser's suit against Midway for the ability to create characters, and the fact that people were making him and posting on the Internet how to do so. He said Midway should have know better than to allow people to do so. I countered that according to his logic, if you made a child porn using a Sony camcorder, people could sue Sony. He disagreed.
He "preached" (I mean it, talking to this guy for five minutes gave me the feeling of talking to a creepy cult leader) limiting Freedom of Speech. Saying that violent games, and movies were corrupting people. He even told me he didn't want his young children to watch Star Wars! Not too mention that I am too "protected" and too young to have an opinion.
He said people didn't have the right to walk into Wal-Mart and yell "FIRE". I say you do, but we have to right to prosecute you for the inevitable structural damage, lost profits, and potential loss of human life. Besides, only an idiot, attention whore, or sociopath would intentionally do something to cause others harm. Like it's been said before, I may not like what you say, but I'll defend your right to say it. Unfortunately, I guess that applies to Fred, too.
So you know, he was later found in the break-room passed out drunk with some one's chips all over his shirt. Taken to a local doctor to have a drug test, I heard he used toilet water in an attempt to get out. Then, before a second test could be administered, he left. He was fired.
People may remember a phrase I coined and would say on this site quite often. Fred was the reason I came up with it.
"Protect your children. Don't Protect me! I didn't ask for it, nor do I need it."
"Hey has anyone made a 9/11 game?"
There have been several. One documented various floors in the WTC above, at and below the crash sites, and your object was to try to escape the flames. Some levels had good endings (you make it to the stairwell). Others did not (you had two choices, burn or jump).
It was basically made to convey what those trapped in the towers might have been thinking. To demonstrate just how screwed they really were.
although I agree with feeding the beast partly. like the 24 hour news stations. but how else would anyone find out about 9/11 when it happened? if someone didn't stayed inside in california could they just run over to the site and help? but yea, the news companies make money from commercials... like they always have... because that is the only way they GASP! make money! so they can OH MY GOD! keep themselves on the air.
but people are upset. and people need to vent their frustrations about it. and from what I have read so far on this, most people don't want it taken down forcefully. but they are judging the person who made it. from the comments I have seen made by him he doesn't seem to be a very decent human being. He doesn't care how anyone else feels. If someone makes a good point and mispells something he just makes fun of the mispelling like a twelve year old. people are pissed because it's disrespectful, but let them be pissed because they're human.
but your list is way too general. some people joke to cope with things. the OJ case was made into a racial circus when it shouldn't have been. and the 9/11 thing I already stated about. what you're looking for is a robot.
"Danny, the donation thing is there as a joke against all the people commanding me to take my game down. I didnt think anyone would donate money to it and so far my paypal account has proven me right (BUT I COULD USE SOME FUCKING MONEY THANKS!)."
He has the right to make this game, but I have the right to be offended by it. Free Speech works both ways. I don't like it, but he can do it. I just wish he waited longer and did it better.
Newgrounds has the right to stop hosting the game whenever they wish, for whatever reason they wish. I doubt they will, though. More likely to defend it.
Unfortunately, someone will lump this with Mainstream video games, and use it as ammo for the latest version of "Games as Porn". In today's 24 hour news world they don't actually research any topic or expert.
Though he could have said no, he refuse.
If I donate 50 dollars or more, do I get to punch the creator in the head?
But seriously, free speech really isn't an issue here, at least not over his Newgrounds post. Newgrounds isn't America--it's basically a buisness, and they get to say/post whatever they want. If Newgrounds decides to remove this game (or if the users decide to Blam it) for whatever reason--game quality, offensiveness, lack of entertainment value, etc.--then it should be taken down, regardless of free speech.
Want the Newgrounds post to go away? Do something that shows Newgrounds that it isn't worth their bandwidth. Blam it. Give it bad reviews. Give it bad votes.
Or--the option I'll be taking--don't play or view a game you don't want to see. Let it rot on the vine. Anybody watch that Simpson's Twilightzone parody where they ignored the monsters and they died? Same with Newgrounds games.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH FUCKING WOW
Of course, I have a right to say whatever the hell I want, and if that's an email to EI Music Group, letting them know that a tasteless,crass, disgusting game is using music created by their artists, and is charging money for it, well that's okay to.
I didn't really check up on this guy. He's a bit too much of an ass to waste the time on. So....oops, my bad. :D
More importantly though, we are within our rights to think that it is a shameful publicity stunt by a despicable child who would, if he showed this to a crowd in person, likely be beaten to a pulp.
We can defend the right for the game to exist while not defending the mentality of its creator.
Obviously it's "disguised" as a joke. It's too ridiculous to be a straight-up ransom note. But he's hoping that a few people will send money by taking it seriously. He's not putting his game up for ransom, he's trying to rip people off. And that's probably worse.
Seriously. This guy is giving everyone a bad name now.
Maybe I'm just untrusting, but I think he's fully considering the current situation of politics, and playing off of it for publicity. I don't think this was a naive "mistake", I think this is a blatant attempt at profiting at other peoples expense. Not only the game industrys expense, but those who lost family members and friends at V-Tech. Selfish exploitation of their loss is NOT ok with me.
http://lawofthegame.blogspot.com/2007/05/virginia-tech-massacre-game-wha...
Is it a dumb game? - Yup.
Is the person who wrote it thorwing gasoline onto a fire? - Yup
Is that a bad thing? Don't know, needs to be faced up to at some point.
Should it be removed? - No. Crap game it may be, but then, we have crap politicians too, and there's not a thing we can do about those either.
@anonymous...
'“Thing is, he’s charging for it, so it’s not even ‘Free’ speech any more”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH FUCKING WOW '
Read my point from two posts back....
Oh no, that's obviously too much effort for you....
Oooohh! I didn't realize there was copyright violation involved too. That would actually work (at least until he released a new version without the copyrighted material). Do you have any details as to what songs are being used?
so should you all
What many of you are failing to see here is that he has a right to make whatever game he pleases.
The game is not profiteering. He is in fact receiving no monetary benefit from it.
What he is profiting from is his actions. He is selling, to the people willing to pay, his ability to take the game down. The game itself, as far as the law will acknowledge, is not making him money. He is selling his willingness to take it down.
That is why no legal action whatsoever can be taken.
you get some other warped people trying to grab some attention
Even that small and upcoming community didnt know what to say when he shared it.. they respected his rights to post it, and share it.
He is getting money out of people's grief and i salute him