Word has come down from the Slamdance festival (the alternative media festival run at the same time and location as the Sundance Film Festival) that they won't be featuring a game called Super Columbine Massacre RPG! in the festival as originally planned. The festival had initially invited creator Danny Ledonne into the Guerrilla Gamemaker competition to feature his game which depicts the Columbine high school Massacre. Now, facing some heat, the festival has reconsidered.

Two reasons were given for the late rejection, one true and one silly. The true one:

"I spoke to people who are still suffering very much from Columbine," Baxter (president of Slamdance) said Friday. "Some things are more important than one game or a festival."

I'd almost buy that except for this other reason stated late in the CNN article:

Baxter said organizers were reluctant to expose Slamdance to possible legal issues over music in the game.

Yeah, because so many festivals have been sued over music.

In this case I very tentatively support the maker of the game because I believe all lines of thought are relevant, even if they are distasteful. If I'd had a relative killed in the massacre I too would be outraged, but I'm not sure what sweeping the subject under the rug accomplishes.

A compromise might be if the game actually found distribution (which, let's face it, is improbable) that a portion of the proceeds go towards counseling or victim's relief organizations.

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