Game About Virginia Tech Shooting Causes Outrage

Video games are often blamed for mass murders and school shootings. But how often are mass murders and school shootings responsible for video games? In a move of extreme tastelessness, an Australian man has created an online video game based on the Virginia Tech shootings.

Titled "V-Tech Rampage," the game has drawn outrage since it was posted on the gaming website, Newgrounds, last week. The online computer game uses crude animated images to simulate the mass shooting in which Cho Seung-Hui killed over 30 people and then himself at Virginia Tech on April 16th. It is also described as offering "three levels of stealth and murder" on a Virginia Tech campus lookalike. In addition, its creator, 21 year-old Ryan Lambourn, uses on-screen text throughout the game, including a direct mention of several of Cho's victims. He, also, makes specific references to the graphic and violent plays Cho wrote in one of his English classes at Virginia Tech. The online game has been unavailable on Newgrounds upon its recent publicity due to the number of angry e-mails the website has received.

The unemployed Lambourn responded to outraged calls for him to remove his game from the Internet by demanding payment of $1000 for each of the two sites "V-Tech Rampage" is on. If Lambourn received another $1000, he would apologize. He later said his request of $2000 was a joke to make more people angry. "People were angry at me, so my friends thought it would be funny," he told the Sydney Daily Telegraph. Furthermore, Lambourn stated he would still not remove the game from his own website even if the victims' families specifically requested him to.

The Sydney Morning Herald quotes Lambourn as saying, "It's staying up. It's freedom of speech, man. Someone is offended by something all the time. It doesn't matter what it is. I've done offensive things before but they're usually not this popular."

Lambourn offers his condolences to the family and friends of the victims who died only a little more than a month ago. He also sympathized with the gunman. "No one listens to you unless you've got something sensational to do. And that's why I feel sympathy for Cho Seung-hui. He had to go that far."

The young Australian man also reports being bullied in high school like Cho. After being born in Australia, Lambourn grew up in the United States before returning to Australia when he was fourteen. He left the United States in the eighth grade after being bullied and abused at schools in Texas, Maine, New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina.

No matter what Lambourn's personal background is, Virginia Tech students are outraged. In a personal interview with one Virginia Tech sophomore, Kelly Fineman said, "This creep is disgusting. How dare he make light of such a sensitive situation! I don't care if he was beaten up in school or needs some attention, the pain we felt here is universal." Another Virginia Tech student, sophomore Leslie Ames, stated, "This guy should be sent to a mental institution."

This is not the first time a video game was made after a school shooting. In 2005, Super Columbine Massacre RPG! was put onto the Internet. The game detailed the Columbine High School shootings near Littleton, Colorado. Created by aspiring filmmaker Danny Ledone, PC World declared the game #2 on its list of "The 10 Worst Games of All Time."