Gaming: Art & Life Essay

April 20, 1999 is a day that would live in infamy. This is the day wherein two high school students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold packed two duffle bags with the heaviest armament they could find and went to school. Then they opened fire at the school killing 12 students and a teacher, injuring 21 more and later committed suicide in Columbine High School, Littleton, Colorado. This incident is considered to be the deadliest high school shooting that ever happened in the United States of America. This horrifying event prompted the public to ask questions why this happened, and opened up a lot topic for debates. Some of these topics being debated upon were who was responsible for the behavior of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold? Why did they massacre their own high school? What provoked them in killing their own classmates and friends? Were they bullied? Were they on a revenge rampage? In addition to that, the question as to how teenagers like Harris and Klebold were able to buy firearms with such high caliber without being noticed was equally raised. Upon further investigation and analysis on the lives of the two boys, it was found out that they have been playing video games with violent nature. Specifically, games like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, a first-person-shooter computer game that displays violent images and bloody scenes. It was also discovered that they both love Marilyn Manson and that they adore rock-metal music. Based on these findings, a new issue emerged – did violent video games influence Harris and Klebold’s behavior which led to their attack at Columbine? Does watching and playing violent video games lead to aggressive and vicious behavior? Several articles and professional journals were published with regards to the effect of the video game on Harris and Klebold. It was assumed that the aggressive state that they were in while playing the video games were transferred into reality when they began plotting of attacking Columbine. It was believed that since the games were too limited and lacked space for further expression of anger; and with their obsession towards violence – led them to find a better suited space to express their fury, which would turn them into homicidal individuals. In relation this dreadful incident, mass media had picked up and several literatures have been published to further analyze the events. Opinionated writings and columns were printed addressing the issue. And quite a few documentaries were made to showcase the story itself as well as tackle the reasons for the shooting. In addition to this, a video game that was based on the actual events that took place in Columbine was created. This video game was entitled â€Å"Super Columbine Massacre RPG! †