Bad taste V-Tech massacre game taken off air

Mike Bantick
Thursday, 17 May 2007 12:49

Opinion and Analysis

A Sydney man has had his personal website hosting a game using the recent US Virginia Tech massacre as its basis, taken down.

In what some may decry as a restriction of personal free speech, but most will applaud, the game known as V-Tech Rampage has had its hosting service removed.

The game, created by 21 year-old, US born Ryan Lambourn depicted the fateful path of Cho Seung-hui during the worst shooting in US history that saw 32 people killed.

According to a report by Newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald, Lambourn's personal website where the game was hosted has been replaced by a page saying "This Account has been suspended"

Lambourn had been earlier quoted as requiring thousands of dollars in "donations" in order to first remove the offensive code, and more to then apologise for his actions.

In the game the player controlled the gunman as he moves past notable landmarks within the Virginia Tech campus.

Quoted earlier, Lambourn described the outrage against his creation as "funny", going on to describe his quest for fame; "I've done offensive things before but they're not usually this popular"

"No one listens to you unless you've got something sensational to do." he said. "And that's why I feel sympathy for Cho Seung-hui. He had to go that far." 

It is fair to say that actions like this further the cause of those attempting to link the blame for these types of crimes to the video game industry.  Generally speaking however, it is a level of maturity in all walks of life that make one scratch their head at times.