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02 Feb
Posted by Yehuda Berlinger as RPGs
Violence is an art piece RPG, not meant to be played. It was created by Greg Costikyan as a satirical attack on the business practices and unspoken assumptions of RPGs. In his words:
Violence is intended to be a good read, but not really intended to be played, though I’m told people have. It’s a lot like D&D–you roll up a character, then wander corridors, kick in doors, and kill what you find on the other side. Only instead of taking place in a fantasy “dungeon” it takes place in a modern apartment building, and instead of killing “monsters” you kill other humans beings with hopes and dreams and aspirations. And instead of being a “hero,” you’re an evil sadistic murderer. Which of course raises the question of what those D&D characters are really doing, and why.
Which is a springboard for many questions about violence in the RPG genre, which is the point.
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I saw that, it was a prize at a con which turned up in the bin later. I had a look and put it back in the bin.
I don’t need moral lectures from cynical and jaded game designers.
I’m guessing that all art has to convey an opinion. I’m not sure that that makes is a “lecture”, necessarily.
You could just FEEL the butt agony coming from the pages.
“WAH YOU MOUTH-BREATHING GAMERS SUCK HOW COME YOU DON’T WUV MY HIGHLY INTELLECTUAL MATERIAL?! WELL EAT THIS INSTEAD, THIS IS WHAT YOU REALLY LIKE TO PLAY ISN’T IT?!?!?! YOU’RE RUINING HUMANITY, THE UNIVERSE AND THE INDUSTRY!!!111”
It was pretty pathetic.
Though come to think of it, it was funny until I actually read more stuff by the guy, at which point I deemed it pathetic. So take that as you will.
At first I thought he was trying to hard to be hateful. Then I got to the stats part of the character creation process and found it hilarious. The rest was boring.