“First Person Shooter” doesn’t blame video games

We’ve recently reported about a certain theatrical piece that spurred from the growing debate on violence and its unusual focus of blame on video games. The play itself was slated to premiere in San Francisco, California, under the careful production lead by the duo SF PlayHouse and PlayGround.

Now it has been the general consensus of most gamers that the play, written by game dev Aaron Loeb of Armed & Dangerous fame, would flow with the usual tide and place the answer to unwarranted violence on violent video games. But as it seems, the play, entitled “First Person Shooter,” concluded without placing the blame on anyone or anything.

You would think that a play that sits comfortably in the neutral zone would be another case of “the worst play ever,” but that doesn’t seem to be the case either. In fact, it seems to come highly recommended by other gamers who came to watch the show.

The set, the props and the entire look isn’t the most elaborate production you’ve probably seen before, but the story more or less makes up for that.

In a nutshell, the play draws on two teenagers who used a game developed by fictional JetPack Games and a custom map to “rehearse” their eventual massacre of classmates in their own school.

Instead of focusing on the tossing of lawsuits left and right, the story instead dives into the more emotional aspect of the issue – what people don’t see behind the scenes. A grand blend of shock, anger, grief and self-realization has proven that this play is worth the long drive to ‘Cisco and one night of viewing.

Via SF PlayHouse

We’ve recently reported about a certain theatrical piece that spurred from the growing debate on violence and its unusual focus of blame on video games. The play itself was slated to premiere in San Francisco, California, under the careful production lead by the duo SF PlayHouse and PlayGround.

Now it has been the general consensus of most gamers that the play, written by game dev Aaron Loeb of Armed & Dangerous fame, would flow with the usual tide and place the answer to unwarranted violence on violent video games. But as it seems, the play, entitled “First Person Shooter,” concluded without placing the blame on anyone or anything.

You would think that a play that sits comfortably in the neutral zone would be another case of “the worst play ever,” but that doesn’t seem to be the case either. In fact, it seems to come highly recommended by other gamers who came to watch the show.

The set, the props and the entire look isn’t the most elaborate production you’ve probably seen before, but the story more or less makes up for that.

In a nutshell, the play draws on two teenagers who used a game developed by fictional JetPack Games and a custom map to “rehearse” their eventual massacre of classmates in their own school.

Instead of focusing on the tossing of lawsuits left and right, the story instead dives into the more emotional aspect of the issue – what people don’t see behind the scenes. A grand blend of shock, anger, grief and self-realization has proven that this play is worth the long drive to ‘Cisco and one night of viewing.

Via SF PlayHouse