Columbine+Case+Study

Case Study: Columbine School Shooting and Violent Video Games


The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine Colorado. Two students - Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold - embarked on a massacre, killing 12 students and a teacher, as well as wounding 23 others, before committing suicide. The massacre provoked debate regarding gun control laws, the availability of firearms in the United States, and gun violence involving youths. Much discussion also centered on the nature of high school cliques, subcultures and bullying, as well as the role of violent movies and video games in American society. The shooting also resulted in an increased emphasis on school security, and a moral panic aimed at goth culture, social outcasts, the gun culture, the use of pharmaceutical anti-depressants by teenagers, violent films and music, teenage internet use, and //violent video games//.

Both Harris and Klebold were fans of video games such as Doom and Wolfenstein 3D. Harris often created levels for Doom that were widely distributed, and can still be found on the Internet as the Harris levels. Rumors that the layout of these levels resembled that of Columbine High School circulated but appear untrue. Harris spent a great deal of time creating another large mod, named Tier, calling it his "life's work." The mod was uploaded to the Columbine school computer and to AOL shortly before the attack but appears to have been lost. One researcher argued that it is nearly certain the "Tier" mod included a mock-up of Columbine High School.

Some analysts argued that part of the killers' problem may have been //desensitization// due to their constant exposure to violent imagery in such video games, theorizing that their obsession with this form of media may have led them to //depersonalization//. Several unsuccessful lawsuits against video game manufacturers were filed as a result by parents of some of the victims. []

Are Video Games Training Young Killers? "Today is my last day on earth," Eric Harris wrote on his Internet web site on April 20, the day of the massacre.

The Columbine shooting was to be the first of a series of shootings that could be directly linked to video game violence. Characters in games like Duke Nukem, Quake, Grand Theft Auto and Doom encourage the player to commit violent crimes and murder “victims” in brutal manors. Eyewitnesses say that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold told their victims why they were going to kill them, then laughed after shooting them at point blank range.

Although there have been laws passed, forcing video game makers to give them ratings, such as on movies, there is still little that can be done to stop a child from obtaining them. With access to Internet downloads, free demos and more these games become easily obtainable. Can this be linked to the Columbine shootings? Possibly. Witnesses and police say that Harris and Klebold showed absolutely no sympathy for their victims as they shot them point blank and made explosive devices. []