JFK Reloaded
JFK Reloaded | |
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JFK Reloaded is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed and published by Traffic Games. It simulates the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, according to the report of the Warren Commission. The player, controlling Lee Harvey Oswald, is tasked with recreating the three shots fired at Kennedy and gains higher scores the more accurately they line up with the report. Shots can be reviewed in slow motion and from multiple viewpoints. Traffic Games founder Kirk Ewing envisioned a small-scale simulation of a historical event after leaving VIS Entertainment. He chose Kennedy's killing over the Apollo 11 Moon landing in part due to the high amount of public domain information available on the former. A team of ten people worked in the game engine of Carmageddon to accurately recreate the event, taking several months each for research and development. Released on November 22, 2004, the 41st anniversary of the assassination, JFK Reloaded was denounced by public figures, including the spokesman for Kennedy's brother Ted Kennedy.
Gameplay
JFK Reloaded is a
JFK Reloaded includes a "Chaos Meter" that controls how heavily the motorcade's drivers are affected by panic.
Development and release
JFK Reloaded was developed by Traffic Management Limited (
Ewing sought help from a friend at Stainless Games, the developer of Carmageddon. The friend was fond of the game idea and provided Traffic Games with Carmageddon's game engine. Therein, the JFK Reloaded development team reconstructed the site of Kennedy's assassination with accurate object placements and apt weather conditions. According to Ewing, one aim of the development was to disprove conspiracy theories surrounding the event by displaying that Oswald would have been capable to perform the shooting in the given conditions of that day.[9] The ten-person development team, composed of former State of Emergency, Grand Theft Auto and Killzone developers, took several months to research the matter,[a] followed by six months of producing the game.[3]
Before the game's release, Ewing sent a letter to
Reception
JFK Reloaded was denounced by several public figures: David Smith, a spokesman for Ted Kennedy, stated simply that "It's despicable."[3][11] Senator Joe Lieberman was "sickened" by the game, according to his spokesman Casey Aden-Wansbury.[16] Politician John Kasich discussed the game in his book Stand for Something: The Battle for America's Soul in a segment about graphic content in mainstream video games: "I'm telling you, despicable doesn't even begin to describe some of these things."[17] The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning it.[9] Presidential historian G. Calvin Mackenzie considered JFK Reloaded to be "in incredibly bad taste" and noted that "marketing it as an educational tool seems to stretch the notion of education beyond belief".[3][18] The game was attacked by members of the public online, on television, and in print media.[7] Ewing claimed to have received death threats.[9] He responded that the controversy was "understandable given the fact that many people were alive at that time and still have vivid memories of the event" but stated that JFK Reloaded neither condoned nor glorified the event.[3][19] In retrospect, Ewing said he regretted tying a cash prize to killing Kennedy, saying that he had been "naïve" and had "underestimated the deepness of affection for Kennedy held by many American people".[9]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ Andersen, Carrie (December 2015). ""There Has To Be More To It": Diegetic Violence and the Uncertainty of President Kennedy's Death". Game Studies. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Press Association. November 22, 2004. Archivedfrom the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kelbie, Paul (November 23, 2004). "The conspiracy game: JFK's assassination is turned into computer entertainment". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ a b Thompson, Clive (November 22, 2004). "A View to a Kill". Slate. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c Morley, Jefferson (November 30, 2004). "Why we keep killing JFK". Salon.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "New video game re-creates Kennedy assassination". Reuters. December 12, 2004. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022 – via CNET.
- ^ a b Zeller, Tom Jr. (November 29, 2004). "A Sure-to-Be-Controversial Game Fulfills That Expectation Fully". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- GamesIndustry.biz. Archivedfrom the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Parkin, Simon (June 5, 2014). "The video game assassination of JFK". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Heussner, Ki Mae (June 4, 2009). "9 Video Games That Went Too Far". ABC News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c "JFK shooting game provokes anger". BBC News. November 22, 2004. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ a b Wilson, Andrew (November 22, 2004). "JFK Assassination Game Stirs Up Controversy". Game Developer. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Feldman, Curt (November 23, 2004). "JFK Reloaded picks up press, none pretty". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Vries, Lloyd (November 22, 2004). "Video Game Recreates JFK Killing". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Norville, Deborah (November 23, 2004). "'Deborah Norville Tonight' for Nov. 22". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Tuohey, Jason (November 30, 2004). "JFK reloaded game causes controversy". PC World. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- .
- ^ "Kennedy assassination game draws anger". United Press International. November 22, 2004. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Burnes, Andrew (November 29, 2004). "JFK Reloaded Q&A". IGN. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ "JFK Reloaded". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
External links
- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived November 30, 2004)