Playing Columbine: a true story of videogame controversy from director Danny Ledonne.

The April 20, 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado are not a new subject to filmmakers.

Most famously, Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" tackled the subject in Moore's typical gadfly style. Danny Ledonne, a young filmmaker from Colorado, decided to examine the Columbine shootings through a new medium: video games. "Playing Columbine" is about that game, "Super Columbine Massacre RPG!," and the controversies that ensued.

Originally published anonymously on the Internet in 2005, "SCMRPG!" puts players in the role of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris on the day that they shot up their school before taking their own lives. However, unlike the "Grand Theft Auto"-style carnage that the game's title evokes, the game uses crude pixilated graphics and an outdated Super Nintendo-like interface. The game uses this simple style to take the focus off of the violence itself and instead to put a new perspective on the Columbine incident.

The game took on a life of its own as more people took notice of what they thought was a sick, exploitative cash-in on a national tragedy. Forced to take accountability, Ledonne went public, and has spent the last three years dispelling rumors about his game, while also attempting to show that games can be about controversial subjects, just as documentary films can.

Playing Columbine" splits its time between telling the game's story and the movement of independent video games as a whole. Ledonne interviews people who, for example, make games about the Darfur genocide or operating a McDonald's restaurant while fending off health inspectors. The film casts a wide net, but just about everyone interviewed has a unique point of view and something important to say.

The importance of "SCMRPG!" really hits home in the film's second segment, in which the film goes to Dawson College in Quebec, Canada. The school was the site of a 2006 shooting committed by Kimveer Gill, and Ledonne's game was scapegoated in the media as being one of the contributing factors. Ledonne interviews two survivors who offer insight into how the media often neglects asking tough questions about the causes of school shootings, and instead turn to easy answers by blaming violent video games.

It's an unbalanced argument to be sure (aren't there any Dawson College students who lambast Danny's game?) but it is clearly not Ledonne's intent to make a "balanced" film. This is his story, and he tells it strictly from his point of view.

The film moves at a rapid pace, with the interview subjects never getting out more than a couple of sentences before a cut to the next shot. The interviewer's words are often also accompanied by footage from a video game or other relevant images. This lets the film move quickly from subject to subject, but it has the downside of never going into any particular point too deeply.

The biggest downside, though, is that the film's quick pace is unfriendly to viewers not already familiar with at least some of the subject matter. Someone who's never heard of Ledonne's game, for instance, is given a lot to chew on in a relatively short amount of time. Moreover, Ledonne's one-sided argument is not likely to win over any nonbelievers. Those who think negatively of violent video games from the get-go will have some interesting points to consider from the film, but they probably won't change their minds.

Still, "Playing Columbine" shows Ledonne's ability to tackle difficult issues head on, even those society considers completely taboo. The film's central message-that video games can be journalistic, culturally relevant, and broadminded-comes through clear and will appeal strongly to a generation of maturing video game players.

BR