4. JFK: Reloaded
The online gaming world has really exploded in the last ten years. Thousands of computer games have been developed and released under various platforms, with the most common being the biggest company, Microsoft Windows. In 2004, a Scotland-based business named Traffic Games released a game titled JFK: Reloaded. According to various inquiries, the company has said that the game’s purpose was to establish the facts surrounding what happened on November 22, 1963 in Dealey Plaza. This was done “by running the world’s first mass-participation forensic construction.” The goal of the game was to help prove whether Lee Harvey Oswald had the “means and the opportunity” to **** U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
JFK: Reloaded places the games user in the role of Kennedy alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald. The player is scored on how closely his shooting matches the report of the Warren Commission. The Warren Commission was the group of government officials assigned to investigate Kennedy’s death. They ultimately named Lee Harvey Oswald the sole gunman. The game is difficult to master because each bullet you fire has a random probability of where it will hit, making it is impossible to predict precisely where the bullet will land. This means that there is a lot of luck involved with gaining a perfect score, especially in regards to the “magic bullet.” Over the Internet, many people have argued that JFK: Reloaded is not a game, as much as a controversial simulation of a historical event. However, various gaming websites have reviewed it, with some positive reviews.
The majority of people feel the game is in bad taste. JFK: Reloaded even garnered a response from John’s brother, the late Senator Edward Kennedy, who called the game despicable and questioned why it was ever allowed on the market. People have argued that the game’s manufacturers were only interested in making money. Upon release of JFK: Reloaded, Traffic Games ran a contest that paid the person with the highest score a prize. Ultimately, a man named Stephane Krupa won $10,712 with a score of 782 out of 1000. The game is no longer available on its original website. However, various computer programmers have altered the game over the years, and some versions include a motorcade, while others allow you to shoot from the Grassy Knoll.