They Put The ZAP in Zapruder!

On Monday, a Scottish game maker released JFK: Reloaded; a computer game that lets the players assassinate John Kennedy over and over until they get it right per the Warren Commission.

The announcement was met by this response...

"It is despicable," said David Smith, a spokesman for Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, the late president's brother. He was informed of the game on Friday but declined further comment.


The gamemaker had this to say...

Kirk Ewing, managing director of the Scottish firm Traffic Games, which developed the game, said he understood some people would be horrified at the concept, but he insisted he and his team had nothing but respect for Kennedy and for history.

"We believe that the only thing we're exploiting is new technology," said Ewing, a former documentary filmmaker and senior executive with Scottish developer VIS, responsible for games like "State of Emergency." He said he sent Edward Kennedy a letter before the game's release.

My initial and lingering reaction is one of disbelief and disgust. Still, I have to admit that the game is only slightly worse than the endless news specials and documentaries that get trotted out every November to mark the anniversary of the assassination and garner ratings and revenues.

How many times have we scene the Zapruder film? How many times have we seen detailed computer recreations of the event? How different is this game from that?

Ewing said the game was designed to undermine the theory there was some shadowy plot behind the assassination. "We believe passionately there was no conspiracy," he said.

They may be exploiting new technology, but they are also exploiting a tragic moment in American history and for the Kennedy family. Imagine how Caroline Kennedy must feel about her father's murder being made into a game.