DOOM, Part 4: Enter the Killologist

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Ryan Weaver. Together, we figure out exactly why a 5+ year old game attracted the brunt of the blame for what was then the worst mass shooting in U.S. history and, in the process, we learn about the amazing games that came out between 1998 and 1999. In doing so, an old Scandalous Games foe returns.Content warning: discussion of a school shooting (40:17 - 40:39)Topics Discussed Include: dragging video game characters before Congress, that time when Babbages crossed Kate, music telling us to break things, Jack Thompson's wholesome pornography, the Killologist rears his ugly head once again, and will Jack Thompson make a digital appearance in Grand Theft Auto VI? Check out the wild advertisement for Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0E2lmgLF_k. For a rundown of the state of first-person shooters during the 1990s, see: Errant Signal, Children of DOOM (Playlist), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O91tro2XwxM&list=PLvTOVWzS1f6-ptFCaXVnl41LZIc4x8Zmo.More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com. 

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends, but sometimes the month gets away from you. As edits are still ongoing on the next installment in our deep dive into DOOM and its relationship to the Columbine shooting, we're taking a break and we celebrating the halfway mark through the series with a fun conversation Kate Lynch, Ryan Weaver, and Kevin had during our most recent recording. Be sure to tune back in for the next episode in the DOOM series on November 3, 2026.Topics Discussed Include: upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI merch, excitement over the Ocarina of Time remake, and the time Kevin nearly blew his face off.More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com. 

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Andy Hunter and Phil Thomas. In a Very Special Episode of Scandalous Games, we finally turn to one of the most influential events in shaping the public perception of video games in the United States: the April 20, 1999, mass shooting at Columbine High School near Littleton, CO. Kevin, Andy, and Phil examine how DOOM became the poster child for blame after the shooting, and the discourse among public figures over the game's alleged role in the massacre. We also share our personal experiences being in high school at the time of the shooting.Content warning: discussion of a school shooting (14:46-17:25)Topics Discussed Include: which shootings get attention and which don't, playing Candy Crush while children die, a US Senator uses a national tragedy to hype his album, unprovoked Death Stranding bashing, and RFK Jr. shares the real causes of school shooting deaths.For more information and resources related to the Columbine shooting, check out:A Columbine Site: https://www.acolumbinesite.com/Dave Cullen, Columbine (New York: Twelve, 2009)For a rundown of some of the public misconceptions of the shooting, see also the Columbine episode of the great podcast You're Wrong About: "Columbine," You're Wrong About, September 17, 2018, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/columbine/id1380008439?i=1000465289928.For more on the racial dynamics behind the public response to school shootings, see: Patrick M. Markey and Christopher J. Ferguson, “Teaching Us Fear: The Violent Video Game Moral Panic and the Politics of Game Research,” American Journal of Play 10, No. 1 (Fall 2017): 99-115.The military shooter Phil remembered playing in the 1990s was the PC game Delta Force, developed and published by NovaLogic in 1998: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Force_(video_game). Meanwhile, the game Kevin mentioned was Thoughts and Prayers, a 2016 browser game developed by Chris Baker, Mike Lacher, and Brian Moore: https://thoughtsandprayersthegame.com/.One slight correction regarding Kevin's comments on QuakeCon. The convention is still going. In fact, in August 2026, they celebrated their 30th year. You can learn more about it at their official website: https://quakecon.bethesda.net/.More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com. 

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Matt Shoemaker. In part two of our three-month series on DOOM, we address the relatively muted moral backlash to id’s legendary title between 1993 and 1999.Topics discussed include: GenCon is fun and you should try to go if you can;  recollections on Washington, DC’s loudest critic of violent video games: the late Joe Lieberman; everyone’s favorite 90s educational computer game; taking advantage of 90s computer game companies; and DOOM threatens an even more sacred value than the moral wellbeing of children: workplace productivity. If you want to learn more about the history of tabletop games and the convention GenCon, check out Matt's book, Gathering of Gamers: Dungeons & Dragons and Other Games Through Gen Con from Play Story Press: https://playstorypress.org/books/gathering-of-gamers/. More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com. 

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Matt Shoemaker who is a tabletop gaming historian and author of Gathering of Gamers. We continue our long celebration of five years of Scandalous Games by starting a deep dive into one of the, if not the, most famous controversial video games: the legendary 1993 sci-fi FPS: DOOM. In part one of our three-month series, we examine the origins of DOOM, its creators, and the monumental impact the game had on both gaming and tech,Topics discussed include: the long shadow that is DOOM's influence, reminiscing on LAN parties and shareware games of bygone days, and the eternally retold story of DoomGuy.If you're interested in more Scandalous Games style action, check out Kevin's recent gust appearance on the show I'm From the Internet where he was part of a fun conversation on the 2012 internet backlash to the ending of Mass Effect 3.Part 1: https://shows.acast.com/im-from-the-internet-a-podcast-about-somethingawfulcom/episodes/mass-effect-3-part-one-with-kevin-impellizeri-of-scandalousPart 2: https://shows.acast.com/im-from-the-internet-a-podcast-about-somethingawfulcom/episodes/mass-effect-3-part-two-with-kevin-impellizeri-of-scandalousFor some awesome resources on the history of DOOM, see:Ahoy, "RetroAhoy: Doom," January 24, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A4-SVUHQYIErrant Signal, Children of DOOM (Playlist), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O91tro2XwxM&list=PLvTOVWzS1f6-ptFCaXVnl41LZIc4x8Zmo.David Kushner, Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture (New York: Random House, 2003).John Romero, DOOM Guy: Life in First Person: Building DOOM and a Gaming Revolution (Harry N. Abrams, 2023).For some of the weirder places you can play DOOM, see: Slope's Game Room, "Top 100 Crazy ways to play DOOM | Weird Video Game Facts," September 21, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srMPmfavTxE. The game Kevin mentioned is the Windows 3.1 game Warpath, developed by Synthetic Reality (aka Dan Samuel), which you can play here: https://archive.org/details/win3_Warpath. To play a 1995 shareware version of DOOM, see: https://archive.org/details/doom_20230531To watch Bill Gates promoting Windows 95 in DOOM at the October 30, 1995, Judgment Day event, see: raij, "Bill Gates Doom," YouTube, March 18, 2006, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN0K58EfJSg. Anthony Hodges composed the soundtrack for the PlayStation version of DOOM, which you can listen to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT8--F5EDpo&list=RDgT8--F5EDpo&start_radio=1.For a neat podcast devoted to novelizations of video game properties, check out Pixel Lit (https://zencastr.com/Pixel-Lit). For more on the DOOM novels, check out the DOOM Wiki: https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Doom_novels. For stories about the infamous 3DO port of DOOM, see: “DOOM 3DO: or How I Survived Hell – Burger Becky,” Vintage Computer Federation, September 14, 2022, https://youtu.be/y_do6lL7ueQ?si=IHfGBpi2E4ToTX0S; “Burgertime 7/12/2015: DOOM 3DO,” Rebecca Heineman, July 12, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBbIil2HPSU; “Doom’s Worst Port Was Made in Ten Weeks | 3DO Console Doom | Past Mortem | SSFF,” Stop Skeletons From Fighting, January 28, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxF1_wg2d_Q.You can read along the 1996 DOOM comic here: https://archive.org/details/doomcomic/mode/2up.  If you want to learn more about the history of tabletop games and the convention GenCon, check out Matt's book, Gathering of Gamers: Dungeons & Dragons and Other Games Through Gen Con from Play Story Press: https://playstorypress.org/books/gathering-of-gamers/. More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com. 

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends, but we like to take it easy during the summer months for Scandalous Games Summer, where we offer a syncable audio commentary track of a video game related movie. This month, we wrap up the 2026 edition of Scandalous Games summer with the 1995 adaptation of Mortal Kombat (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113855/). Join us as we discuss Johnny Cage's reports on Outworld in the dailies, children (and at least one adult) traumatized by the soul-sucking antics of Shang Tsung, and Steven Seagal's failed run in the MK tournament.If you want to skip our intro and get right to the commentary, skip to 12:32.For a deep dive into the history of the Mortal Kombat movie, as well as a bunch of other video game adaptations, see: Luke Owen, Lights, Camera, Game Over: How Video Game Movies Get Made (Schiffer Publishing, YEAR): https://schifferbooks.com/products/lights-camera-game-over. One correction: Nolan North did not voice Sub-Zero. Jim Miller voiced him in MK9. Steve Blum voiced him in Mortal Kombat X and MK11, and Vincent Fallow played him in Mortal Kombat 1.More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com. 

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends, but we like to take it easy during the summer months for Scandalous Games Summer, where we offer a syncable audio commentary track of a video game related movie. This month, in light of the recent (as of the recording) passing of Double Dragon creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto (https://www.ign.com/articles/yoshihisa-kishimoto-creator-of-double-dragon-and-renegade-dies-at-64). Kevin, Kate Lynch, and Ryan Weaver have some fun riffing (and offering historical context) for the silly 1994 adaptation of Double Dragon (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106761/). Listen along and learn just how many Bimmy jokes we cram into one commentary.If you want to skip our intro and get right to the commentary, skip to 06:49.Kevin went down a fun little rabbit hole about Ed Feldman and Joe L'Erario, the guys fro the Jack City advertisement in the movie. They were the hosts of a set of furniture restoration shows that started on public access in Philadelphia and eventually made their way to cable. You can learn more about them at: https://www.thefurnitureguys.tv/.If you want to learn about the Cuyahoga River's habit of catching on fire and eventually help spark the environmental movement of the 1970s, see: Lorraine Boissoneault, "The Cuyahoga River Caught Fire at Least a Dozen Times, but No One Cared Until 1969," Smithsonian Magazine, June 19, 2019, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/cuyahoga-river-caught-fire-least-dozen-times-no-one-cared-until-1969-180972444/. See also: Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, "Stop what you’re doing and watch this 1994 Cuyahoga River boat chase scene from 'Double Dragon,'" Medium, August 6, 2019, https://neorsd.medium.com/stop-what-youre-doing-and-watch-this-1994-cuyahoga-river-boat-chase-scene-from-double-dragon-3dd23e9c4355.You can also check out Joe Pesci's 1998 album Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lWQE3xSKa5nQX72ahEU8u8GP46MMANjT0A couple of corrections: Longtime stuntman and film henchman Al Leong has a lot of film credits, but John Wick is not one of them (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0502959/), although Double Dragon co-lead Mark Dacascos was in John Wick 3: Parabellum (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001092/).Jerry Brown had been Governor of California. However, he was not when Double Dragon released, serving from 1975 to 1983 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Brown). Fun fact, he was later reelected in 2011 and was the namesake for the landmark 2011 Supreme Court case Brown, et al. v. Entertainment Merchants Assn. et al., which granted video games free speech protection in the United States (https://www.oyez.org/cases/2010/08-1448; check out our previous episode to learn more).More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com. 

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends, but this time it's special because it is the fifth birthday of Scandalous Games! In honor of five years of wild advertising campaigns, colorful characters, and panics of all shapes and sizes, we go back to the well of the Clown Prince of Anti-Simulated Crime...Mr. Jack Thompson. Join Kevin as he performs a dramatic reading of the statement Thompson wanted to read in protest of his 2008, one he never got to deliver because the judge wouldn't let him, prompting him to storm out of his own hearing.Content Warning: brief mention of suicide (25:26-26:21), lynchings and the Holocaust (28:45-29:46), and child sexual abuse (34:20-36:05). Read the full transcript of Jack's statement here: Stephanie Sterling, "Jack Thompson walks out of hearing, court recommends disbarment," Destructoid, June 4, 2008, https://web.archive.org/web/20200810161210/https://www.destructoid.com/stories/jack-thompson-walks-out-of-hearing-court-recommends-disbarment-89091.phtml.  And, of course, his disbarment ruling:  The Florida Bar v. John Bruce Thompson, Case No. SC 07-80: 71, https://supremecourt.flcourts.gov/content/download/375112/file/07-80_ROR.pdf For Jack Thompson's March 4, 2005, appearance on 60 Minutes, see: "CBS 60 Minutes: Can A Video Game Lead To Murder?," YouTube (Video Game Journalism [YTheAlien]), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WOf4CWO16c.For more on the Arthur Teele scandal, see: "Ex-Miami Official Kills Himself," CBS News, July 28, 2005, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-miami-official-kills-himself/; Francisco Alvarado, "Tales of Teele: Sleaze Stories," Miami New Times, July 28, 2005, https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/tales-of-teele-sleaze-stories-6339768/.For more on the Fusters and the Country Walk preschool scandal, see: "A Summary of the Frank Fuster Country Walk case," PBS Frontline, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/fuster/frank/summary.html. Kevin's note: at least one researcher contests this account of the scandal. See: Ross E. Cheit and David Mervis, "Myths about the Country Walk case," Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 16, No. 3 (2007): 95-116 (although, based on my research, I believe this is a fringe idea).For info on Jack's sting operations, see:  Alexander Sliwinski, "Thompson sends own son on personal sting operation against Best Buy," Engadget, September 13, 2007, https://www.engadget.com/2007-09-13-thompson-sends-own-son-on-personal-sting-operation-against-be;  Bruce Haring, “The ‘Private Sting’ of Jack Thompson,” Billboard 102, No. 32 (August 11, 1990): 9. On Jack passing a psych evaluation leading to his disbarment hearing, see: Dennis McCauley, "Jack Thompson Says FL Bar Official Demanded He Take Psych Test, Accept Suspension," GamePolitics, July 3, 2007, https://web.archive.org/web/20070703223639/http://gamepolitics.com/2007/07/03/jack-thompson-claims-bar-official-demanded-psych-test-suspension/; "Jack Thompson Cleared by Psych Test," Cheat Code Central, August 21, 2007, https://www.cheatcc.com/articles/jack-thompson-cleared-by-psych-test/.For more on Jack's personal feud with Norm Kent in which he sent gay pornography to the Florida Bar, see: Brantley Hargrove, "Jack Thompson Don’t Know Jack," Miami New Times, June 19, 2008, https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/jack-thompson-dont-know-jack-6363283/.If you like what we do, you'll also love these amazing game historians: Carly Kocurek: https://www.iit.edu/directory/people/carly-kocurek Michael Z. Newman: https://sites.uwm.edu/mznewman/ Laine Nooney: https://linktr.ee/lainenooneyBo Ruberg: https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=6554Alex Smith: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ Kate Willaert: https://katewillaert.com/link-treeMore info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com. 

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Ryan Weaver, and special guest Jay Brandstetter from the internet history podcast I'm From the Internet. We bring you the thrilling conclusion of our look at Jack Thompson's personal war against Rockstar and Take-Two and, subsequently, his legal career. This time, the publishers of Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, and Bully take the fight to Jack, preemptively suing him to keep him from blocking the release of Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. We also cover Jack's disbarment and reflect on his legacy as a crusader against violent video games. Topics discussed include: a Steven Seagal interlude, Thompson goes down fighting, some people don't care for naughty words, and the panic over video games passes Jack by, and how a bad lawyer helped secure video games as a creative medium. For more on SpyHunter: Nowhere to Run, a video game tie-in to a Spy Hunter movie that never got made starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpyHunter:_Nowhere_to_Run.Read Jack's countersuit to Rockstar/Take-Two here: Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. v. John B. Thompson, Case No. 07-20693-CIV-ALTONAGA, March 21, 2007, https://web.archive.org/web/20070927225834/http://www.gamepolitics.com/images/legal/FL-T2-JT-counter.pdf.And his closing statement he wanted to read at his disbarment hearing here, see: Stephanie Sterling, “Jack Thompson walks out of hearing, court recommends disbarment,” Destructoid, June 4, 2008, https://web.archive.org/web/20200810161210/https://www.destructoid.com/stories/jack-thompson-walks-out-of-hearing-court-recommends-disbarment-89091.phtml. We, again, refer readers back to Jack's disbarment ruling: The Florida Bar v. John Bruce Thompson, Case No. SC 07-80: 71, https://supremecourt.flcourts.gov/content/download/375112/file/07-80_ROR.pdf (and be sure to check in next month for a fun surprise related to it).Also, here's a link to the full recording of the fight between Adam Sessler and Jack in our latest installment of Scandalous Games Theater: Barrie Hardymon, “GTA IV on Botn,” NPR Blog of the Nation, May 1, 2008, https://www.npr.org/sections/talk/2008/05/gtaiv_on_botn.html. Be sure to check out Jay's show, I'm From the Internet, wherever you get your podcasts: https://shows.acast.com/im-from-the-internet-a-podcast-about-somethingawfulcom.More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com. 

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Ryan Weaver, and special guest Jay Brandstetter from the internet history podcast I'm From the Internet.  This time around, as we await the long-anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI, we go back to the well of stories about infamous anti-video game lawyer Jack Thompson and take a closer look at his legal feuds with Rockstar and Take-Two.Topics discussed include: we nerd out over the Saints Row series, Bully, and early 2000s wrestling; the corrupting influences of Dennis the Menace and Home Alone; Jack fights a judge and nearly winds up in jail, and Jack Thompson: classic rock fan.If you liked this episode, you owe it to yourself to read through Jack's 2008 disbarment ruling. See: The Florida Bar v. John Bruce Thompson, Case No. SC 07-80: 71, https://supremecourt.flcourts.gov/content/download/375112/file/07-80_ROR.pdf.Be sure to check out the Peaceaholics' August 25, 2006, protest of Bully: TSP Episode 1: Peaceholics' protest of Rockstar,” softwarepirate, August 25, 2006, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm6An_SPGQw. You can also read Thompson's full, unabridged rant against Judge Friedman over his Bully ruling here: “Thompson Verbally Attacks Judge,” Kotaku, October 13, 2006, https://web.archive.org/web/20061030105555/http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/jack-thompson/thompson-verbally-attacks-judge-207578.php. Be sure to check out Jay's show, I'm From the Internet, wherever you get your podcasts: https://shows.acast.com/im-from-the-internet-a-podcast-about-somethingawfulcom.More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.