| I'm O.K - A Murder Simulator | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Thompsonsoft |
| Publisher(s) | Thompsonsoft |
| Engine | Multimedia Fusion |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Run and gun |
| Mode(s) | single-player |
| Media/distribution | download |
I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator is a video game which was released as a free download by a group of people proclaiming themselves to be "3 alcoholics and a foreign exchange student" calling themselves "Thompsonsoft".[1] It was created as a satirical response[2] to a challenge by anti-video game-violence activist and former attorney Jack Thompson.
This game was created and released in response to the "modest video game proposal" issued in late-2005 by activist attorney Jack Thompson, known for his opposition to sex and violence in entertainment, including computer and video games. This challenge dared computer game producers to release a game following a "script" he outlined, in which the grieving father of a child killed by a computer gamer takes vengeance by murdering many people connected with the gaming industry in a brutal manner.[3] Thompson promised to contribute a $10,000 donation to the charity of choice of Paul Eibeler (then-chairman of Take-Two Interactive, one of the game companies most heavily criticized by Thompson) if such a game were released. However, he has since claimed that the proposal was only a joke, and currently, no charity has been designated by Eibeler. The makers of the gaming-related webcomic Penny Arcade have, however, made a $10,000 donation in Thompson's name to the Entertainment Software Association Foundation[4][5], a philanthropic, grant-giving body run by the Entertainment Software Association. ESAF offers grants to numerous charities related to children's health, safety, and education, and maintains a scholarship program for women and minority students pursuing computer and video game-related undergraduate degrees.
The "O.K" in the title refers to the initials of the protagonist, Osaki Kim, but together with the second part of the game's name is also a play on the accusation that video game violence is being considered normal by manufacturers and gamers. The reference to a "Murder Simulator" refers to what Thompson regularly proclaims all violent computer games to be.[6]
I'm O.K is a side-scrolling game with 16-bit era low-resolution graphics that shares (to a degree) the basic gameplay (and somewhat lowbrow humor) of the Metal Slug series.
The game also mentions one of Thompson's biggest cases-the Hot Coffee mod in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. When the Konami Code is entered at the start-up screen followed by Enter, it shows a parody of the Hot Coffee mod.
The title screen appears to be a reference to the Mega Man 2 title screen.