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Kennedy family upset over assassination video game

Forty-one years ago Camelot ended with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy while he rode in a motorcade in downtown Dallas. During the past four decades, hundreds of persons have attempted to offer their interpretations and understanding of the events of that tragic day. While the Kennedy family has generally refrained from commenting on the less academic and objective investigations into the death of the President, there has been one recent development that has understandably garnered severe criticism. This development happens to be an online video game titled "JFK Reloaded" that allows visitors to recreate the three shots fired at President Kennedy's car from the Texas School Book Depository. While a representative for the Glasgow-based firm responsible for this game noted that the game might "stimulate a younger generation of players to take an interest in this fascinating episode of American history", many others were quick to respond to this questionable notion. A spokesman for Senator Edward Kennedy called the video game "despicable" and noted presidential historian G. Calvin MacKenzie of Colby College remarked that "Aside from being in incredibly bad taste, the idea of marketing it as an educational tool seems to stretch the notion of education beyond belief." The first link leads to a news article from this Monday's Boston Herald that talks about the reaction to the release of this video game. The second link will take visitors to a rather intriguing discussion of the game by Clive Thompson, writing in the online publication Slate. The third link leads to the JFK Assassination Records page provided by the National Archives & Records Administration, where visitors can read the complete Warren Commission Report and peruse other helpful documents. The fourth link will take users to the website for the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum located in Boston. Here visitors can learn about the actual building (designed by noted modernist I.M. Pei), look through resources for students, and learn about the library's holdings. The fifth link leads to the text and audio version of one of Kennedy's most well-remembered speeches, where he addressed the people of West Berlin and stated, "Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berliner'". The final link leads to a special feature from CNN where the president's interpreter, Robert H. Lochner, recalls helping Kennedy learn that phrase for that particular address.
Alternate Title
Outrage over JFK slay video gameJFK Reloaded is just plain creepyNARA: JFK Assassination Records Main PageJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy Library John F. Kennedy: "Ich bin ein Berliner"Teaching JFK German
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Date of Scout Publication
November 30th, 1999
Date Of Record Creation
November 23rd, 2004 at 11:20am
Date Of Record Release
December 18th, 2004 at 5:19pm
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Cumulative Rating
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