The Killer
A small notgame inspired by the thousands of senseless killings committed in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge regime. Requires no gaming skills whatsoever. Takes about three minutes to play through, though the length varies, and the experience is never quite the same for any two people.
I couldn’t do it — I knew
I couldn’t do it — I knew what was coming from the title and when I experimentally stopped pressing the space bar in the fields, I just couldn’t bear to aim and shoot at a bunch of pixels.
This game was…amazing. It
This game was…amazing. It made me feel all the way through. Many times I tried to stop by not pressing the space bar, wanting to stop what I was doing, but I couldn’t, all I could do was to keep moving. I hated myself during the game, and as soon as I saw the fields i hated them as well. But when I was told to aim, I shot away, praying it was possible. And it was, and the man escaped, I was so happy as he ran, I knew that it might mean I would be killed, but I didn’t care. Even when it was confirmed that people like me who showed mercy were killed, I still didn’t care, I would have done it again. That song was beautiful. What is it called? Who sings it? This game also taught me about this incident, I actually never knew about it. Now I do, and if I ever get the chance, I’ll help out as much as I can, Thanks to you, so I thank you
i played this with the music,
i played this with the music, and i think that took away from the game’s power. that said, it’s horrible to think that people could do something so cruel to their own kind
The Cambodia Not-Game
I’ve replayed it several times, and it really touched me. I’m appalled that I have never learned about this before, I’m a senior in highschool and they don’t teach things like that at my school. Thank you for taking the time to make that flash game, I’ll show it to my friends.
Thanks for the feedback,
Thanks for the feedback, Dave. All the best.
WTF is this? The only thing I
WTF is this? The only thing I need to do is to hold the space bar?
What you want to do is to waste others’ time?
So Powerful
So Powerful
At first, I thought “what on
At first, I thought “what on earth?” and didn’t know what to think.
Then, landmine… this was a well done experience, since it’s a ‘not game’.
Amazing is the only word that
Amazing is the only word that can describe this. It makes you think without using flashy imagery or a long story, something that’s not accomplished often. Thank you for making this. ^^
Feedback on "The Killer"
Great game (or nongame like you call it)! Really distills choice and consequence into a simple, playable format. One of the very few “real” emotional responses I ever had to a game. Very human. Loved it, keep going!
Thanks, Francisco
Great
Loved it.
urgent
which is the song of “the kill”?
The Song is “Tornado,”
The Song is “Tornado,” by Jónsi.
I wanted to leave a comment,
I wanted to leave a comment, but the game left me kinda speechless. Can’t find how to describe the experiment.
What is this song called, it
What is this song called, it almost made me cry at the end of the game.
The song is “Tornado,”
The song is “Tornado,” by Jonsi.
The Killer
This was a very emotional game.
You should make the game a little faster or shorter.
Overall, an emotional and great art game
I think this game is an
I think this game is an important example of how little most people know about what actually goes on in asia and other parts in the world. I people should make more games like so that people get some knowledge on other’s culture and history.
Thank you for the moving game.
Beautiful 'mini game'
Honestly, I was sceptical at first but this was an emotional mini journey. I had the odd stray tear fall from my eye on more than one occasions, the music if wonderful. The message is pure.
You really have made something different.
Thank you for this.
Josh.
P.S. One question that you probably get a lot. Who is the artist that is featured in the game? The song really is beautiful and really frames the trek.
I found this game incredibly
I found this game incredibly interesting. You undertake a pretty significant journey with this guy, pushing him along with your gun, and them are told “This is how you aim your gun.” There are no directives to shoot, only instructions on aiming. How many people, I wonder, have simply taken their crosshair and shot the prisoner in the head without even thinking.
After considering my course of action for a good minute, I fired into the sky and watched my prisoner run away.
Good times.
just fantastic
very well done, thought provoking, and most importantly enlightening. My dorm looked at this for devotions. Thank you for the eye opening.
I played The Killer not
I played The Killer not knowing anything about what it was, and was struck by the non-fictional element of it. It was pretty powerful, and the whole time I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a joke or not. Well done.
Free Game Downloads
Good
I think that this has opened my mind as to what happened…. before this game i didn’t even know much about Cambodia. Although the game itself wasn’t thrilling…it could do with some more..umm..some more kind of fun or something to keep someone wondering. ! i hope my comments have helped! :)
Experimental Travel Game Thoughts
I thought the experimental travel game was a good way to show people, in a mild form, how an aspect of genocide works. The music added helped create the image of what was going on. Also, the entire scenario seemed pretty realistic because of the day and night time change, as well as the behavior between the two people. Although I did not enjoy this at all, because it was pretty depressing being the person who drove someone else out to a desert, it was enlightening.
I did not expect that ending
I did not expect that ending at all, and I’ll have you know that it really touched me. What a wonderful project! Keep spreading the word.
I hope in 50 years this game
I hope in 50 years this game is still around.
Very emotional with the music
Very emotional with the music on too. the choice to kill the victim or not was very wise. made me thought about the millions who lost their lives. great way to memorialize.
Agree
i am in total agreement with you here, the music added something extra! :D
feedback
i liked the second ending at the end. i wasnt expecting that to happend. and the epiloge at the end was preatty good too.
the walk was really long, but it was really well made
and the pixel art was good too. and the transitions.
I thought this game was
I thought this game was extraordinary. Despite its simpleness, it held a lot of emotion and depth. The sudden pause of music in the fields was absolute genius. Truth be told, I’m not a person that’s very fond of guns. The sound of the gun as I shot my victim made me shiver. In a good way. It’s a great way to bring some light onto Cambodia’s horrible history.
great game
great game
Impressed
As a soldier I’m pretty familiar with death but more specifically killing. I do what I do so that this doesn’t happen… There is more work for people like me to do in the world. Keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t let people forget or become complacent. Apathy is the most dangerous emotion… I fear it will be the end of us all…
Not shooting the guy made me
Not shooting the guy made me feel really good.
Oh my goodness. I grew
Oh my goodness. I grew impatient and the ending just makes you think. Damn!
Dude,
This, this was crazy, I didn’t know any of this, thank you.
The Killer
Absolutely beautiful. I cried, and I don’t do that lightly. As a future game dev you’re an inspiration. Thank you.
brief feedback
Just wanted to say that I appreciate making a “game” with something to say. That it coincides with my own views and concerns is a plus. If the intended goal is to get the “player” to think (and feel, even if only on a surface level) about your subject, then it is a success. Please do not be deterred by the apathy or antipathy that I am sure you will experience. Keep doing what you’re doing as long as you feel like doing it.
I really appreciated the
I really appreciated the experience, I’d like to see more of these projects in the future! Keep up the good work :)
Amazing
Very deep and intriguing, excellent work (to say the very least).
I just played “The Killing”,
I just played “The Killing”, on Newgrounds, and I must say, thank you. As a fellow independent game developer, I applaud your ability to take a medium that is typically reserved for mindless killing and escapism, and turn it into something that makes us think and reflect upon both the world around us, and ourselves.
At the end of The Killing, I couldn’t shoot the prisoner. Even though I knew what was expected of me. I’m sure some people were able to do so, and some possibly even enjoyed it, which kind of terrifies me.
So thank you for this wonderful notgame, and showing the world what the medium of video games is capable of.
James
Thank you for this. I want to
Thank you for this. I want to get into game design not only to entertain, but to touch, teach and inspire.
Chilling
I got here from an article written on Giant Bomb. After sparing the man, when the screen went below the earth and showed the mass grave, it was disturbing and powerful. A well crafted message, bravo developer, this is the kind of stuff that helps elevate the medium to art, even if that is not the intended goal.
The Killer
I read about this “notgame” on Giant Bomb. Read the whole article first, knew what could happen and decided to “play”. I kept my character walking…and walking…stopping from time to time to see what would happen. Then I noticed how the background was changing, showing that yes me and my prisoner were walking quite a ways. I listened to the music as I walked, letting the lyrics add more meaning to the experience I was witnessing.
Then BOOM! Both me and my prisoner were dead. My toes literally curled and what felt like a shock wave went up my legs and my fingers as I was startled by what happened. Then…silence. Dead silence. No one came for us. No “game over”. No “press here to start over”. The heavily realization that this was “it”. The sheer loneliness of the deaths. The waste of it.
I applaud this “notgame”. It didn’t beat you upside the head like some public service announcement. It didn’t saturate your eyes and ears with some gushing dialog that was more written by a board of writers than from the heart. It’s simple, to the point and makes the message known. With all this grand technology and “events” that attract people with all their bells, whistles and pregenerated drama, sometimes simplicity is always best.
The Killer
Thanks for this. I felt a little ashamed when a single tear ran down my face at the end, when I realized what I was suppoed to do, but couldn’t. When I shot at the air, somehow knew I was in trouble. I’m amazed that the experience had me this connected, you did an amazing job with this little gem.
Thank you, somehow I feel better for it.
The Killer
I was blown away. It was very mellow, I loved the music, I was taught about the situation in Cambodia, and i had to consider what I was doing… In the end, I showed mercy.
Wonderful
I played The Killer not knowing anything about what it was, and was struck by the non-fictional element of it. It was pretty powerful, and the whole time I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a joke or not. Well done.
Could really have used some editing
I’m not arguing with what you’re trying to do here, but like a lot of things, it could have used some editing. It’s WAY too long, both the actual march and the scrolling to the bottom. Both could have been cut down to 1/4 of their length and have had the same impact it does now. As it is I thought about going away several times and spent about 1/2 of the experience reading the comments below. I applaud the effort though.
hey I liked your game dont
hey I liked your game dont listen to anyone who says that the mines shouldnt be included, because just like in south america where one of my friends have lost family playing soccer where they thought it was just an empty field the mines dont discriminate its just bam a life ruined by senseless violence
it seems silly to request everyone use their real name and address especially when the security of the website is in question though :( (first world problems)
The Killer
Having read about The Killer at Giant Bomb I was curious to see exactly how one would feel whilst involved.
I found myself trying to stop walking, then trying to aim close to the victim and hoping that I would miss.
Congratulations your notgame as you call it is intensely provocative. While you may not see it as a game I would personally consider it as a game as I would Play Dead’s Limbo from last year.
Then again I am about to produce a film entitled Film that is probably a notfilm.
Much Love
Shane Gibson
Good but...
Not bad, but offering the user a choice of sound, suggesting that they might be worried about the music being too ‘emo’, is a bad decision. Firstly, asking the user to choose what kind of experience the user would like before they play is weak on your part IMO. But much worse is telling the player that they might be too snobbish to accept Jonsi. A little immature.