CrimeDoor · Loot · Reenactments
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We’ve been talking about CrimeDoor for a while, which is maybe what they want. From their initial, mysterious job posting to Sarah’s mixed review to complaints from victims’ advocates, the VR app that allows people to “explore” crime scenes has been a diverting topic here at Best Evidence…but two recent headlines suggest that the new company is already struggling for relevance.
First, there’s this item AP headlined “App that recreates famous crime scenes adds crucifixion of Jesus Christ.” It’s true, I did say “Jesus Christ” as I read the story, but not because I was thinking about the famous victim. “The story of the crucifixion is perhaps the biggest, most famous murder of all time,” CrimeDoor founder Neil Mandt says in the story. “The average person has a peripheral view of two other victims that are near him, but no real context of the scene. And so, we thought it was important to understand what it was really about and why the cross was placed where it was outside of Jerusalem.”
Neither the news item nor its associated press release offers an explanation of what historical records were used to virtually rebuild the crime scene, which suggests that it was woven from full cloth (Shroud of Turin joke goes here, if you must). This seems to pose a problem for an app that charges people for the privilege of seeing a real crime scene from the inside ($1.99 to view, with subscription plans at $4.99/month or $49.99/year): as I understand it, my television allows me access to any number of made up crime scenes for free.