Be the first kid on your block to be the last kid on your block, could be ad copy for the new video game ready to launch, “Active Shooter” where the player can shoot cops and civilians in a school environment. Some people will do anything for money. Here’s a screenshot.
Valve Corporation: Do not Launch a School Shooting Video Game – Sign the Petition! Lets stop this In its tracks now. We dont need kids learning to be an active shooter. Who would comeup with something like this with all the active shootings? https://t.co/WtjwOw8qlZ via @Change
— Ahmed Malik (@AMalik25) May 27, 2018
The game developer is already getting hate mail, thank God, and s/he’s being defensive:
First of all, this game does not promote any sort of violence, especially any soft [sic] of a mass shooting. As I said in the description of the game:
Active Shooter is essentially a dynamic SWAT simulator in which dynamic roles are offered to players.Originally when this game started its course of the development, I have planned on having SWAT only based game-play. Then I thought about adding more gameplay to it by adding additional roles: of the shooter and the civilian. While I can see people’s anger and why this might be a bad idea for the game, I still feel like this topic should be left alone. As I mentioned on steam discussion forums, there are games like Hatred, Postal, Carmageddon and etc., which are even worst compared to “Active Shooter” and literally focuses on mass shootings/killings of people.
Steam is a new generation of gaming platform that allows independents to publish a game on its platform for a $100 fee. However, Steam does have some standards, banning hate speech, pornography that’s not properly disclosed and “patently offensive or intended to shock or disgust viewers.”
It was unclear why shooting defenseless school children in their desks did not fall under the “patently offensive” description.
The content in video games is controversial given the market’s tendency to appeal to young white men—gamers revolted over what they considered a progressive agenda in games in a 2014 incident known as Gamergate.
Twitter weighs in.
Lmao theres an indie game on steam where you are an active shooter at a school and it is trying to be presented as a "S.W.A.T. style FPS" when the video has 20s of police perspective but a whole minute of the shooter shooting people. Defenders include a lot of right-wingers.
— Iavan (@IavanArt) May 26, 2018
I’ve flagged it with comments, and encourage everyone to do the same. This is completely sick. A game that simulates killing kids at school, allowing the player to be the shooter in that scenario. This should not be a part of the @steam_games platform or any game platform. https://t.co/jCzalP6gt4
— so pedestrian ?? (@pedestriansaint) May 26, 2018
@steam_games Due to the impending release of your active shooter school setting game I will be boycotting your company going forward, and encouraging others to do the same. This is reprehensible.
— Caroline Carey (@Lineygal) May 26, 2018
Words fail me.
