To preface: Anyone who thinks that video games train people to kill, or somehow improve their ability to use modern weaponry, or are in any way correlated with violent or otherwise antisocial behavior, is completely and utterly full of crap. Well, full of something much stronger than crap, but keeping in the spirit of this post, I'd hate to use the actual word and find myself on the receiving end of a slip de pink.
That said, I think that a few officials at Clements High School, in the lovely town of Sugar Land, Texas, absolutely suck at life. More than that, they should be fired for a gross misapplication of their administrative duties, and offer a speedy, written apology to the poor 17-year-old student they "removed" from campus.
And what did this kid do, pray tell? Did he bring a gun to school? No. Did he drop a dimebag in the hallway? Nope. He made a Counterstrike map of his school, which in this day and age, is apparently akin to calling up the Al-Qaeda pledge hotline.
All the articles I've read have failed to mention whether said unknown teenager was playing the game in class, or hosted the file on a school server, or something -- anything -- that would give me the slightest reason to support disciplining the kid in any capacity. But I think it's absolutely pathetic that we live in a day and age where not only can you be booted out of school for things you do entirely off school property, but that a map for a video game is akin to a "terroristic threat." And I'm not talking out of me' boot; that's a direct quote from said asshatted school officials.
Believe me, I wish I had the talent to make video game maps of any kind. As but a wee Murph, I fondly recall my experiments in making Doom2 .wads way back when. Not only were they boring (Look! We're in a room! With rocket launchers everywhere! And two Cyberdemons! And barrels a'plenty! Whee!), but they were a relatively difficult challenge for my Padawan coding skills. I could never quite understand why maps never worked right, and eventually just got tired of the game altogether -- yes, even after I found the illusive chainsaw-to-lightsaber mod.
But I digress. I would hardly consider making an FPS map based off your school to be "terroristic." First off, using that word like trying to drown an anthill by breaking a dam. If the kid rented a truck, filled it with fertilizer, and drove it through the lunchroom, we're talking "terroristic." But a video game map? Jesus Christ. Nerds are not your enemy, America.
I actually think that the teenager's ingenuity is totally awesome. Power to this kid for being able to construct a working, realistic representation based on -- I'm assuming here -- sheer mental recollection of the areas of his school. I, for one, would need building plans and a compass, and that's just if I was recreating my two-room apartment.
Did the kid mod his fellow school-friends into the game? Nope. Does he appear to have had any history whatsoever of violent behavior? Nope. Does he seem to be an enthusiastic geek who just wanted a more fun location to frag with his buddies than round after round of de_dust? Not sure, but all signs point to yes.
And just because I know someone out there is going to tout the "it's training him to be more effective!" line, or that "no-tolerance means no-tolerance!" crap, let's be serious for a second. I've been playing first-person-shooters since Doom shareware -- I was around 9 years old at the time, mind you. Around that time, I fondly recall my parents letting me watch Terminator 2. Did either of these events turn me into a killer? No. Since then, have these games -- and their more realistic descendents -- ever give me a murderous rage? Or even improve my skills at firing real weaponry? Not in the slightest. Case in point: I still suck at laser tag, and would probably get my ass bruised into a plum-like color were I to ever venture onto a paintball field.
Video games are great, but they're just that, people. Games. Just because someone knows how to rock with a mouse means absolutely nothing when it comes to real weaponry. Or real intent, for that matter. A kid made a map of his school in a video game; someone realize this outpouring of creativity and convince him to take some drafting classes. Or some programming courses. Why stifle intelligence with an idiotic, knee-jerk response?
Comments are closed on this article
chabraka
May 04, 2007 at 5:08pm
If everyone who played shooters or modeled their high school in a FPS map were to go on a shooting rampage, just about every high school would have been shot up by now. Cases of this happening before? Zero. Games don't kill people, people do... and guns help.
OcciferFriendly
March 07, 2008 at 8:22am
Guns are just the tools - they don't do anything on their own. You were so close, try again.
furball146
May 04, 2007 at 10:09am
..but how is this not anything more then an ounce of prevention?
While I think it's a complete over-reaction, the what ifs here do have some pretty grave consequences.
..ok, so it's more along the lines of a pound of prevention when an ounce was needed.
OcciferFriendly
March 07, 2008 at 8:21am
What ifs? Come on. What ifs aren't enough to punish somebody - because it might end up being something bad isn't enough.
Whatever happened to common sense? How about you sit the kid down and you ask him, "Why'd you make the map" and the kid explains why. And then you're good to go. Nothing about this kid shows that he was in anyway getting ready to do something, so that explanation is complete BS.
Back to the what ifs - this kid got punished because his map MIGHT end up being something bad. How would you like it if you get a ticket because your car MIGHT be able to exceed the speed limit? Wouldn't like that much at all, would you? Or your guns taken because you MIGHT use them to kill someone?
It used to be you actually had to DO something to get into trouble.
TheMurph
May 04, 2007 at 10:27am
The "what-ifs?" You're kidding, right? If he already knows the layout of the school well enough to make a fairly decent Counterstrike map, I highly doubt that running a fictional character through said map is going to do anything. When I was in high school, I knew the place like the back of my hand; I didn't need a video game to teach me that.
FoamysKing
May 04, 2007 at 7:37am
i wish that i kenw how to do somthing like that but i havent been able to make a map but i so want to. i think that every school should get a couple students who are students that have never done any violent acts and are in good standing at their school with the faculty and a semi decent standing with the students. Make a map of their school and then distribute them but on the maps just dont map out side the building otherwise they could be claimed to be aiding and abetting a criminal because then it could be used by a terriost as a training tool. that way a statement could be made in a nonviolent way and if you are suspended take legal action but maybe we could change this so that somthing completly innocent will not be considered a threat.
For those of you who can vote if u have an elected offical who will vote for those completly unconstitunal laws against video games dont vote for them then when we all decide to stand we can take our power back and point our goverment in the right direction. I suggest if u get a chance to meet an elected offical take it and ask them and they will either say they don't know meaning they dont want to posh the subject because thy want as many votes as they can get or they will try to make you look like a serial killer but they are susposed to represent YOU so tell them what you think!
spencer18
May 03, 2007 at 10:56pm
I live in Sugar land. The school over reacted to this situation. He had a bamboo sword that they took (I think), and I quote, "couldn't cut an orange." -Alan Cease (attorney). They also said that a wooden handled rubber mallet holding up one side of his bed was "a weapon." He started the map his freshman year, and coincidently finished it after the vtech shootings. I go to dulles, a competetor school of clements, and believe it or not, I have the map. It is the exact map of the commons (cafeteria) and not the whole thing. Here is an exerpt from his notes on the map,
"NOTES:
- Missing some details because it would've been too much for the engine to handle =(
- There are leaks in the walls because I wasn't able to test it out fully due to the fact that if I compiled it to test it out, it would've taken days..."
He passed the map on to 5 of his friends and somehow it got out. He played the game and map at home only, not at school. It sure hell isn't a terroristic threat to anyone cuz wut the fuck is he gonna do? He is asian, "I'm not disclosing names although I do know it." That's the only reason why he was expelled from his school and sent to m.r. wood. Also, the vtech shooting dude, he played cs, that is why FBISD police took action so quickly. He doesn't walk, but gets his diploma.
the spence "enzo" anderson
Mastagunz
May 03, 2007 at 7:58pm
These people are dumb asses. They should publicly apologize to this student. These people are inhumane.
sheighton
May 03, 2007 at 6:07pm
That was awesome! I freaking hate people who are the demon spawn of Jack Thompson...I can't believe that people actually believe the crap that he says about "the negative influences of video games!" Really, it irks me greatly...
Nuxes
May 03, 2007 at 2:18pm
I made a CS map of my high school and nobody cared. I even showed it to one of my teachers and he thought it was pretty good.
King of The LOSers
May 03, 2007 at 9:38am
I live rather near Sugarland and the press is saturated with this BS.If the kid didn't play it on the schools servers,as mentioned in the article above(if the schools IT department are any good you should NOT be able to play according to Texas state law) he should not be kicked out of school. The whole no-tolerance crap is stupid i have seen half of my graduating class get kicked out of school for stuff like prescription medications, and FISHING POLES in the back of their truck!?! Like i said, that's crazy talk!
sammyd253
May 03, 2007 at 7:00am
I think it's crazy that this kid got in trouble. I started making maps for Duke Nukem 3D, and I loved the build utility. My friend and I used to always (try) and make maps of places we were familiar with. Was it because we wanted to really shoot up those places? Heck no. It's because we thought it was cooler than anything that we could replicate real life places, and then jetpack around in the game dualing with pistols. Even games like Red Alert 2, I used to make custom maps for that. Does this mean I'm going to plan a tactical nuclear war? Nope. Sorry, but if this kid is anything like me, he just likes to be creative and wants to have fun. I see no harm here. People need to start taking responsibility for their own actions and stop blaming other things such as video games.
tiredoldman
May 02, 2007 at 8:18pm
"While I May Not Agree With WHAT You Say, I Will DEFEND To The Death Your RIGHT To Say It !" Patrick Henry
I agree that the youngster should be encouraged to learn programing or drafting or both ! He has a talent for those .
And as a former Marine Wepons Instructor,And Recon Sniper Trainer, I don't accept these lame EXCUSE'S that a video game, or some T.V.program or movie makes these folks go shooting everyone they can !!
Give the kid a break,and congratulate him for a job well done !!
ponchato
May 02, 2007 at 6:38pm
Idiots. How the heck is that even in the slightest a threat to the school? Stupid morons.
zioburosky13
May 02, 2007 at 5:41pm
Knowing how to aim with a mouse never, never works in real life. In real life you have to calculate the wind speed, recoil, distance, types of bullet...
Indeed, they need to be educated for this one ;)
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