‘It’s disgusting!’: School massacre video game ‘Active Shooter’ is slammed by parents of children killed in Parkland killings
In the computer game, players can choose between being an active shooter terrorising a school or the Swat team responding to the shooting
An upcoming computer video game that would allow players to re-create school shootings by stalking school hallways and racking up kills has been condemned as insensitive and inappropriate by the parents of students who were shot to death in the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida.
The game – Active Shooter – is scheduled for a June 6 release via the digital video-game marketplace Steam. It is branded as a “Swat simulator” that lets players choose between being an active shooter terrorising a school or the Swat team responding to the shooting.
It was developed by Revived Games and published by the company Acid, which has said it plans on selling the game for US$5 to US$10 on Steam and releasing an alternate “civilian” mode.
Ryan Petty, the father of a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High student killed during a shooting at her school in February, called Sunday for the game’s release to be cancelled. His daughter Alaina was 14.
“It’s disgusting that Valve Corp. is trying to profit from the glamorisation of tragedies affecting our schools across the country,” Petty, who is running for Broward County school board, said in a statement. “Keeping our kids safe is a real issue affecting our communities and is in no way a ‘game.’”