State Rep. Takes on Violent Video Game

The game "School Shooter: North American Tour 2012" is the subject of a new resolution to create a state-wide parent awareness program. In the game, a player stalks and shoots fellow students and teachers in schools. Developed by Checkerboarded Studios, it was pulled from its website but is still available for viewing on YouTube and is planned for future release.

State Rep. Lawrence Curry (D-Montgomery, Philadelphia) says that if you think of it as a video game, it is pretty gruesome. "The figures, familiar figures are like a teacher and students, fellow classmates in a room. And you hear a bang and the blood shoots out of the head, sprays onto the walls in a couple of instances. Some go down, and that's pretty shocking."

Rep. Curry says that he understands that there are other video games out there but this one mimics real-life tragedies. "The tragedies of Columbine, Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University are among the most horrible acts on campus in American history." He says "the lack of empathy this game shows for school shooting victims, their families, friends and other loved ones is upsetting and disrespectful."

Curry says that he plans to go through the schools to warn parents about the game. He says he already held held a meeting with superintendents, principals, and psychologists in his district to work out how to best deal with the game.

Curry's house resolution will alert parents and teachers about the pending release of the game, and remind parents to monitor their child's interaction with media. He says that it is a sticky issue because he hates censorship, but this game is too harmful and awful to let go without any warning.