Summary
Parents of a Parkland school shooting victim have released a video game calledThe Final Exam, a survival title with the goal of educating players on gun safety legislation. The game is also a response to politicians blaming video games for gun violence and mass shootings.
In February 2018, a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida left 14 students and three staff members dead, as well as another 17 people injured. Six years later, the Parkland shooting remains the deadliest high school shooting in US history. Over time, several politicians have blamed video games for gun violence and school shootings, with evenformer President Trump meeting with gaming executivesafter the Parkland massacre. However, activists Manuel and Patricia Oliver, founders of the Change the Ref Foundation, argue that a real solution to school shootings lies in gun safety legislation, and they have released a video game to raise awareness on the matter.
Manuel and Patricia Oliver, parents of 17-year-old Parkland shooting victim Joaquin Oliver, have launchedThe Final Exam, a video game that simulates a school shooting situation. Created with the support of Webcore Games,The Final Examhas players step into the shoes of a student who needs to navigate the school’s rooms and hallways to survive a shooting. “Ten minutes. That’s how long the average mass shooting lasts. And in this school, it’s also how long you have to escape,” reads the game’sofficial description. To complete the game, players must gather gun control bills scattered around the school while actively hiding from the shooter. Players also have to create barricades of chairs and desks, quiet their breathing, stay alert for alarms, and other real-life measures taken during a mass shooting.The Final Examis free to download for PC from its official website or Steam.
Parents of Parkland Shooting Victim Release School Shooting Video Game
The five gun control bills featured inThe Final Examinclude a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, mandatory secure storage (known as Ethan’s Law), a background check for all gun sales, and an increase in the minimum age required to buy a firearm. According to its creators, the goal ofThe Final Examis to demand politicians to stop blaming video games for mass shootings. US politicians have long used the argument that video games are responsible for gun violence. In 2022,Senator Ted Cruz blamed violent video games for mass shootingsin the US, after a Texas school shooting left 21 fatal victims.
The Parkland shooting itself has been linked to video games too. After the massacre, not only did politicians accuse games as the cause, but someMiami school students threw out their video gamesin protest against violent media. However,The Final Exam’s creators maintain that condemning video games is not the answer to school shootings. “Let’s pressure politicians to do the right thing: stop blaming games and start taking meaningful action against gun violence,” says the game’s website.
The debate on the correlation between games and violence is not exclusive to the US, though. In 2023,French President Emmanuel Macron blamed social media and video gamesfor the Paris riots against the police. This discourse isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, but initiatives likeThe Final Examcan raise awareness of the importance of better gun control legislation and school shootings.
