Student arrested and suspended for creating FPS map of his school... - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

photon · 05-02-2007, 04:32 PM

http://www.1pstart.com/student-arres...rist-activity/

Quote:

A Chinese student has been arrested in Texas, charged with “Suspected Terrorist Activity”. This student was apprehended after parents discovered that he had used plans of his High School in the creation of a map for an online first person shooter. The authorities were notified after parents learned of the map from their children, who had downloaded it off of the internet.

Wow. I think everyone who's made maps for Quake or Half Life or whatever has used their house or school or similar. This is brutal.

HelloHockeyFans · 05-02-2007, 04:37 PM

They arrested him,. Chen said of FBISD police, .and also went to the house to search.. The Lin family consented to the search, and a hammer was found in the boy.s room, which he used to fix his bed, because it wasn.t in good shape, Chen said. He indicated police seized the hammer as a potential weapon.

STeeLy · 05-02-2007, 04:39 PM

This is ridiculous... I did that once for a game but i never got into crap for it.

HelloHockeyFans · 05-02-2007, 04:42 PM

Yeah, like photon said, I have friends who are pretty serious gamers and they often make maps based on their homes, a mall they've been to, etc.

Resolute 14 · 05-02-2007, 04:44 PM

If we reduce our paranoia, the terrorists win.

Table 5 · 05-02-2007, 05:20 PM

he was probably going to try to nail all the hot chicks.

SpitFire40 · 05-02-2007, 06:04 PM

Ok, this is just ridiculous... Anyone who has played an FPS knows that most map layouts are of buidlings. If I had the talent to make maps i'd make one of my old high school... not as a"training ground" but because it's got a good layout for a game.

I doubt this kid had sadistic intentions..

FireFly · 05-02-2007, 06:07 PM

And they'll probably release him when they realize that. However, with all the school shootings lately, they can't take things like this lightly.

photon · 05-02-2007, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFly

And they'll probably release him when they realize that. However, with all the school shootings lately, they can't take things like this lightly.

But how does creating a map of a school in a game relate to school shootings?

What if a kid draws a map of the school for a friend to show where his next class is? Should they arrest for that too since that map could be used to plan an attack?

And make sure we round up all the kids who have hammers too...

FireFly · 05-02-2007, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

But how does creating a map of a school in a game relate to school shootings?

What if a kid draws a map of the school for a friend to show where his next class is? Should they arrest for that too since that map could be used to plan an attack?

And make sure we round up all the kids who have hammers too...

Well, it's a FPS game. If you can't see the coorelation, I can't help you. If he just made a map of the school in, say, and architecture program, I'm sure there would be fewer questions. But the guy made a map so he could simulate going in and shooting people.

Nehkara · 05-02-2007, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFly

Well, it's a FPS game. If you can't see the coorelation, I can't help you. If he just made a map of the school in, say, and architecture program, I'm sure there would be fewer questions. But the guy made a map so he could simulate going in and shooting people.

While I understand the reaction, it is still ridiculous. He probably made a map of his school because he knew the layout of his school so he didn't have to make it up.

Clever_Iggy · 05-02-2007, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

he was probably going to try to nail all the hot chicks.

Heyoooooo!

FireFly · 05-02-2007, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nehkara

While I understand the reaction, it is still ridiculous. He probably made a map of his school because he knew the layout of his school so he didn't have to make it up.

Well then, that's makes it all okay. Do I think every kid who has made a map of their school should be suspended and/or arrested? No. Do I look at previous high school massacres and notice this is one thing that most of the shooters did? Yes. Do I worry that people making maps of schools specifically for the purpose of using them in FPS games might be plotting? Yes.

You know, in the thread on Virginia Tech, people were complaining that the guy obviously showed signs of trouble and needed help yet the signs were ignored, or we didn't do enough about them. Yet here in this thread, this kid has done something that can be considered a serious sign, and you all think we should lay off him. Which do you want? Do we, or do we not take the signs that someone might be plotting to kill kids in a school seriously?

4X4 · 05-02-2007, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFly

Well then, that's makes it all okay. Do I think every kid who has made a map of their school should be suspended and/or arrested? No. Do I look at previous high school massacres and notice this is one thing that most of the shooters did? Yes. Do I worry that people making maps of schools specifically for the purpose of using them in FPS games might be plotting? Yes.

You know, in the thread on Virginia Tech, people were complaining that the guy obviously showed signs of trouble and needed help yet the signs were ignored, or we didn't do enough about them. Yet here in this thread, this kid has done something that can be considered a serious sign, and you all think we should lay off him. Which do you want? Do we, or do we not take the signs that someone might be plotting to kill kids in a school seriously?

I gotta agree with this.

I'm not much of a worry wart, but I do think that using your present high school for an FPS game is something that needs to be checked out.

To me, this is the same kind of thing as saying 'Bomb' or 'hijack' when you're in line at the airport. You may not have malicious intentions, but the authorities need to take it seriously nonetheless.

photon · 05-02-2007, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFly

Well, it's a FPS game. If you can't see the coorelation, I can't help you. If he just made a map of the school in, say, and architecture program, I'm sure there would be fewer questions. But the guy made a map so he could simulate going in and shooting people.

Have you ever made a map for a FPS? Do you know what the software is like? It IS an architecture program!

You are reading intent with no reason to. More likely his intent was to learn how to make maps in whatever game it is (it's not an easy process!), and used a familiar location. As has been pointed out here, it is EXTREMELY common for new map makers to use familiar locations.

Plus you don't even know he was shooting people, the game isn't named, so he could have just as likely been shooting deer, or aliens, or some other thing.

If there was more cause, like maybe he'd populated the world enemies that looked like teachers or students then there'd be more of a case. But even then, when someone puts a photo of someone they don't like on a dartboard and throws darts at them, isn't that the same thing? It's a GAME.

Someone can walk into a store and BUY a gun and it's fine. Someone draws a map of a school in a program and it's reason to ruin his high school year, deny him graduation with his friends, scare him, and increase public paranoia. Right.

This is overreaction to the highest degree, and just indicates that so many people are stupid sheep that rather than looking for something to blame for something they don't understand rather than taking the effort to try to understand it.

The VT Tech shootings are a perfect example. How long did it take the media to bring games into the situation? 10 seconds? Completely unfounded, but again stupid sheep need something easy to blame so they don't have to think about it.

Sorry, I'm not ranting at you directly, just at the whole system in general.

Quote:

Well then, that's makes it all okay. Do I think every kid who has made a map of their school should be suspended and/or arrested? No. Do I look at previous high school massacres and notice this is one thing that most of the shooters did? Yes. Do I worry that people making maps of schools specifically for the purpose of using them in FPS games might be plotting? Yes.

Most of the previous high school shootings involved people making a map of their school in a game to run around in and practice killing? Source please!

And even if it did, it STILL doesn't mean anything because there are millions of kids out there doing it innocently.

Quote:

You know, in the thread on Virginia Tech, people were complaining that the guy obviously showed signs of trouble and needed help yet the signs were ignored, or we didn't do enough about them. Yet here in this thread, this kid has done something that can be considered a serious sign, and you all think we should lay off him. Which do you want? Do we, or do we not take the signs that someone might be plotting to kill kids in a school seriously?

Signs are things that have been shown through evidence to indicate future behaviour. Studies, research, things based on fact. Not things put forward in the popular media to placate the masses.

Azure · 05-02-2007, 07:49 PM

Once again....owning a gun does not mean you're going to kill someone.

Get it straight people.

And for the record, I have no problem with this kid being checked out. If we would have checked out the VT shooter....well, you might have saved 32 innocent people from being killed.

TheyCallMeBruce · 05-02-2007, 07:53 PM

I created a map in Rogue Spear one time of my college I went to. My intent was to play a school hostage situation where Terrorist have taken over the school (kinda like that movie toy soldiers). I would have been so arrested if this were the case lol.

Azure · 05-02-2007, 07:57 PM

Also realize that the police might be doing this to assure the parents that they children are being looked after.

Of course I can't understand why the mom wasn't responsible, and if she doesn't like FPS....perhaps it would help if she didn't let her kid play that game? While the map may be symbolic, I don't really understand why it is any different from any other map.

Burninator · 05-02-2007, 08:02 PM

So where can we download the map?

HelloHockeyFans · 05-02-2007, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

Have you ever made a map for a FPS? Do you know what the software is like? It IS an architecture program!

You are reading intent with no reason to. More likely his intent was to learn how to make maps in whatever game it is (it's not an easy process!), and used a familiar location. As has been pointed out here, it is EXTREMELY common for new map makers to use familiar locations.

Plus you don't even know he was shooting people, the game isn't named, so he could have just as likely been shooting deer, or aliens, or some other thing.

If there was more cause, like maybe he'd populated the world enemies that looked like teachers or students then there'd be more of a case. But even then, when someone puts a photo of someone they don't like on a dartboard and throws darts at them, isn't that the same thing? It's a GAME.

Someone can walk into a store and BUY a gun and it's fine. Someone draws a map of a school in a program and it's reason to ruin his high school year, deny him graduation with his friends, scare him, and increase public paranoia. Right.

This is overreaction to the highest degree, and just indicates that so many people are stupid sheep that rather than looking for something to blame for something they don't understand rather than taking the effort to try to understand it.

The VT Tech shootings are a perfect example. How long did it take the media to bring games into the situation? 10 seconds? Completely unfounded, but again stupid sheep need something easy to blame so they don't have to think about it.

Sorry, I'm not ranting at you directly, just at the whole system in general.

Most of the previous high school shootings involved people making a map of their school in a game to run around in and practice killing? Source please!

And even if it did, it STILL doesn't mean anything because there are millions of kids out there doing it innocently.

Signs are things that have been shown through evidence to indicate future behaviour. Studies, research, things based on fact. Not things put forward in the popular media to placate the masses.

That's a great post photon. I agree with you completely.

The problem is, some people don't realize just how common it is for avid gamers to make their own maps. It's lack of knowledge... fear... ignorance.