I have never been much of a gamer. Pinball – yes. Rockband and Guitar Hero on the PS3 – absolutely, CRANK IT UP!
But video games where realistic depictions of human suffering takes place? Nope. Not for me…although I will admit to killing a whack of Space Invaders in my youth…and in my defense, they WERE invading Earth.
Often these “first person shooter” games are based in make believe worlds and quite frankly, I have not paid much attention to this genre. While I do like “combat sports” (eg: Mixed Martial Arts) – those sports have consenting combatants and rarely are guns and murder allowed.
That’s why I was surprised when I saw on Facebook the video below outlining a “Developers Sequence” of an upcoming video game where you can choose your weapons and go on a killing spree at Port Moody Secondary School – a local high school where I live.
The game is being developed by the former President of the Port Moody Secondary School Chapter of Amnesty International, Aarman Rahim. Yes, the former president of a group whose goal is to ease human suffering has decided to glamorize and profit from it.
While the video above does not appear to depict students being killed, posts on online forums (which have now been removed) had Aarman promise that students and teachers would be featured and could be “hero, enemy or collateral damage”. I suppose this is a nice accompaniment to the gun fire, blood splattered walls and broken glass of his former high school as shown in his game.
You would think such a game would be slammed by local media as “violent”, “disturbing”, “insensitive” etc. Well, one reporter has taken a slightly different tone.
This morning Diane Strandberg, a reporter and Assistant Editor with The Tri-City News praised the game as “cool” and pointed out it had “great grfx” [sic.] on her post in the Youtube comments section of the video. The video and her comment were removed by Aarman at approximately 6pm this evening but as with the video above, I have a copy of her post:
To be fair, I will point out that Ms. Strandberg made the observation that the game is “possibly controversial”. Let’s review - not “controversial” but “POSSIBLY controversial”. Just making sure I am getting it right – murders at the local high school with “cool…great grfx” is “possibly controversial”. Wow.
While young Mr. Rahim may not fully appreciate the stupidity of his game I would think a seasoned reporter like Ms. Strandberg would which is why I am puzzled by her praise.
A line I have been DYING to use for years will now be written: “Requests to Ms. Strandberg and The Tri-City News for comment were not returned”.
So what do you think? Is this a fun harmless game or something worse? Do you agree with Ms. Strandberg’s comments or do you expect a more critical reply? Looking forward to your comments below.
UPDATES
From Port Moody Police Website:
On March 21, 2013 administration from Port Moody Secondary School contacted the Port Moody Police Department regarding a disturbing video that they had become aware of. Specifically, the video depicted a multiplayer first person shooter game that was set inside Port Moody Secondary.
Although the creation of such a video game is likely ill-conceived in the current climate, it does not constitute an offence. Investigators from the Port Moody Police Department have interviewed the developer of this game and have concluded that he does not pose a danger to the staff or students of Port Moody Secondary.
The Port Moody Police Department continues to work closely with all of the schools in our city to ensure that staff and students have a safe environment in which to work and learn.
http://portmoodypolice.ca/index.php
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Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay speaks out on this game / map on Global TV
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Facebook post by a Port Moody Secondary School Teacher:
Dear Aarman, I will keep this short. I am glad to here that you were not the developer but I need you to understand that as your former teacher, I am disturbed by the content in the game. I ask that you should reflect upon what has happened. Stop focusing on how the media has wronged you and try to see why this may have been a bad or poor decision. I hope that you understand that by using our school, work place it has made me very sad, upset, perplexed as to why you would have had anything at all to do with this. We all make mistakes and hopefully we can all learn from this.
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Ms. Strandberg and I spoke on the phone during the afternoon of March 21st.
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Interview from CBC Radio:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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Report from Global TV:
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Newspaper article from The Tri-City News:
Although Rahim stated that he’s not the developer of the game, he said he did provide resources.
http://www.tricitynews.com/news/199428911.html
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Opinion piece from The Tri-City News:
First-person shooter games are particularly repellant and I am concerned about the long-term impacts of them on the psyche of young people.
http://www.tricitynews.com/opinion/199431361.html
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From the Vancouver Province:
On his Facebook page, former Port Moody Secondary student Aarman Rahim said he supplied “resources” for the digital architecture in the game to the developer.
He took issue with the negative publicity surrounding the game and his involvement, and many of his friends replied to say some adults simply don’t understand video-game culture.
A person identifying himself as Rahim’s former teacher at the school said he was “disturbed” by the game.
“I hope that you understand that by using our school, workplace it has made me very sad, upset, perplexed as to why you would have had anything at all to do with this.”
http://www.theprovince.com/news/vancouver/School+shooter+video+game+targets+Port+Moody+Secondary/8138524/story.html
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Another Tri-City News article:
SD43 is also taking the video seriously and is seeking advice regarding follow-up but it is not known whether the video’s creators will be asked to take it down.
“We are well aware of this, and we recognize that it is a sensitive situation. The district is working with the school on this matter, and is seeking further advice regarding follow-up,” Cheryl Quinton stated in an email following up a News request for comment to principal Karen Jensen.
Meanwhile, Aarman Rahim, who originally posted the video on Youtube but later removed it from his channel, has issued a statement acknowledging that he provided photographs for the game but didn’t develop it.
http://www.tricitynews.com/news/199572571.html
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CBC Report
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Another from CBC:
Alex Devlin, a physical education teacher at Port Moody Secondary, said he was shocked when he saw the map of the school online.
“I love that school,” Devlin told CBC News. “We have amazing students, we have a wonderful caring staff.
“The distinguishing thing about our school is the rainbow-coloured lockers … it makes you feel good. And to see that violence that same senseless violence in our hallway, our rainbow-coloured hallway, it was devastating.”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/03/21/bc-vancouver-school-video-game.html
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Like you, I was shocked not only at the content of the video, but at the flippant comments made by this reporter (who, by the way, is a mother and resides in the community — I’m STILL scratching my head). As someone who attended that school and has lived in the Tri-Cities for more than two decades, I take this very personally.
When tragedies happen like those at Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, Columbine, and even closer to home in Taber, Alberta, we all look at each other, wondering what we could have done to prevent it and wondering what our world is coming to. When I saw this video on my Facebook feed this morning, I had those feelings all over again — how can we stand by and watch as something like this is accepted as “cool”?
The irony of Mr Rahim’s involvement not only in Amnesty International but also in a youth organization in the community (according to his LinkedIn page) is staggering. I wonder how the various organizations that funded his university education would feel about their money going to the creation of something so disgusting and undeniably evil.
First off Kirstin THANK-YOU for bringing this to my attention on Facebook! Without your post and your expressions of concern I may have missed this item.
I agree with your comments – the total disconnect between Mr Rahim’s Amnesty International involvement and Ms. Strandberg’s praise is very odd.
I hope both of these folks reconsider their positions.
Personally I think such a video is repulsive especially given the amount of violence within schools these days. Why create such a video aimed to bring delight in the slaying of “virtual” people? Seems bizarre to me but then again, I am not a gamer. Ms. Strandberg’s comments, I would think, would be delivered on the basis of this is good story material. Possibly controversial is right, I’m sure there would be a whole lot of outrage myself. The graphics are great but the content is extremely disturbing. My concern with the game is that our reality has proven that plots of shooting up a school are real and not always just a game and thus the creation of such a game is stupid.
To be clear the video is showing what the action in the video game will be when “development” is complete. Such games are marketed and directed at youth and regrettably, such a game may have some appeal.
You could be right that the reporter’s comments were written to illicit an interview. Still, an odd set of wording.
Hey Dave.
Where do you do your research?
Counter-Strike came out in 1999, and prior to that was a mod for the original Half Life.
It’s since been purchased by valve, who created the original standalone version,”Counter Strike: Condition Zero”, “Counter-Strike Source” which ran on the source engine, and more recently “Counter Strike: Global Offensive”
Aarman Rahim had no part in the creation of Counter Strike, although i’m sure he must be an avid player of the game.
Many players of Counter Strike build maps, the map-maker comes with the game, and with enough time and effort a person could create any scene they’d like.
How is it you’re able to get onto Global news?
You lied to an audience of many thousands, and created outrage by misinforming the masses who still watch Cable News.
Do you have no brain? Soul? Do you not research topics before going onto Television or writing an article?
It’s people like you who’re the cause of “You cannot believe everything you read on the internet”.
****ing non-sense, i hope your blog gets DDOS’d to hell and back.
Ross – my research came from the posts the “game developer” left on his Youtube post which he has now removed.
Please tell me how I lied. So far folks have pointed out how the developer lied by taking credit for creating a game when he / they really just created a mod. My not liking a game is not lying, that is stating my opinion.
While it would be disappointing to have a DDOS attack, that does not disprove my post nor the fact that the game is quite distasteful. In fact, I would say censoring my blog with a DDOS proves my point.
@Dave
It certainly is convenient that when someone asks why you refer to this person as a developer, and the creator of this game, you point to a non-existent page as evidence for something.
You’ve spread misinformation in the following ways.
1.) Aarman Rahim has never claimed to be the developer for the game.He never developed any game. Counter Strike, (the GAME in question) has been out for over a decade, it isn’t new, and again it wasn’t developed by Aarman Rahim.
2.)You suggest Aarman Rahim is somehow profiting off this controversial map, In reality, it’s free, as are all Counter Strike maps.
3.) You suggest that he intended to make students and teachers playable characters.
I’ve yet to see anything depicting that, and I’ll let you know remodeling characters is a little more time consuming than mapping.
It saddens me when i see people such as yourself refuse to research topics.
I remember back in school they tried to help us develop critical thinking skills, skills i use today to determine what seems valid, and what is invalid based on the evidence brought forth.
You’ve posted many offensive things about other reporters, students, and you’ve lied to your audience about several things.
Perhaps one day you’ll do some research before typing an article about a subject.
A simple Google search of the words “Counter Strike” will give you information on the game released over a decade ago. Not sure how you’re still able to suggest Aarman Rahim is the developer of it, and that it’ll “soon be released”
I was sure to write Global News a letter too, I noticed you lied on air on their station.
Dave,
First, the word is “elicit,” not “illicit,” and that’s exactly what Diane was trying to do with the young man — get a response. She could have posted that the video was shocking and disgusting and she might never have heard from him. As it is, she attempted to reach out in his terms and, now, he has been in touch and we’re trying to set up an interview to present a complete — note that word, “complete” — story.
Second, we could have gone for cheap controversy — and page views — by posting a story about the video yesterday without comment or context but we chose to do what we do: journalism.
Third, I’d suggest that you and others not be so quick to crucify a reporter who has been covering issues of school safety and bullying for more than a decade — more than any other reporter in our community and long before people started jumping on the pink shirt bandwagon.
Finally, re. your comment: “A line I have been DYING to use for years will now be written: ‘Requests to Ms. Strandberg and the Tri-Cities News for comment were not returned.’” This gives the impression that you attempted to get in touch with us. As editor, I’ve received no such contact, although apparently you tweeted at Diane probably around the time she was making dinner for her family last evening — i.e., not working. She tells me she has now responded.
And BTW, the paper is The Tri-City News, not the “Tri-Cities News,” and I would think you’d know that given that your name has appeared in it so many times for the many community works in which you’ve been involved.
Richard Dal Monte
Editor, The Tri-City News
Richard – thanks for your reply and I will correct the name of your publication in the post above. My confusion comes from the various uses of “Tri-City” (as in your newspaper) and “Tri-Cities” as in the Chamber of Commerce.
I suggest you re-check the email box, Twitter account AND Facebook Page for The Tri-City News as myself and others attempted to contact your paper yesterday and earlier today. My first attempt was before 5pm yesterday. Thankfully some of my attempts to contact your paper were quite public and can be confirmed – so public that other news organizations saw fit to contact me.
I – and others – also reached out to Mr. Rahim only to find that he “blocked” us from Facebook and/or LinkedIn after we sent him messages. That pretty much is a refusal to chat.
Diane has replied via Twitter and I will be speaking with her after 3pm.
If as you explained, her comments were an interview soliciting device, then I must say it is an interesting technique to use in a public forum. If effective in scoring the interview, then kudos. Although I understand other outlets did not have to publicly pander to Mr. Rahim to get him to chat.
I also hope you will reach out to others who have contacted you or expressed concerns on social media. This would certainly help with your goal of offering a “complete” story.
The core of the piece is that a person – a former Amnesty International Chapter President – created a game which shows murder at a local High School and great graphics or not, the game is sickening. The fact that he saw fit to remove the video and comments from Youtube, Facebook and other gaming sites after yesterday minor public “uprising” is quite telling.
Richard, I appreciate all that your newspaper – The Tri-City News – has done for our community and my projects. This one set of comments has created a bit of a stir but does not erase the good your organization does week in and week out.
Thanks again for replying.
This story is just sloppy journalism. It is a poorly written unbalanced opinions piece at best. It was obvious the Tri-cities reporter was trying to get a comment, possibly trying to get some perspective as to why or to learn more before writing.
I can understand why nobody would give the writer of this article an interview.
Richard, I was really glad to read your response.
“Joel” – I am certainly not a journalist, rather someone with an opinion. Glad you too are sharing yours.
I was not looking for an interview from the game developer, rather an explanation as to why he thought this was a good idea. When he removed his comments and video, I knew my point was made.
Tonight you can learn more about this on Global, CBC and CTV – some pretty solid journalistic outlets.
It’s a custom map someone has made for a popular game counterstrike source. that much is obvious to myself – Literally no funding or anything anyone with some knowledge with the games editor can do this with the texture packs available by the modding community.
Infact their have been thousands of real world locations mapped out by people online take a site like gamebanana.com/maps/search?search=school – This search string along brings me loads of peoples schools remade.
The only thing here is people being over-sensitive because of events recently, and whilst I can see your concern this is just what people do, they create stuff based on what they know or their imagination.
Also if this person is claiming that this little piece of work is a standalone game made by themselves then I’m pretty sure Valve will just send a cease and desist order, I mean hell he’s literally using the exact same font as Battlefield 3 uses to say about his “Developer footage”.
+ all this waffle about “Graphics” is stupid because that game is decadent, sorry to say.
Keiran – thanks for your comment.
So in short, this “developer” merely took an existing game and put a new “skin” or “texture” over it and is attempting to pass it off as his original work?
Am I over sensitive? I don’t think so. I am sensitive to the fact that a former student of a local High School has created a close to real life duplicate of the school, he is the former head of the local Amnesty International Chapter and he was bragging online about the violence in the game.
Add in the reporter’s comment and for me there was a major disconnect of sensibilities.
Check out the story:
http://www.tricitynews.com/news/199428911.html
And Diane’s column:
http://www.tricitynews.com/opinion/199431361.html
Richard, thanks for the link to the stories. With all due respect, not a very complete account but I appreciate your posting the links.
With all due respect, your facts are incorrect and I’d appreciate it if you’d do your research before throwing my name in the dirt.
Firstly, I am not the developer of this game nor is this ‘glamorized’ or gaining me any ‘profit’. Secondly, there are no students being killed. The gameplay is the same as all counter strike games, where you have two teams fighting against each other, much like most other shooters which use public settings as game environments. The models are stock CSS (Counter Strike Source). The weapons are a compilation from the original game and customs from other people. The developer never passed it off as a game. Ill informed bloggers called it a game.The only original part was the map. Thousands of hours were spent in development to create an accurate, to-scale, digital replication of the school. This is not a “skin, passing it off as our work”, the map is built from scratch with many custom textures. You also completely constructed your own quotes to use “Aarman promise that students and teachers would be featured and could be “hero, enemy or collateral damage””. This never happened and these quotes are entirely false. If you had taken the time to contact me, I would have provided you with accurate facts and you wouldn’t have had to sit over your keyboard constructing what you wanted to hear. The developer and I did not have this intention, and we will never include students or teachers. Lastly, targeting Diane with rude and ill-informed comments is out of line and I whole heatedly agree with Richards comments above.
There is much more I wish to say to you, however, I think it’s already clear enough that journalism is not your strong point.
For those interested: http://pmssmap.tk/
Aarman – thanks for joining in the conversation. I also thank you for sending me a message on Facebook and hope you will read my reply.
The description in the Youtube video (which is now removed) you said, “…video game I am developing…”. This is why I (and others) assumed you were the developer….and emails from people who know you also claim you “helped developed” or “supported the development” of this game.
Add to this that media outlets who contacted you said you were “unavailable for interviews” (at least that is what they are broadcasting). Not that you were not the developer…just you are unavailable to comment.
No need for me to construct my own quotes. The fact you scrubbed various forums, removed the Youtube video and again, emails from people who know you, support the quotes which were online.
Diane and I had a progressive conversation today on this topic and all is well.
I do agree with you, journalism is not my strong point. Which is why I am leaving journalism to the journalists.
My strong point is shining light on issues I believe are important in my community and making change.
Overall, I hope you will put your considerable skills to uplifting our community and not glamorizing violence / murder in our schools.
No Dave, there was no video description other than the Music Credit. Do you have proof of your claims? I replied to all media requests except for yours because you never contacted me before this was produced.
Aarman was a former student of mine. He was a kind, thoughtful, honest and responsible young man. This accusations and treatment of him is absolutely disgraceful. It is a shame how some of the best people in society and treated by idiots such as you. I stand by and support Aarman’s innocence in this matter.
Lawrence – thanks for your perspective.
Can you explain which “accusations” are incorrect? And as for “innocence” what do you mean? Aarman has already confirmed he was involved with the development of the game.
Dave,
It is impossible for him to create a profit from this. It is not legal to re-create property in a commercial video game (which this absolutely by any stretch is). If he were to create a full-fledged game out of this he would have to:
- Buy a license of the Source Engine and obtain permission from Valve Corporation to use their Game Engine for Commercial Release
- Remove any inclusion of logos or property he does not own which would include this specific level.
This is nothing new, people have been re-creating high schools for years and years in a variety of different video games and genres and nothing has come of it. The reason people do this is because the best way to learn 3D Model Creation and Level Design is to remake objects and spaces they are familiar with.
Before you write a article please research, it doesn’t hurt anyone but yourself. I have no clue to the quality of content your create here, but you are certainly coming off as someone that has absolutely no clue what they are talking about.
Nolan – while others may have remodeled schools for CS and other FPS games for years, this is the first time I am aware of a school my community being used in this manner. As such, I expressed my opinion, others agreed and here we are.
Not agreeing with my opinion without showing where the facts I have presented are in error does not diminish my content, it just means you do not agree with me. More power to you.
So, you only have a problem with this because it’s in your community? This isn’t an issue of preventing violence if that’s true.
People like Aarman should be praised in the media for their skill in the field of 3D modeling, not vilified for practicing a hobby that they enjoy. As Aarman said, thousands of hours went into making this map, and you’re telling the public that he’s essentially a monster, not to mention the inaccuracies that you’re spewing to people that aren’t going to be bothered to fact-check. I can only hope that your regulars see that you have no idea what you’re speaking about and drop their support for you.
Matt – I have complimented the developers on their skills while denouncing their placement of the violence in our local high school.
No inaccuracies in my piece – just differences of opinion.
Dave, the fact that you aren’t a journalist is an absolutely terrible excuse to go on a factually inaccurate smearing rant on a blog and on the news. The number of errors in this article and in the Global clip is incredible.
-The game is not a “killing spree”, it’s a terrorists vs. counter-terrorists game with no portrayal or narrative of collateral damage. If your concern is that violent content in video games leads to violence in life, then it pays to make the distinction in emotive content.
-People can add teachers and students to the map in the same way that people can add pirated software links to Google. Likewise, you can modify Super Mario Bros. to show a political figure, and then step on him, kick him down a hole, or throw fireballs at him. To bring up the modularity of the game as if it’s the map developers’ intent to depict violence against real people is nothing but sensationalism and smearing.
-Aarman Rahim is not the developer. Cable news may be too slow to make note of that, but that has been made abundantly clear on the Internet.
-”These games in and of themselves” are *not* bad. That’s a complete blanket statement with no justification. In a Swedish meta-study of 161 papers and 106 studies, the correlation between violence and violent video games, if any at all, was found to be immeasurably small. This is the consensus all throughout the literature.
Frankly, do you not remember how violent Bugs Bunny cartoons were, with Wile Coyote being run over, tied to railroads, incinerated, frozen, smothered, flattened, drowned, chopped up, blown up, and indeed, shot? Do you honestly think the sensibilities of the prior generation make sense in being offended at the addition of a little blood and a familiar environment? Would you honestly be offended or concerned if the Road Runner series were set in a high school in Port Moody?
-32,000 people die each year in gun violence in the US. Of those, less than 40 die in schools. To speak of the school deaths as if that’s where the only horror exists is an insult to people who die of violence (and gun violence) elsewhere. Granted, this bizarre selectivism is a result of media sentiments, but nonetheless, violent games and even violent movies should be just as offensive when they are set in the streets of Detroit, in a hypothetical space colony, in a hospital (as many horror movies and games are), or in someone’s home — where in fact much of the real gun violence happens.
-On that note, in Mass Effect 3, another violent first-person shooter, Downtown Vancouver is decimated by a decidedly brutal alien invasion at the beginning of the game. The studio chose Vancouver as a tribute, primarily because they were a Canadian company. No one in the Vancouver press was offended.
Why are you still clinging to the idea that there’s something “strange” about an Amnesty International leader participating in this game? Why do neither you nor Global stop to think that there’s nothing strange about it at all — that in fact this is neither offensive nor conducive to violence?
Ian – thanks for your opinion.
I guess I consider a “killing spree” when the first person shooter kills a dozen (or more) “terrorists” in a one minute span as shown in the video.
I did not say that these games as a whole are bad. I am questioning the motivation of this game, developed / co-developed by a former Amnesty International Chair. I have NEVER said this game will cause real violence. I have said there is a disconnect by Aarman and the other developers from real life and placing this murderous game in the real school setting is disturbing.
You do not feel the game is offensive – I believe it is. Thankfully we can disagree.
>I have NEVER said this game will cause real violence.
Then are you offended because of the lack of sensitivity towards the recent school shootings? Because if you are, again, I have news for you: literally 800 times more people died outside of schools, in the same geographic area, and no one’s showing any sensitivity towards them.
You’re not offended because this is distasteful, you’re offended because you saw school violence sensationalized on the idiot box.
Or is it offensive because it’s offensive? Because if that’s the case, and that seems to be the argument you’re backing into at this point, then you’re projecting your unjustified, plainly stubborn convictions to the world at the expense of people’s reputations — both Aarman’s and your own.
> I did not say that these games as a whole are bad.
Yes you did, you said it on record in the Global TV clip: “These games in and of themselves are bad”. Nice try, mister “not-a-journalist”.
> I have said there is a disconnect by Aarman and the other developers from real life and placing this murderous game in the real school setting is disturbing.
Global hasn’t been able to explain this supposed disconnect, so they simply called it “strange”. It isn’t strange. The developers simply created an article of entertainment featuring a place where they grew up and were fond of — in the exact same way that many fiction writers and game developers do.
Have you ever felt it “strange” that a horror or psycho thriller author turned out to be a perfectly upright, philanthropic citizen?
“The developers simply created an article of entertainment featuring a place where they grew up and were fond of — in the exact same way that many fiction writers and game developers do.”
This exactly. Almost *all* of Stephen King’s books are set in the Maine/New Hampshire area. Many, many people die or are hurt in them, some by ‘normal’ (as normal as a crazy or possessed person can be) means. King is an upstanding citizen.
Jeff – I would think the difference is (and I have not read a King novel in years so I could be wrong) that while his generic settings are real (Maine) the events are not entirely taking place in real life stores, shops, schools, showcasing their names, logos, layout, etc.
With the game / map in question, 100% of the violence takes place in an accurately mapped real high school in my community.
I have said that the developer of the map is a good guy who just did a stupid thing. Just as you said, King is an “upstanding citizen” but in the 80s with his drug and alcohol issues I understand he did stupid things. Sometimes it takes shining a light on these “stupid things” to have a positive outcome.
Y’know, Dave, I heard you on CBC radio today and have to say I was disturbed by how quickly you pointed out that the video, which has now been removed from YouTube, is available on your blog. Seriously, if you’re that ‘disgusted’ by this game, why give it any more publicity?
Jill – that’s a fair question.
There is a fine line between exposing the stupidity and promoting the stupidity. I choose to save and load the video on my site so people can truly understand what this game is and was becoming.
Merely describing the elements of the game would have less impact than seeing how the developers were glorifying the killings in the school.
Plus without the video, the developers may have said I and others were overstating or exaggerating. Having the video of the game available clearly shows the intent of the game makers.
I hope my comments in my piece show that I am not in favour of this game one little bit.
First of all, I’d like to thank you for villifying and demonizing this whole thing. Thank you, really. Furthermore, I’d like to thank you for providing the basis for a libel case. Your statements were poorly researched and claimed despite evidence to the contrary. Aarman is not the developer.
Does being a journalist automatically refute your right to opinions?
I’d also like to bring this to your attention, since you’re all up in arms about moral points anyway:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-19-replica-montreal-subway-map-for-counter-strike-go-attracts-ire-of-canadian-authorities
Note how there’s no moral shitfest here. Just quabbles over copyright. Remember the London subway bombings? Remember the Moscow Metro bombings? Remember the 2011 Minsk Metro bombing? Remember the subway bombing in India? Have we all forgotten about it and moved on to pissing ourselves over school shootings?
Feathers were expected to be rustled, but jesus christ everyone needs to calm their shit.
Developer – thanks for sharing your perspective.
As for libel, good luck with that. Everything I posted has been backed up, supported and even vetted by news organizations.
The community does not support this game and we are speaking out. I met with Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay this evening and this topic came up and he shared his comments with me that he made to Global TV in an interview airing tomorrow.
Being a journalist certainly does NOT refute his / her ability to have opinions. It also does not prevent me from disagreeing and by extension having you and others disagree with me.
By using the handle “The Developer” are you saying you are the developer of the game in question?
If you want actual information rather than opinions portrayed as facts check out this website:
http://www.pmssmap.tk/
I didn’t really expect anything less from such a poorly researched article like this that grovels for page views and from the fears and unfounded worries of people which you exploit and the reputations you purposely tarnish for your own self gain.
As Aarman has already mentioned, much of your article is deliberately misleading readers into believing that Aarman is some sort of miscreant and violent person, which is far from the truth. Aarman merely posted the video that he did not develop at all nor did he have the tools or the skills to do so. The only thing he’s guilty of being naive in believing that people wouldn’t want to blow this out of proportion just as you’re doing.
I want to also ask what’s the difference in a map being created of a secondary school when there are other violent media being used in a school setting. Two years ago, Resident Evil, a franchise known for its gore and violence was filmed at Simon Fraser University. Years ago, another violent film, Aliens vs Predators, was shot at Centennial Secondary School, a school near Port Moody. Another film, American Pie, known for its raunchy and sexual content, was filmed at the same school. Where was the outrage then? Where was the condemnation there? It’s hypocritical how people like you try to point fingers when other violent and inappropriate media have taken place at our schools without any sort of backlash at all.
This entire article disgusts me and shows how people like you sensationalize stories and attack others for your own little page views just as others have commented on this story.
My bad, it was Underworld Awakening, not Resident Evil. Still a violent film however and my point stands.
Passively watching a violent film and actively participating in violence in a video game are two very different things. PMSS is a very distinctive looking school, and as a graduate it is disturbing to see it portrayed in such a gruesome manner. Aarman Rahim is not a bad person, he is a foolish young man who was naive to believe that there wouldn’t be negative response to this type of game. Regardless of whether or not he developed the game himself he put his name on it, and is therefore naturally taking the brunt of the backlash.
PMSS Alum – you are right on the mark with your comments.
Interesting that three news outlets who interacted with Aarman all confirm that he was either a “co-developer” or “involved in the development” of the game. Check out Global, Tri-City News and CBC for confirmation.
The movies you describe in your post did not have the real names of the schools in the films nor profess to be the actual education facilities. That is where I draw the distinction.
Not sure where I sensationalized anything. The video game is gore for gore’s sake and is trying to make a buck off of recent school shootings. I highlighted that fact and so far most folks agree. For those of you who do not, oh well.
Once again, you have the phrase “making a buck” here. You’ve been told many times (though, clearly, listening is not your strong suit) that no profit is being made, nor (under the EULA) can it be made.
What the video looks like to me is a student who really loved his/her school faithfully reproducing it as an arena in which he and his friends can play a game. The toolset s/he uses was produced by Valve, and the map is a masterful piece of work, but not only is s/he not selling the map, s/he cannot legally do so under Valve’s EULA.
Beyond that, however, what precisely is your objection? That they modeled the school? What if they intended to use it with the Counterstrike Paintball Mod (http://halflife2.filefront.com/file/CS_Source_Paintball_Effects_Mod;43956), and the developer footage just used the stock weapons because they’re the most readily available to a tester?
Your knee-jerk reactionary diatribe waters the currency of “journalism”, and since this blog post and your subsequent interviews seem to be the direct cause of the furor about this map, I think it’s justifiable to blame you for wasting the time of a great many people and making the life of a dedicated developer more difficult.
Artful – Mods, maps and textures for CS can and are sold regularly.
Not sure how one’s love for his school translates into shooting it up and killing people as a homage. Assuming you are correct, that does not diminish the fact that the game play using our local high school as the back drop is disturbing.
Actually, I am being praised by teachers, student, parents and community members for bringing this issue to light.
Thanks for stopping by on my site to post your comment and contribute to the conversation.
“Artful – Mods, maps and textures for CS can and are sold regularly”
I’m looking at my CS screen right and and have spent the past 15mins looking. Havent seen a single mod or anything that costs a cent.
So… You are 100% on ALL your facts are you?
Pathetic.
I find it hilarious Dave that you are claim that you are trying to “[shine] light on issues I believe are important in my community and making change.” Hmm are you achieving that so far? By writing up a very poorly researched and misinformed article bashing on someone who did not even create the game? If you are going to call someone out so publically, at least have the proper facts before doing so. Do you even know Aarman? Were you sure of these facts before you posted them? Your attitude and portrayal of this issue and of Aarman is more disgusting than this video game itself.
Please do not delete comments of other people, censorship is for the weak.
I have not deleted any comments – even from folks like you who do not post your real name…yet post multiple times from the same IP address.
I stand by my post and while you feel my attitude is disgusting, I can assure you the game is far more disgusting.
When i see articles like this written it sadden’s me due to the fact you don’t include all the facts and tend to twist words to meet your personal agenda, Reading diane Stranberg’s Comments anyone with half a brain can tell she thinks the Video Itself is cool, nowhere does she say that the game is cool.
Video Games are not inherently evil and they do not cause people to go out and murder, misinformation is far more damaging than any Video game will ever be, it’s due to misinformation that kids feel they have reason to do harm to themselves and others.
the Fact when blogs are created like this they tend to take away from the real problems out there and they make imaginary problems happen where there are none, Here’s a fact for you “50% of all adults don’t want to understand the video game rating system that’s in place” and why is that? because they don’t want to take responsibility for their kids actions, how about we start putting blame where blame belongs in the laps of people who by all rights don’t deserve to be parents when they don’t want to be in the first place.
Chris – thanks for sharing your opinion as I did with mine.
For me there was a main issue – showcasing violence in a real setting and that setting being a local high school. That is where the outrage from Port Moody Secondary School teachers, local families, etc is based.
Shame on you Dave for pandering to people’s fears of school shootings just so you could get some unwarranted attention. Your rash actions and ignorant words have caused undue grief to Aarman, School District 43, the local police, and various media outlets, Not only that, you have also created hostile and negative emotions among Aarman’s friends and colleagues, as well as uninformed readers who are completely uninvolved in the matter.
I will be among the first to admit that Aarman posting his video online was a stupid idea, but you are far stupider for publishing this post and doing an interview about it without first talking to Aarman or considering the repercussions of your words. Diana may not have captured the whole story, but you have spawned malicious and blatant drivel, and that is the bigger crime in my eyes.
I hope you sincerely apologize for smearing mud all over people’s names, or yours will likely be dragged through some serious shit.
Austin – the only grief I have heard about is to Aarman for creating this game. My goal was not to create grief, rather create awareness. In fact I have heard from almost every other group you list and they were as shocked as I was in the content of this game.
Aarman did not respond to my request to chat until today. As I understand it he was even “unavailable” to speak voice-to-voice for media as well. That did not leave many options for the media other than to move on the information they had at hand.
I am thankful you agree that posting the video was stupid. To be clear, I fully appreciate and understand the impact of my words and actions – which is why I am careful with how I present myself in this another other “issues” I take on.
Please do proper research before publishing a piece with somebody’s name or personal information. This is reckless character defamation and it reflects very poorly on your blog/business.
I have personally known the former student and can vouch for him as an outstanding student leader and community citizen.
Any gamer could tell within seconds of watching the video that it is not demo footage of a new game. It is a custom map for Counter-Strike, a game that ranks in the leagues of Super Mario in fame and status among the gaming community. The game has been enjoyed by millions for nearly 13 years.
Modifications like this one are common, and tools and tutorials are widely available for gamers to create their own maps and levels. These mods are often freely shared for the enjoyment of others, not for profit.
Your misunderstanding shows that you were out of touch with the subject matter, being from another generation, yet you rushed to judgement. The right thing to do would be to post an updated statement, take down the name, and post an apology. Your post damages the future of a very bright young man who has so much potential.
Thanks for weighing in on this topic.
I understand the concept of mods, however this game was presented as that – a new game. While my terminology within the FPS community may not be spot on, I can say with a question of a doubt this game / mod is distasteful. That was and is the sticking point.
Unless there is an actual factual error in my post – which thus far no one has forwarded – the post remains as is.
Thanks for the support everyone! We have confirmation that this is not illegal from local law enforcement.
I’d like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart to everyone who made a sane, informed post. Truly you are the shining example of humanity in all intellectual pursuits. Thank you.
I’d also like to take the opportunity to call Dave out for probably glamorizing and profiteering from his accusatory and defaming actions here on his blog. Does he monetize his ads? Ask him!
Again, follow us up on pmssmap dot tk for more updates if you’re still interested in this whole thing after the sensationalism dies down.
Thanks everyone.
The Developer – I NEVER said this game was illegal in any manner. Poor judgement and taste are (thankfully) not always illegal.
As for “monetize [my] ads” – you will see there are zero ads on my site. I make no money from folks who visit my site – except from those who hire me to consult, give expert testimony, hire me to speak, etc. That steady work has been satisfying and profitable.
What a disgustingly misinformed and ignorant article. With all due respect sir, it calls me to either challenge your intelligence, or your dignity/shame. Because either you just don’t understand what’s happening, or you do and you’re hurting someone’s reputation and profiting off the views at the same time.
I would hope a well informed internet community gets wind of this and discredits your website.
I would hope you are open to talking about how wrong you are and not spreading lies to your audience
Sina – I fully understand what is happening and have backed up everything I have written.
I understand you do not like what I have written, however that does not make my piece wrong.
Not sure how I am profiting off of showcasing a video game (which I do not own nor have a financial claim) which was poorly conceived and distasteful.
Would you care to back up this statement?
Dave -
“posts on online forums (which have now been removed) had Aarman promise that students and teachers would be featured and could be “hero, enemy or collateral damage”
“Unless there is an actual factual error in my post – which thus far no one has forwarded – the post remains as is”
Well Dave, haven’t you read?: Aarman: “This never happened and these quotes are entirely false. If you had taken the time to contact me, I would have provided you with accurate facts and you wouldn’t have had to sit over your keyboard constructing what you wanted to hear.”
Secondly, I have seen the original video and the Facebook posts and not even once have i heard Aarman would “profit from it”. So please, stop exaggerating and fabricating lies. I heard you out-rightly say that Aarman Rahim is the one who for sure created the map on Glabal BC with out any proof or solid evidence. Congratulations for demonizing and targeting one individual, probably ruining their future. Please take more due care when spouting opinions as facts, especially on air in front of millions of people as you have done.
MLee – I took great care to ensure everything I said was confirmed and news outlets took great care to vet my findings.
The fact that I continue to receive emails from folks confirming the details in my post is encouraging. In addition people who call my post “lies” have yet to disprove a single point.
The fact remains, this game is in poor taste. Period.
Clearly you don’t.
I was going to post a list of your lies but someone beat me to it. What you call distasteful I call kinda cool to see MY school, which my little brother attends, featured in a pre-existing game.
Also it was a freely distributed map. There is no profiteering on his part
Sina – no “lies” were reported, just differences of opinions.
You think it is cool to see murders at the school your little brother attends, I think it is distasteful.
You keep saying you know what you’re talking about, but its obvious you don’t. For one, you keep saying that he was the “developer.” That is the wrong term. Developers write code. A Game developer, writes code that makes a game. The game pictured above is Counter-Strike GO, a new installment to a game that was developed over 15 years ago by a company named Sierra. The content in this game, has been around for years.
Who you are talking about, is the “map maker.” All this person did, was create a map. Yes, the map he created has terrorists and counter-terrorists shooting each other in a school. What’s ironic about this statement though, is he actually made the map in what is called “the source engine.” I’m sure you know nothing about this, so let me explain what this means. Because it was made in the source engine, this map (NOT game), can be used in a variety of different GAMES (this is the correct use of the word game). It just so happens that counter-strike, a mature game for adults, uses the source engine. Equally, this map could be used in a GAME called Team Fortress 2, which you wouldn’t blink twice about if it was originally intended for TF2, and not CS.
To conclude, just from the blatant misinterpretation between the actual terms game and developer, it automatically lets everyone know you don’t know what you’re talking about. Ironically, people have kept trying to tell you this, and you still say this kid made a game! Stop making yourself look like an idiot.
Kris – Aarman has identified himself as the developer online, to media and to the Port Moody Police:
http://www.dave.ca/2013/03/22/statement-from-port-moody-police-on-violent-port-moody-high-school-video-game/
I am merely using the moniker he started but I understand he is more of the map / texture creator.
Thanks for your advice on the use of proper terms. That still does not change the issue which is germane to this discussion – the map of the school and the game play within is disgusting.
Alright, lets get down to business. I don`t care much for a reply Dave. You are about as dumb as it gets when it comes to gaming. I`m here to rip this article you`ve written to shreds and with no remorse.
Your lack of intelligence with gamers, gaming or anything of the sort is laughable. You know absolutely nothing and since this is a time where people are all sensitive about school shootings, thanks to the Newtown or whatever town it was mass school shooting, you are now trying to cash in on it and it has been a very poor attempt at it.
1. You say: But video games where realistic depictions of human suffering takes place? Nope. Not for me.
This is a sign that you know nothing beyond what your eyes see. Without full detail as to what is going on in the head of who is playing, you know nothing at all.
Counter-Strike is about Terrorists vs Counter-Terrorists, To save the hostages, defuse the bomb or to eliminate the enemy. Goes for both sides except hostages. This game is FAR from anything realistic. The hit-boxes to get with a virtual bullet are actually quite inaccurate. Same with the amount of recoil but for gamers like me, we don`t care. Why? because we have fun. Also, you claim you have shot down many of those Space Invaders? so just like us, you too admitted to killing some form of life, with a lame defense saying “They were invading Earth.“
2. You do not pay much attention to FPS yet you pay attention to combat sports. Mixed Marshal Arts is nothing but 2 guys or girls in a cage beating the shit out of each other which causes serious injury. AND ITS REAL. Compared to watching a Counter-Strike 1,6 World tournament where Teams face off without laying a hand on one another and in the end, they shake hands or bow or in some cases hold up one anothers hands for an amazing round. MMA is a tool of bullying one another. UNLESS you have a very good teacher that can tell you that the best fighting a man or woman can do is to not fight at all. As for Murder in a game? I dont see me picking up an M-16 and blasting the face of my best friend off.
3. Aarman is not a developer. He is a Modifier. Half Life – Counter-Strike is the actual game that was DEVELOPED by Valve in June 1999. Later on Xbox in November 2003. and so on. Developers Sequence is just a point of view from something he made, with a Developers kit. Which anyone has access to if you own counter-strike and have a steam account. If I wanted to I could make a map of my town and put it up as a map. I just lack the patience to do so.
4.Its not an upcoming video game you ignorant fool. The game has been out since 1999. The fact that he can take the time and use the tools that have grown with such a game to make an amazingly accurate is quite awesome, actually.
5. Again, the game has been developed by Valve in 1999. He is not in anyway glorifying or glamorizing it and making profit from it. Its a free map, Anyone who plays counter-strike can get it for free. I actually cant wait to play on it.
6. Students and Teachers will be hostages. Not the Counter-Terrorists or Terrorists. Yes, there will be blood, broken glass and VIRTUAL death in a VIRTUAL world.
7. No I dont think the media should slam this game as violent and disturbing, insensitive and so on. They should be doing that to REAL violence. Like MMA, Boxing, and Fishing shows.
8. The graphics of CS are nothing, now a days. Compared to Modern Military Shooters such as Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops II and so on.
9. The stupidity of his game? Do you realize how stupid your “Opinionated Article“ is? Standberg is about the same as you. COMPLETELY IGNORANT!
10. This IS a fun and harmless game. The game of Counter-Strike can teach a person a lot about how to work together to accomplish goals. To coordinate tactics to finish a job, in this case Blow up a location in a virtual world, rescue hostages in a virtual world. or eliminate a threat in a virtual world.
In the end. You, Dave are a complete and utter disgrace to any blogger that reports on gaming. You have absolutely NO idea of anything in the gaming world aside from your casual Pinball and Guitar Hero which you probably never play.
You should do proper research, go fact hunting and try to make a proper and valid point that is NOT based on blind ignorance.
I`ve been gaming since I was a baby and if you want to blame anything for school shootings, go to the real source. THE SINGLE PERSON or THE PARENTS.
You and large media need to stop looking to point the finger at reasons that are false.
If you value yourself as a writer or blogger or whatever you wish to call yourself, do so in a manner where you have proof and you can back it up with sources and without twisting the subject.
-Ivor, The Boneless.
Ivor thanks for sharing your point of view.
I am not sure how my dislike for FPS games is an affront to you. Just my preference. I do not have to be a fan of these games to say what I am seeing is distasteful.
Regarding MMA, there have been more deaths in cheerleading in the past year than in the history of sanctioned MMA. Also, there are more serious injuries in hockey, soccer or football than MMA. Search my site for links to journals backing this up.
In his Youtube description and comments Aarman described himself as the game developer. In correspondence with reporters he has said he is a co-developer or provided support.
Again, in the video Aarman uploaded he claimed it was a game in development. Not my words, his.
Thank-you for confirming students and teachers would / could be added to the game.
If you are so passionate about banning / curbing combat sports, I encourage you to engage the media. Your opinion is valid…as is mine on this distasteful game.
I am not a blogger who reports on gaming, I from time-to-time blog on issues that impact my community. I am not blaming this game for any real life violence. Not sure where you got that. I am merely saying the game lacks empathy and is distasteful.
Thankfully I have been able to back up everything I have written and said on this matter PLUS had multiple news outlets vet. This is simple when I have information and truth at hand.
Without research (Which I have done, even you can do it! Use google, if you are lost) Your really bad article is and will always be false.
Again the facts are correct – you merely do not like my opinion.
Where is your proof? Im still waiting. Sources? you have none. Merely just made up.
I would love to discuss this further with you if you are open to being educated about what is REALLY being going on. Because I doubt you know. I actually know him, the game, the conversations going on about this right now, and the school, and I don’t think you do. If you do not update your story with facts it may have to be released to videogame websites and other websites that contain videogame enthusiasts, and I cannot guarantee the internet will behave themselves
Sina – I am always open to discussing this and would be happy to discuss the facts and our mutual opinions.
BTW – I will not be changing my piece unless I have the facts wrong, regardless of the Internet behaving themselves or not.
Just because you disagree with what I have written does not make it wrong. Feel free to contact me via email – dave@dave.ca – if you wish.
your insistence on you being right is definitely admirable, unfortunately.
I will for sure be emailing you as soon as I find time on my vacation.
Sina – you would not be the first to point out I have a need to be right! Thankfully my need is backed with substance.
Enjoy your vacation and I look forward to your email.
My God, have we become a nation of pussies or what. Waaaa teh video game shows a school…
If you whiny bitches spent half the time you do whining about what is essentially a non issue and spent it on something important the world would be a better place. But instead, you’d rather waste time on attacking a person who has probably accomplished more in his life than your couch potato ass could ever dream.
Get a life folk and furthermore lets learn to be rational.
An opinion is laughable when supported by falsifications and fabrications. Get your facts straight before you post something. For the sake of your own credibility and that of the people you are trying to defame. The fact is, written defamation like this based on falsifications of details is a law suit waiting to happen.
I’ll enjoy watching your reputation and credibility destroyed as a result of this garbage.
Thankfully, I have the facts on my side and do not have to worry about a lawsuit. Whew!
Dave. “The Developer” that you saw in the comments actually made the map. Aaman just supplied him the resources to do so. Like the links where to download the texture packs, and files.
The Developer probably went to the school himself. Aarman put it on his YouTube to advertise for him about the map like a lot of other people do. He just helped out on a project. He didn’t make the map himself. He just helped another person make the map so that after the map is done. Aarman could play on it. He helped because he loved that school and the teachers there. It was a good changing point in his life. He did not mean any ill harm. You should get ahold of “The Developer” as he advertised the map in your comments. So it’s also plainly obvious that he’s the one behind it. Not Aarman. Like I said he just helped out because he really liked the school and the people there = )
Take care!
Kaze – that cold certainly be the case but you would also need to add to this promoting the game as he did on Youtube, his Facebook Page and other online forums.
I did pose the question in the comments on this page to “The Developer” if he was indeed the “developer” of the game – no reply yet.
Aarman posted on his Facebook that the developer hasn’t been made public, but he took no part in “making” the map. Honestly he shouldn’t have had all this done to him. It’s a big misunderstanding.
Once the maker of the map announces himself too all. I’m sure everything will settle down = )
You and Aarman should just have a nice talk with each other.
he’s going for interviews tomorrow to talk about you and what. I really suggest you have a nice conversation with him and I’m sure this all could be handled a lot better. Right now you have a ton of people raging at you and everything is going out of whack.
I also suggest going to the websites that “The Developer” posted and try to get a hold of him as well. If you try to talk to them and hear their side of the story, and listen to them. I’m sure everyone will apologize to you for at least trying to communicate with them =D
Also after a bit of looking around, the map was being made before the school shootings even started happening =O
Also according to Aarmans Facebook, He graduated from Port Moody in 2010.
So it’s impossible for him to have any involvement with “Counter Strike: Source” As he would have been in Middle School at the time.
But yes, he did help with the project cause he loved that school ^__^
I’m sure a lot of people would like to have the places that really helped out their lives be put into a video game and be memorable to a lot of people.
Video games don’t create evil people. The parents or the people that bully the people with mental issues become evil people.
Anyways take care and hope you have a wonderful day!
Waiting for your reply = )
Kaze – thanks for your note!
Aarman seems to continue to change the level of his involvement however the fact remains he was involved. From his own Facebook page: “I merely supplied resources for this digital architecture project.”
Aarman and I had an exchange via FB Messenger last evening and I gave him my email and phone number. As I said to him, I do not think he is a bad person rather he and the others on this project used bad judgement.
I also reached out to “The Developer” and have not heard back. I have also received email from folks saying Aarman and The Developer are the same person.
You write “he did help with the project cause he loved that school” – this is were I feel there is a disconnect – showing love for his former school with murders and destroying the school. I don’t get that.
I agree that video games do not create evil people. I am not even calling for this game to be banned. I am just informing folks that such a disgusting game / map / texture exists. Trust me, MANY people had no idea about Counterstrike so this issue is bringing interesting debate to the forefront.
All the best.
Thanks for the reply dave ^__^
The reason why I said that. Is because Counter Strike is probably one of his favorite games. If you really think about it. You’re immersing yourself in that area, having fun with your friends and what not. Sure it has killing / murder. But in the eyes of a gamer. That isn’t a big deal at all.
It’s just a game ^^
Anyways I hope the best for you and I hope no more raging happens.
So, here is something that bothers me..
The only reason you claim you have facts, is because your opinion was stated on air.
…Ain’t nobody got time for that! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udS-OcNtSWo)
You are taking your opinion and attempting to turn it into fact. I’m going to be honest with you, that is a stunt I’d expect out of FOX News. I have been reading your blogs for a while, and I honestly do have to say that this is discouraging, and I don’t like the turn you have taken with this article.
As previously stated, Developer Sequence is the view that the developer sees their creations from. Whether they are developing a game, a map, a modification including reskinning of weapons/objects/etc. If he (Aarman Rahim) did say he developed the map, that would not be incorrect. However It is public knowledge that Valve Corporation developed Counter-Strike (hereby CS). CS was developed in 1999. The video you provide is not doing you any justice, the video claims that Aarman Rahim developed CS. I quote from your video.
(“Strangely it’s being developed by a former student of the school.” Which John Daly proclaims that the school “is playing a feature role in a NEW computer game, now under development”….. “the alleged game developer Aarman Rahim…”)
Anywho, in my research, I can only find one video on youtube similar to the one you provided to them (the school layout/developer demo), and nowhere did he (Aarman Rahim) claim to be the developer of the game. I do see that the script and text given to the anchor and narrator were both very wrong.,. What you might want to do Dave is to go back and find out where the misinformation came from, and if you want to do a piece with journalism, do the right thing, and find out where things went wrong. (Who came up with the script?)
Also, you have no valid proof that Aarman Rahim claimed he was the developer of the game. You can screenshot Diane’s post on youtube, but you fail to upload a photo of the description of the video (where he allegedy stated “…video game I am developing…”)
You have the courage to come forth with an article, so quick to throw Mr. Rahim under the bus. So, have the courage to admit you were wrong. By now, (hopefully) understand by reading through the comments previously submitted to you, that some of the information that you are giving out, is incorrect. After watching the video and reading your article, I see that you have your so called ‘facts’
and I quote:
Dave March 22, 2013 at 1:46 am:
“…I have been able to back up everything I have written and said on this matter PLUS had multiple news outlets vet…”
Yet, you have ‘facts’ that he (Aarman) is the creator of this game?
Dave March 22, 2013 at 12:08 am #
“Austin – the only grief I have heard about is to Aarman for creating this game.”
After doing my own research (simple and complex). I cannot find Aarman claiming to say he developed the game, as you claim he does.
Then you change your mind and say:
“I (and others) assumed you were the developer….and emails from people who know you also claim you “helped developed” or “supported the development” of this game.”
Meanwhile, Dave, you should check your ‘sources’ by going to credible sources, such as Valve Corporation (the company that actually developed CS) and asking them if Aarman was ever employed or worked with them. Otherwise you are implying that Aarman works for Valve, which could potentially be a lie..
Let me know what you think Dave. Don’t dance around my comment with “I have facts, look at the video.” I want the facts, or a correction on your page.
If you have any proof or evidence, I will gladly retract every word I’ve stated if you email me a photo of him claiming to be the developer of the game. (email is attached to the comment)
-Richard Dal Monte, if you take the time to read this, I would like to know where it was sourced that Aarman Rahim is the game developer for your article you pasted into the comment earlier.
Whoever typed up the script or did the research for it needs to be more careful. This story should be yanked/correct, and an apology stated with corrections made to the article, I would suggest you modify your text to say that he is the modifcation (mod) developer, or map creator (whichever applies).
Oh, and as for Aarman and the Amnesty International, drop it. CS comes under scrutiny after every school shooting, but then again, the game is fake, the people in it are fake, and there is no suffering. Aarman is making a map for a video game in his spare time.
That’s like questioning a Coke delivery driver for drinking a Pepsi..
TBar – again, at least three news outlets have contacted the person in question and he has not denied being involved with this project. In fact, just the opposite. He is either the developer, co-developer or involved with this Port Moody High school game – depending and when and who he is speaking to.
Aarman’s Amnesty International connections are one of the disturbing pieces to this story.
Here is what one of Aarman’s former teachers wrote on his Facebook page which is spot on:
“Dear Aarman, I will keep this short. I am glad to here that you were not the developer but I need you to understand that as your former teacher, I am disturbed by the content in the game. I ask that you should reflect upon what has happened. Stop focusing on how the media has wronged you and try to see why this may have been a bad or poor decision. I hope that you understand that by using our school, work place it has made me very sad, upset, perplexed as to why you would have had anything at all to do with this. We all make mistakes and hopefully we can all learn from this.”
Again Dave, I’m not doubting he’s the developer of the modification or creator of the map. What I am arguing is that he is not the developer of the game, that is where my problem lays.
You have all this ‘proof’ that he (Aarmand) is developing the game of Counter-Strike, but that is false, because Valve Corporation developed Counter-Strike, in 1999…
What I have a feeling your intent in this article is that he is developing a map that is strikingly, or in your case disconcertingly similar to the actual layout of PMSS..
Read my post next time you decide to respond as if I am in the negative, I took the time to carefully read your blog, watch the video, read it again, and to look up facts before I posted a comment.
At least take the time to actually read through mine. You would have gotten the point I was trying to make the first time.
TBar – I agree with you, that Aarman and his team are not the developers of CS but I am glad we agree he is the developer of the map / texture / mod in question.
Thank you. I see, and I don’t doubt your concerns because this is a local school for you.
Out of curiousity, would your concerns be at ease, if the map name was changed to the name “School” and the school name was removed from in-game, labeling it as a generic school?
Yes, the look and layout of the school might remain the same, but on the tactical perspective, this map/school appears to have the perfect fundamental layout, (large open spaces, combined with hallways, rooms, and obstacles.)
I can understand that the school remaining named PMSS would definitely make you feel uncomfortable, which is why I am led to ask you the question above.
Which brings me to my last question, have you tried looking at the game in a sense that it is building teamwork by having a special forces group going in to eliminate terrorist forces who may be using the school as a base of operations? To secure the school is one team’s goal, not focusing on the bloodshed.
Believe me when I say that I understand your concerns about bloodshed in public places, but many other games out there, have them (libraries, train stations, airports, parks, schools, etc.) Is this the one you have concerns with because it is local?
“glad to here”
A teacher would use the correct ‘hear’. Therefore there is no way that’s one of his former teachers. If he (Aarman) has verified that the account belongs to said teacher, which I don’t know, then the only possibility is that the account got hacked. Teachers are actually something called ‘intelligent’. They know the difference between ‘here’ and ‘hear’.
Jeff – news outlets spoke with that teacher plus another teacher (he is shown in the CBC video). I too thought it was odd the teacher mixed up “hear” and “here” but that error did not change the sentiment of his message.
How can you post something like this without doing any research what so ever. If you had took 5 minutes out of your time to try to figure out what this was you would have learned that this is a MAP made for a game made by industry giant Valve. He is not video game producer he simply made a layout and put skins over walls that’s it.
There will be no teachers, no children nothing like that your blatant disregard for the truth shows that you are simple a sensationalist blogger and nothing you say can be trusted.
This strikes me as a social experiment, a very effective one for that matter, considering all the attention it’s getting.
Cami – that is an interesting theory, however I know that was not my intent nor do I believe is / was the goal of the game developers.
David, mate this is an egregious error on your part. 5 minutes of google and or wikipedia would’ve shown you what counter strike is.You say you aren’t a journalist and these are just your opinions but unfortunately as a blogger you are a part of journalism and the same ethics and standards do apply to you. whether intentionally or not you misled your readers with speculation and false reporting. Not only that but you have tarnished the reputation of a young man who’s life may be irreparably damaged due do this article and the report on global news. The least you can do is update your blog and apologize or write a letter to him apologizing. Whether or not you intended to, as a result of this blog and your appearance on the news report you profited from not only tarnishing a man’s reputation but you also profited from mass shootings and the fear that such tragedies create. Now my second criticism to you and your readers is that for some reason you can’t be bothered researching the dozens of psychological studies that demonstrate addiction to violent video games is a SYMPTOM of already pre-existing psychological issues. Instead of bashing not only a decade old video game but gaming culture in general, why not use your blog to raise awareness for mental health issues amongst young people? How is Aarman’s connection to amnesty international alarming? all that shows is that he is someone who is passionate about human rights who also enjoys playing videogames? so much so that he decided to create a map for a game he clearly adores? If you would like to discuss this further feel free to send me an email
Daniel – my goal was to shed light on this game / map which featured our local high school.
You will note in the Global piece Counterstrike, map, mod, etc were all mentioned. The original term “game” came from the original Youtube post so I was mirroring that language.
Aarman has admitted he was involved with the production of the map / texture. Confirmed on his Facebook and through his conversations with reporters and the local police.
I am certainly learning many of the nuances of the gaming world but all of this does not change the fact that the violent play as depicted in the video is IMO disgusting. That is my main point.
BTW – I appreciate your taking the time to post.
Dave I know what you’re intentions are and no matter how good they are, i feel like you neglected their overall consequences. From what I inferred from your article you fall into the same trap as many other journalists and well meaning parents which is blaming the symptom rather than shedding light on the cause for such violent behavior and people who are easily misled over react while the real cause is often left ignored and as consequence peoples’ livelihoods and reputations can be irreparably damaged. I urge you and your readers to please take an hour out of your lives and research gaming culture, the research conducted into mass violence and to understand that Aarman is not a monster, he is someone who has a passion. You and your readers might think that violent video games are disgusting and that is your right to have those opinions and to voice them but please don’t print speculation as facts. Not only is that unfair to gaming as a medium and a culture but it also tarnishes your reputation as a journalist.
Daniel – I am learning more about the gaming culture and am actually gaining a deeper appreciation. That said, I am not moved from my position that the game let in the local high school is disgusting.
Also what facts am I speculating on? The biggest one appears to be Aarman is not the developer. Last night Aarman posts he has been asked to come into the Port Moody Police to discuss this game. The PoMo Police put up on their website:
http://portmoodypolice.ca/index.php
I have said from the outset that developer Aarman appears to be a good guy who made a stupid game / texture / map. The conclusion of the Police mirrors my conclusion.
“These games [First-person shooters] are just bad.”
That is such a broad statement backed up by nothing whatsoever. Our Dave here is looking for clicks, he’s not a journalist. He’s kinda like a paparazzi, in blog form. With Dave here it’s basically the more sensational and outlandish, the better.
Heya Dave,
Just wondering, have you looked up any other videos depicting CS, CS:S, CS:GO actually looks like when it is played? I can assure you, the people do not role-play as if this is an actual real life situation. The only reason I can say this location was chosen is because of the floor layout. If this map had the same layout but was textured to look like an abandoned warehouse, would you be as vehemently opposed?
Also, just to clarify a game aspect for the CS_ (hostage rescue) game mode:
Thank-you for confirming students and teachers would / could be added to the game.
Yes, anything can be added, they could be T-Rexes, clowns, Osama bin ladens. The map can be viewed in any light really, just by saying that students/ teachers can be added does not mean that they are the who the players are trying to kill, in fact there are penalties in-game if you kill the hostages, in most cases it involves killing the person who killed the hostage, or taking all the money they have so they can’t buy a weapon the next round. Hostages in Counterstrike are a NPC Map objective, think of it like capture the flag, where the terrorists have to protect the hostages from getting taken by the counter-terrorists. There are normally only 4 hostages.
CLick – if it was merely the “floor layout” why include the colour scheme, school logos, banners, etc?
This was an ill conceived game / map / texture.
I am not well versed in CS (put wow, am I learning!) so while I do not understand the nuances of the game I have a good handle on the theme – rescue hostages while killing as many “enemies” as possible…and in this case in our local high school.
My opinion – a waste of time and distasteful. If other like it, then enjoy, but that will not stop myself and others from expressing an opinion and shedding light on this game / map / texture.
Probably he kept the textures because he had gone to the school and that shows school pride. As someone who hasn’t I might have tried to find some way to keep the colorful lockers if I was recreating the location from photographs, since that adds flavor and life to the map. It’s the little things that make a location memorable and personal to the creator. The creator obviously wanted to recreate the school building. It is similar to people who recreate their houses, neighborhoods, or landmarks in the game. That’s like saying, why did Modern Warfare 3 recreate the NY stock Exchange offices, or why bother going to famous locations in action movies when a warehouse or cliff-face could have sufficed.
If the school was recreated in the Sims, would it still be in bad taste?
Click – I am not sure how one shows school pride by skinning a game to shoot up that school.
I appreciate your comments about real movie locations. My sensibilities check stretched when it is a specific school in my community (name, layout, logos, etc) and used for the sole purpose of housing a FPS game.
If the school were used for SIMS were the object does not include murdering people, yes, I am pretty sure that would not bother me.
Again, this post expresses my opinion based on the facts at hand.
Thanks for adding to the conversation.
It is just a building. While I understand that there is a sort of fear factor given the recent school shootings. I can agree that many see it as something that is in bad taste to make it a map for a FPS game given how recent the last one was. This is completely different from say, recreating or imagining an actual school shooting in a game. In this case, you have 2 teams who go at it with no civilian NPCs at risk, in the latter, you only have 1 armed player vs. unarmed NPCs for the sake of reckless violence.
I feel the incident has been largely blown out of proportion, having a school be a setting is nothing new to video games, there are several Horror, FPS, Adventure, Platform games that use the backdrop of a school for a setting. There are no children, no civilians in any case. I mean, “Shooting up the school” in this case would be no different than shooting up other famous landmarks or imagined landmarks in other games that don’t have civilians, at the end of the day, this is just a building rendered in a game that happens to involve a Red vs Blue team match. While I can’t speak for the creator or his intentions, some people do put things meaningful to them into games to make it “art” (I don’t really want to get into a video games as art debate). I find it somewhat silly that people are taking a more critical stance with this, when in Modern Warfare 2 you actually get to shoot up an airport, civilians and all.
It is just a setting, a backdrop, any other meanings that you impose on it are your own, not the creators. I would hope you would be as outraged if it was a school in North Korea, Iran, or on Mars, else you are only concerned for the wrong reasons.
Click – again we both have similar but different opinions on where the disgust factor kicks in.
I tend to focus more on my community – yes that is a fact. I believe in “thinking global and acting local” which I again did with bringing this game to light.
Actually, Dave, I’m not really disgusted at all. The entire FPS genre is a little more than virtual paintball in itself and at the end of the day, both sides are friends. The idea of a game solely based around shooting up schools, yes that is horrifying, but in this case, you are more likely to see both terrorist and counter-terrorists band together, to make a stairway to heaven somewhere on the map. Things right now are just being taken way to far out of context by people who have not experienced the game for themselves. Who if they would just experience the community would understand that there is really no ill everyone is there to have fun, be in at a school for one map, or raiding an office building the second. People are going off on things such as Murder-simulators and School shooting simulators while they are failing to consider the people who make and play these games. While you may be disgusted by the scenery, that is all it is, there is no story, no plot, it is just a bunch of friendly people playing a game.
Click – you are correct that I was disgusted with what I saw. This is why I wrote about the piece and now the High School, School Board, Police and others are looking into this in more detail. My goal was to bring light to this disgusting game / map and create conversation.
Dave it was the implication your article had about gaming culture and it’s role in real world violence. You speculated that Aarman’s intention was to profit from human suffering which is simply not true. He would receive no profit from his map if it was released as the vast majority of CS mods are free through steam. Now I’m speculating here but I can guess that his intention was to practice coding so he can go into game/website design or he simply did it because he felt like making a map as a sort of project to do in his free time. Maybe it’s because the United States has more frequent school shootings than anywhere else in the world but in my country i have known dozens of people who have modded FPS games and created maps that are created to be exact replica’s of their home towns, schools, university’s, hospitals etc and no one pays attention because well, to my knowledge we haven’t had any school shootings here. I also thought i might bring it to your attention that the reason counter strike is possibly one of the most punishing games in existence, try watching the tournaments on youtube. Teams literally train for months if not years it is very interesting. Also the focus of the game is not the violence but the team work, strategy and carrying out precision tactics. Just give it a go. Who knows you might appreciate the game a little more
Daniel – if I implied that then let me be clear…I do not believe FPS games create the evil and real world violence that we see.
I did suggest that Aarman could profit from the game / map / texture and you confirm that is a possibility, therefore I did indeed speculate on this possibility. In addition, emails from folks state that this map was going to be for sale.
I have seen a few videos over the last few days and have gained a deeper appreciation for the team work, game play etc, but this has not diminished my dislike for the Port Moody Secondary School setting.
Thanks for your insightful comments.
Disgusted by this self-righteous ignorant slandering. I respect your right to express your opinion, but you must know that no one except an uncritical chimp will take you seriously with this level of unprofessionalism. I’ve read the comments and your inecessant defence that you’re “not a journalist”. Sure, then stop pretending to be one without any of the skills it takes to be an actual journalist and people will stop hounding you.
So next time you go and write an inflammatory opinion piece, remember that if you don’t bother to research and cite your claims, people will view you as a charlatan, blow your shitty article up on reddit, and then you will be flamed and de-meritted, and then will have to answer to a bunch of angry ‘internet people’.
Alex – not a single word in my post is slanderous.
In addition to your suggested “uncritical chimp”, a number of teachers, a dozen news outlets, parent groups, students, community groups, etc. have taken my comments seriously.
I am not being hounded at all! Why would you think that? Having discussions is not hounding or being flamed.
All the best Alex.
Seriously Dave, people like you are the problem with this world. You go out of your way to slam this game with facts that you thought of last night just to get a rise out of people. People like you who blame video game/movie violence are completely blinded by the fact that its their terrible parenting/bullying that turn most kids into depressed murderous creatures. I’ve been playing first person shooters since I was 8, and I never once thought about repeating anything I saw or did in a game because I know the difference between fantasy and reality mainly due to proper parenting. So in the end Dave, keep journalism to the people who know actually how to study and report a story, and stop posting random facts just to get page hits.
Dave, while I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I, and many others, firmly believe you misinterpreted the use of the school while spreading incorrect information. Rahim was simply using the school as a map, the same way I use my own house as a map in The Sims. Even if Rahim did use faculty as people in the map, what of it? Unless he has a violent history, or created this with malicious intent, I don’t believe he poses a threat to anyone. Judging from your “report” even the police agree. You and some others have blown this entire situation out of proportion with your “report” not contributing to anything at all. What I’m trying to say Dave is that none of this is your business anyway, so why do this to Rahim?
Brandon – what Aarman Rahim and his team created was then used by them to create a video which was disturbing.
I NEVER said Aarman or anyone attached to his project posed any real life danger. In fact the Port Moody Police assessment and mine are near identical.
Things that occur in my community are indeed my business. If everyone merely played passive bystanders, this would be a far worse off world. My bringing attention to this form of entertainment has sparked some interesting conversation. Thanks for your contribution.
“to create a video which was disturbing.” To whom? You? So that gives you enough ground to “report” and give one way opinions to news sources (whom are reliant to you, according to you) about something you misinterpreted and don’t fully understand?
“the Port Moody Police assessment and mine are near identical.” Where’s your assessment? If you mean the police statement you copied and pasted from their site, then ace job. You kept stating what he did was extremely disgusting and offensive. Again, merely your opinion.
Concerning your last paragraph, what you consider your “business” is with “your” community is entirely up to you. But as I stated before, you’re missing the big picture. No harm has been done to anyone. Just because something is distasteful or offensive to you about something you obviously didn’t understand, does not warrant you to present misinformation to news sources.
You’re probably going to come back and say “what misinformation” or “every thing in my piece is factual”. Wrong again Dave. Just because you say you “saw” things he “may” have posted on forums/youtube about other modifications or details are taken as a grain of salt. You barely have any proof. Aarmin has done nothing wrong. You saw something that was offensive to you, wrote about a subject you know nothing about, and threw a random person under the bus just because you didn’t like what he helped to create. I don’t like ranting or arguing Dave, but this is ridiculous. Why don’t you understand?
Brandon – yes, I found the video and the game within disturbing. I posted my thoughts here, shared on social media which generated interest from the public and mainstream media.
I said that the video or the game / map will ill advised and in poor taste but should not be banned. The Police said the video was ill-conceived and not illegal. Quite similar conclusions.
I did not present misinformation to news sources. I wish I had that sort of Jedi mind trick power to influence others with my mere words. Regrettably, I have to use facts which THEY then insist upon checking AND double checking. Sigh.
Thankfully reporters and others also saw the lines I reported in my piece. Seems my error was not copying everything before Aarman erased it. My bad.
Thanks for your continued posts and contribution to the conversation.
“I did not present misinformation to news sources” but you did! I watched the story and read your article! You stated that his goal was to “glamorize and profit” from the map, when he and apparently the other developers on the map said otherwise. You also said in the news story about the posts he “apparently” made on youtube/forums which he “apparently” removed. Again you gave NO proof, so it is NOT valid as a piece of information. I have yet to see or hear from another credible news source about those posts. You have yet to answer my question about how you refuse to see the other side of this situation.
First off I will state I do appreciate your presence in the Tri-Cities and am well aware of the good things you are responsible for. But this just seems ridiculous.
Mass shootings happen in all kinds of places. Office buildings, shopping malls, schools, bars (All of which already have existing maps in CS). If you are going to pick on one half-assed custom map in a game that has existed for over a decade, you better add a few more titles to your list, and write a few more posts.
In regards to Brandon’s comment and your response I understand your concern within your community, but you admitted you are very uneducated in the gaming world. Why jump in front of a camera and pretend to know what you are talking about?
Why not tell Global News you might not be the best party to comment on the issue, but that you did want to raise concern?
Also wondering why the CBC or anyone else chose only to ask grey-haired pedestrians in downtown PoCo and not the students of the school itself and ask them what they think? (Gamers or not)
Also (somewhat related), what is your opinion of violent games taking place in real-world locations? Like Mass Effect 3 which starts in a future Vancouver that has been annihilated and destroyed, or Deadlight which takes place in Seattle with the main character hailing from Hope BC (that character hunts and kills zombies and humans).
Matt – thanks for your kind comments.
I do not have to know the intricate details of the game to know that the imagery and/or location is disturbing to me.
Global and other news outlets know of my social media, consulting and online commentary background – plus I wrote this piece – so I was the right person for these interviews. If this was an interview on the technical merits of the game, how does CS differ from Halo, etc. then I would have passed.
I do agree with you that the CBC interviewer did not really have a good cross section of folks to interview in that piece. However, she spoke with a 20 year teacher from Port Moody Secondary School who pretty much backed up the concerns I expressed.
The games you describe have a sci-fi feel (future apocalyptic world, zombies) as opposed to the game / map in question which was seemingly set in present time with a realistic layout of a local high school. The former would not bother me but the latter certainly does.
Dave,
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, although I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that the manner in which you’ve presented the material seems to suggest that it is all fact. Only upon reading the comments is it made clear that you are merely “sharing concern” rather than acting as a journalist. This may be common knowledge to your regular readers, if such people exist, but I suspect you are experiencing a much higher volume of traffic for this post and it wouldn’t hurt make it a little clearer to protect yourself from those of us who came here expecting actual journalism.
That said, throughout the comments it has been stated by many, including Aarman himself, that several of your claims are, at best, misguided. This includes, but is not limited to:
-That Aarman is “the developer”
-That anybody is profiting from this map
-That students and teachers are involved
You’ve maintained that these are all true (though the rest of us have yet to see your evidence) and Aarman as well as the actual developer have appeared in the comments to dispute all of these claims. You took the time to respond to these and nearly all other comments on the page. You also took the time to edit the original post to correct the name of the newspaper whose reporter you’ve insulted. However, you have yet to edit the post to reflect the corrections that have been stated over and over again in these threads. That is shameful, Dave. You’re entitled to your opinion but to be so clearly biased and refuse time and time again to look at the story from all sides is….well shameful is the only word I have.
I hope you read this and I hope you consider what I’ve said. You may reply if you like but I assure you I won’t be reading it. This is the first time I have visited your site and I can safely say that I have no desire to return. I will continue to get my news from journalists and I will continue to only bother listening to the opinions of those who are willing to have an honest and open discussion.
Matt – thanks for your post.
Let me address the three concerns you have outlined:
1) Aarman continues to identify himself as the developer – including the press and to police. Here is a link to the police statement:
http://www.dave.ca/2013/03/22/statement-from-port-moody-police-on-violent-port-moody-high-school-video-game/
2) Profiting from the map, that was a comment from the Youtube post. Regrettably, I did not screen capture that comment as it was not important to me as I was truly concerned with the content and not the profiting from the content.
3) Students and teachers are not involved in the video uploaded by Aarman. Again, the comments section boasted of additional mods which would add in teachers and students. Thankfully a reporter saw this comment too.
Aarman has refused to do ANY media interviews to refute my piece. Why? Because under such scrutiny, reporters would then be able to share private emails they have independently received to show that Aarman is being less than honest.
Thanks for visiting my site.
Judging by the (0 Comments) line under 99% of the posts on this site I’d say those “regular readers” might be hard to find.
Matt – yep, I do not get many commenters on my site. Interviews, consulting contracts, speaking engagements, weekly radio shows, mainstream media interest, etc. – yep!
I phoned Best Buy, but they aren’t taking pre-orders on “Port Moody Shooter.” Bummer!
I bet the pre-order bonus for this game is going to be sweet!
Dave – did you try Future Shop?
Dear Dave,
While I agree that the mapping project itself was distasteful and disrespectful, I do think your conduct on this matter has been, frankly, pretty unethical. Regardless of whether your quotes were falsified (which, honestly, it seems like they were) I think it is very problematic that despite admitting that journalism isn’t your strong point and that you aren’t an expert in gaming, you still chose to be a key source for Global in their tv segment, and allowed yourself to be quoted for their online article. In doing this, you have essentially chosen to be publicly represented as an authority on these matters while simultaneously admitting that all you are going off of is a personal opinion.
I hope you can understand why I believe your behaviour in this matter has been morally problematic, and may warrant a public apology that goes beyond a response to comments on your blog.
Allie – thanks for your post.
My background in social media, online issues, etc. gave me the background to comment on this piece. I did not offer any opinion on the technical merits of the game nor map. Instead, I offered my opinion as a community member.
All quotes on my site have been verified by media, police and/or others.
Can you tell me which of my comments would merit an apology?
I understand this is your blog, and you can write what you want, but I believe you do need to be more factual.
It is not a game. It is a map for an existing (1998) game. The person who created the map, is not the game developer.
This is a game that has been around for almost 20 years. People make levels for this game all the time.
When you spoke on the news, you appeared (to most viewers) as an ‘expert’. Yet your information was incomplete and in most cases incorrect.
Please stick to what you know.
Dawn – I have used game and map interchangeably but that does not lessen the disgusting nature of the images in the video depicting a killing spree in our local high school.
While people have made levels for CS for years this is the first one that I am aware of which depicts killing in our “real” high school.
Which information was lacking in my interviews that is germaine to my concern?
Looking forward to your reply.
What I don’t understand is this:
“But video games where realistic depictions of human suffering takes place? Nope. Not for me”
but you like mixed martial arts where people beat the sh*t out of each other? Huh?
CounterStrike is NOT a realistic video game. it is a GAME – fantasy, not reality.
The violence in mixed-martial arts is disgusting — I can’t even stomach watching such brutality.
Slim – I respect your opinion. I consider MMA as a contest between two equally matched consenting combatants who do not use weapons. As well, there have been zero death in sanctioned MMA events and the serious injury rates vs other sports like hockey, football and soccer is MUCH lower.
Heather – IMO the violence in the game is quite realistic.
Dave,
As someone who had tweeted you previously, I’m glad to see that I am not anywhere near being alone in sharing my particular opinion.
You sir, despite your best interests, are the reason people fear unnecessarily. You try to vindicate yourself by claiming that larger news sources have vetted their sources. To be quite blunt, I don’t care- because it’s quite clear that a number of them (ESPECIALLY Global) did NOT do their research on this and are not gamers in their spare time to understand the situation fully. Do you know who WILL fall for your misleading titles, and misrepresented facts and believe them without fault? The parents of students, school board officials, city officials and the large population who do not play video games. They don’t understand that the game already exists and all Mr. Rahim did was contribute to the building of a map to be used in the game. Yet you talk about him as this despicable, evil-doing young man.
Everyday, model citizens and young adults go home to relax and play video games. Among them, Counter-Strike. These people are straight-A students, PhD students, police officers, teachers, bankers, athletes, valedictorians, cum laude grads, social workers, volunteers, YOU NAME IT. They enjoy this game, it’s fun, it’s not real- they know that. A much smaller percentage of these people, perhaps of the more technical variety such as a computer science or engineering student may decide that they want to take it to the next level and develop their own map for the game. A commendable effort- and not an easy one at that. Yet, you go one step further and slander this young man, his good reputation and the work he has done as an active community member. Would you prefer him place the scenario in a community centre? Zoo? Major arena? Airport? Other school? Do you just take offense because it’s based on a school in your area? All of those previous scenarios exist, and in much more realistic fashion in updated games such as Modern Warfare. Just because he decided to build a map based on his school does not make him a villain.
The only thing that Rahim did wrong here was that he modelled the school too well. Using the same name, the banners and school slogan are not necessary and in poor taste- I agree. Anything further than that- blame Counter-Strike, Valve, Electronic Arts, Activision, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty……..
Loren – I did not vilify the gaming community. If you saw my Global piece or listened to the CBC interview I said I do not want the game banned.
In fact you and I agree on the main point “Using the same name, the banners and school slogan are not necessary and in poor taste”.
Thanks for your post.
No, I never said you vilified the community at large, but you did vilify Mr. Rahim and anyone who’s ever made a map for Counter-Strike based on a real-life setting. Also, I did watch your Global piece, that is the most infuriating of ALL of the reports based on this story. The entirety of that Global piece is misleading (especially the title), misrepresents the facts AND calls out one former PMSS student. For any young adult who’s a fan of CS- it’s laughable, even. For anyone outside of the gaming community though, scary.
My point is that it’s unfair to Mr. Rahim and you never answer my question. Where would you prefer the map to be have of? Maps will be made regardless, Counter-Strike and other FPS games do exist. It appears you’re against them in general, but looking at the larger picture, would you have been okay and let this go if it was a generic school? Would it be okay if it was changed to a generic airport? What about a shopping mall?
Loren – true, I did vilify Mr. Rahim for using a accurate map, logs, images, etc. of our local high school as the backdrop for a violent video game.
If you have a concern with the Global piece, please contact them. I had an interesting exchange with someone on email who said I said such-and-such and when I pointed out I did not, that those words were from the interviewer or host who did their own research, they were still angry, but then contacted Global.
I did not misrepresent a single thing. If I did, the news outlets would not have ran with the piece, the School Board would have ignored my post, etc.
Where would I have preferred the map to be is your question. Firstly, not in our local school. If the map was in a generic school, mall, airport as you ask, this issue would not have come to my attention at all. The community based element was what raised my concern PLUS Mr. Rahim’s attachment to the school made it – as a current PMSS student said in a news piece last night – “creepy”.
I think we can agree that Aarman is NOT the developer. Instead of thanking everyone for their comments like an answering machine, how about apologizing and clarifying your false claims of him being the developer?
Thanks- leave a message after the beep.
I truly am at a loss of words. I can’t even understand what was going through your mind. Did you even consider the impact this would have on the individual within your community? The negative potential alone should have warranted proper investigation before throwing him under the bus with such disregard. You have provided so much false information that your credibility is now severely lacking, but we are supposed to believe your “facts” because “They happened”. Please provide the evidence where he claimed to be the game developer, intended to add models of children/teachers and was going to profit from this map. You had the foresight to screenshot the reporters response to the video so these are not unreasonable expectations for you to provide. If you cannot provide these then perhaps you could consider editing your url and the contents of your article to reflect your opinion and the facts available. This would go a long way towards your credibility and proof of your humanity.
Counter-strike is a mod of the game Half-Life. Half-Life was released in 1998 and Counter-Strike made its first appearance in 1999. The premise of Counter-Strike is a team of Terrorists vs a team of Counter-Terrorists who compete over fictional objectives. Individuals can create custom maps. Clearly the game was not developed by the cited individual. Based upon the information available (Until you can provide actual proof otherwise) he did not create the map either, but rather provided digital resources which helped with its creation. I do not blame him for taking the video down, either. Nor does it prove your “facts” or make him seem guilty. It is a reasonable response for someone to remove something that is garnering negative attention, especially considering he was never given a fair shake in the situation.
I find it ironically amusing that you are a supporter of of MMA violence, but disapprove of virtual violence. How do you justify real violence over virtual violence? Simply because the two individuals fighting are consenting? People who play video games are consenting and as a added bonus they walk away void of physical injuries. So, please tell me how you rationalize advocating real violence over virtual violence. Perhaps the disconnect lies with you? Earlier you claimed that no one has died from MMA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatalities_in_mixed_martial_arts_contests. I wonder how often MMA is replicated among children and how many injuries result. Perhaps this could be a new topic for you to shine light upon?
All in all… if you want to go on a witch hunt next time you should research the topic, gather your facts and be able to provide them. At least then you wouldn’t look as foolish. You are entitled to your opinion of the map being distasteful/disgusting; however, I truly believe the way you handled this entire situation to be far more disgusting. I sincerely hope you one day see the mistakes you have made and make a effort to correct them.
Photaztic – I provided zero false information.
MMA is a competition between two consenting combatants where weapons are not allowed. In fact there has not been a single death in SANCTIONED UFC and the serious injury rate is lower than in other contact sports like football, hockey and soccer.
Thankfully I did not make mistakes in my piece so I do not have to worry about correcting int he future.
It’s not for us to prove you are wrong, it is for you to prove you are right. Please show absolute proof of all the accusations you have made before you publish them or make a public report on national television. You repeatedly claim you have not made any errors, yet, when we precisely identify them you disregard our claims and pretty much end up telling us to prove YOU are wrong.
I am really troubled on your report of Aarman Rahim on Global BC as being the developer. At that point in time, the only reasoning you gave on air was that he uploaded the video on Youtube and Facebook. Apparently, in your opinion, this is proof that he created the map (or as you refer to as “game” which is incorrect, as it is only the map that was original). Without suitable proof that he created the map, it is still the conclusion you came to and has no trouble stating on the air, “quite clearly it is him, it was on his YouTube channel”. I personally know Aarman and I know that he did not make the map so when I hear you saying that he did based on pitiful evidence I actually got upset.
And Kirsten, really? You’re calling this undeniably evil? That just makes me fpalm.
MLee – I have provided all the facts in my piece. You want more. Oh well, if your friend Aarman had not scrubbed the comments, etc we could all see. Thankfully others did see – including a media outlet – so I am well covered.
Aarman has ID’d himself as the developer online, to media and to the Police.
http://www.dave.ca/2013/03/22/statement-from-port-moody-police-on-violent-port-moody-high-school-video-game/
Yes, I have used the terms game and map interchangeably. I have corrected that wrong during interviews in recent days. Still, does not take away from the disgusting map where murders take place in our local high school.
Facepalm yourself all you like. Kirsten’s opinion is just that – her opinion and is valued.
Dave,
I have no problems with how you would like to view this matter on a moral stand point. You are entitled to your opinions. However, I do want to ask you this: What made you feel justified and comfortable to give an interview to major news outlets about this particular story? Would it not have been better, not only for Aarman’s sake, but also for public interest, to redirect major news outlets towards getting an interview from Aarman himself? Would that not be better to help uncover the truth behind all of this? Does your opinion on this story really shed light on the story?
Please ask yourself, does your involvement help? If not, why are you doing this? Is giving an interview and sourcing information (that you deduced from Aarman’s related pages) to the media a good move on your part? Why not just let the media get the whole story from Aarman himself?
Does your second hand source really promote anything except all these backlash that you are currently suffering from?
Josh – For more than 5 years I have commented on a variety of news stories involving technology, web, social media, etc. This was not a one off event.
I and other media reached out to Aarman, he was delayed in responding. I gave him my contact info and asked that he call, email, etc. Nothing. He is refusing the scrutiny of a media interview.
My opinion has shed light on this story and issue. Very top-of-mind in our community at the moment.
Not sure what you mean by “second hand source” nor am I suffering through any “backlash”. The comments on this blog are certainly leaning negatively, but these represent a fraction of the communications I have had with folks in our community who were unaware of CS, mapping, etc. Those interactions of been supportive.
Why are you targeting Aarman? There are tons of other people out there who create video game levels based on real life scenarios. If the only reason is that this is a school in your community, why didn’t you bash the crew who created the Halo video game short film at SFU?
Ray – Aarman was singled out because he uploaded the video, engaged the reporter in the Youtube comments section and posted additional comments about the game in online forums.
As I understand it, the Halo crew shot scenes at SFU but did not ID the school in the game as SFU (using logos, iconic objects, etc.). As such, this did not concern me.
Hey Dave
You know this is fear-mongering. If you didn’t realize it, then you shouldn’t be in journalism.
You didn’t understand the subject matter when you were reporting on it. That’s the excuse you’re giving. You say ” While my terminology within the FPS community may not be spot on.” That begs the question. – Why are you writing about something you know little about?
A 5 minute Google search could have spared you much grief. Google the game “Counter-Strike” and you will receive thousands of hits. But that was above your time. You were ready to spread this fear-mongering campaign against a talented young man, simply so you could catch someone’s eye in the world of journalism.
To make it easy for you, Dave, I have composed a list of rules for you to abide for.
1: If you don’t understandt it, don’t report it.
2: If you don’t know about it, but posses the intelligence to want to learn about it, then research the subject matter, then write the story.
3: If per chance you do not comprehend the instructions above, retire from journalism.
Chad – posting my opinion is not fear-mongering and furthermore, I am not a journalist.
I am not reporting on it – I am commenting on it. Just as you are commenting on my writing.
I am not having any grief over what I wrote.
Regrettable that you did not take heed to your own three points.
Your article is defamatory and incredibly biased. I certainly hope that Aarmaan presses charges against you for slandering his name, without EVIDENCE (if you need to find out what that actually means. Pick up dictionary, find the word that I just spelled out for you, and read it. And perhaps spend time comprehending what it actually MEANS).
All that you have done is bring ire upon yourself, and made A LARGE COMMUNITY (Several MILLION PEOPLE) angry. Because you are defacing this poor man, who has VERY LITTLE to do with making a custom map AND ATTEMPTING TO RUIN HIS FUTURE. Please consider what your actions or words may bring about before you use them.
Your article is posted to reddit and many other places. And all that it will generate is angry people commenting on your twisted article. I will certainly find out who your advertisers are and complain to them until you remove this article, write an apologetic article, and apologize on TV or youtube to Aarmaan. Good day sir, and God help you.
AGamer – nothing defamatory in my opinion piece at all. All “evidence” has been confirmed by multiple sources. Just because you do not like it, does not make it wrong.
Thank-you for joining in on this conversation. This was the intent of the piece – shine a light on this disgusting map and engage the community in dialog.
Good day to you too.
What facts do you have on your side?
You claim that “The game is being developed by the former President of the Port Moody Secondary School Chapter of Amnesty International, Aarman Rahim. Yes, the former president of a group whose goal is to ease human suffering has decided to glamorize and profit from it.”
Ok, how has he profited from providing assets to the main developer of this map? YES, this is a MAP, not a GAME. A similar analogy would be providing a stack of paper to a writer. The stack of paper representing the map, and the writer’s writing being the game. They are VERY different things.
Can you prove he’s earning money from contributing to this map? SHOW ME SOME PROOF, the onus is on you to prove this, as you’re making the claim. This is defamation of character.
You state in the video by Globaltv “These games in of themselves are bad.”
What makes them bad? Do you have definitive proof that these games are bad? You could state the very same of MMA. If anything, MMA is worse, as it’s pretty much paying to watch people beat each other up severely. You say no deaths have occurred due to MMA? But there have been tons of injuries, and you’ve got no idea what impact MMA has had on their lifespans. No ones even gets injured in first person shooter games (except for maybe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome).
You state “Merely describing the elements of the game would have less impact than seeing how the developers were glorifying the killings in the school.”
How is making a map of a school within a glorifying school killings? So people who write books about murder are glorifying murder? PLEASE read the definition of the word glorify.
You’re just shining him in a negative light in order to generate traffic to your website. You’re doing this in full awareness that it might seriously damage his future, and you do it stating facts that are totally inaccurate.
Please check your facts before posting them. As a matter of fact, please stop writing, you have a clear lack of professionalism that grows greater with even post you make.
You probably won’t even address the points I made above, and just pull some facts out of nowhere.
Sincerely,
Kevin
You wouldn’t even verify this comment, I’m guessing it’s because you don’t even know how you’d respond to it.
Kevin – The commenting system here requires that you enter a valid email address. Thanks for do so.
The map is not complete, so there is no proof of revenue. Thankfully myself, others (including reporters) saw the comments on various board before they were removed. No, I did not screen capture them as I did not see those as a big deal. My focus was on the disturbing images in our local high school.
In my opinion, first shoot games desensitize the players to violence. This does not mean FSP are then programmed for real violence. Not at all.
MMA has equally matched consenting combatants testing their skills in a controlled environment. No weapons. Again, you may not like MMA and that is your opinion, right as is my opinion, right to rail against the local high school map. The map with real, familiar and accurate markings of the school gave me a visceral response. I can only compare it to art – each person will like or dislike a piece. I dislike this piece / map.
No facts are inaccurate in my piece. You may not agree but that does not make my items “wrong”.
You failed to address most of my points. How are you even in the field of communications? It’s also quite sad how many grammatical errors are in your response.
You state no facts are incorrect, but you have yet to prove how he’s going to profit from providing resources to the developer. Once again, having no proof means you have NO FACTS. I could say that I’m the only person to have seen aliens, but that doesn’t mean it’s a fact with no proof.
Also, in your opinion video games desensitize people to violence? Isn’t MMA the same? It’s not even simulated violence, it’s real violence. ALSO, there have been fatalities in MMA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatalities_in_mixed_martial_arts_contests (you’ll probably claim that wikipedia data is fabricated).
Also, you failed to address “How is making a map of a school within a glorifying school killings? So people who write books about murder are glorifying murder? PLEASE read the definition of the word glorify.”
If anything, the depictions of violence in traditional media (books, movies, newspapers) are much worse than any available in video games. In said media, there are extreme acts of torture, rape, sadistic mass killings, etc, that far outstrip anything available in pretty much all video games (yes, there are some sick video games too, but far, far less than what’s available in traditional media).
You said:
“No facts are inaccurate in my piece. You may not agree but that does not make my items “wrong”.
Not providing proof for things you state as facts makes your items wrong. You may be entitled to your opinion that video games desensitize people to violence, but you still stated that he’s profiteering off this (without proof).
If you were actually interested in reporting the truth you would’ve changed the title of this post LONG ago (don’t give me bs about not being able to change it, I know a wordpress blog when I see it). He did not create a game. Seriously, “High school kill game” doesn’t even make sense. Is the object of the game to kill the high school? At least say “High school killing game.”
Perhaps people who lack communications skills should at least use proper grammar when slandering people, it gives it more credibility when the reader knows that the writer can properly communicate his thoughts.
Kevin – no need for me to change anything in my piece because no errors exist. You do not agree and I do not agree with you.
My issue is not with violent video games nor entertainment. My issue was setting the violence wholly in our local school and indentifying the school as such.
My language was used to gain a reaction from local media and my community. It worked. Just as the map developer used the school setting for a reaction…and that worked too.
Dave,
While a lot of concerns I had about your article have already been posted (lack of research, several untrue facts regarding gaming language, the lack of profit being made, etc.) I would still like to hear your opinion on some other concerns I have. I’m going to completely steer clear of this “FPS in a school setting” debate and talk more about ethics and decency towards others.
I just don’t understand why, if your goal was to bring light to the issue of PMSS being used in a FPS, did you specifically name Aarman and provide a completely judgmental backdrop of him as well as Ms. Strandberg? “Yes, the former president of a group whose goal is to ease human suffering has decided to glamorize and profit from it” doesn’t show that you’re offended by the use of venue for the map, it doesn’t communicate your concern with seeing virtual violence take place in the depiction of a local highschool, all it does is a) convey your seeming distaste for the individual and b) make him seem like an immoral human being. The statement is unwarranted and all it does is portray him in an unfavourable manner. But apparently you don’t think of him that way because you’ve stated that you “do not think he is a bad person rather he and the others on this project used bad judgement.”!
I’ve also noticed that you only put up updates that support your opinion, such as quotes from teachers or other individuals chastising the actions taken. But just by scrolling through posts people have made on this page it’s obvious that so many individuals – teachers, students and those in the community – don’t support your opinion. If an argument is a strong, well supported one, it will still be that even when pitted against other positions! So I urge you to provide a well-rounded, unbiased source for people to read and base their own judgments on, and not just adopt yours because it’s the only one there for them to read.
Furthermore, all I understood from the repetitive “Amnesty International” title you continuously tacked to Aarman’s name, was that you wanted the story to seem more horrible, or outlandish. If he was an individual who didn’t give back to the community would this be any less disturbing to you? Point being, your blog was too focused on tearing down individuals involved than bringing about your opinion on an issue concerning video games and the use of real life settings. I simply don’t understand why you can’t apologize publicly to these individuals. After talking to Ms. Strandberg you praise her as a reporter but you never issue an apology.
Know when you have done something right, and know when you have done something wrong. Being able to publicly apologize for defaming two individuals does not make your opinion on the issue you wanted to talk about any less important, it makes you seem like a decent person and shows others you did not, in fact, mean any ill will towards anyone. I know this isn’t the main point everyone is concerned about, but it honestly just saddened me to find out that two decent individuals were actually being hurt and judged by an entire community because of this blog and what it has sparked.
Mariam – thanks for joining in on the conversation.
No facts are inaccurate in my piece. You may not agree but that does not make my items “wrong”. Again, most in my blog was been independently verified by reporters or the Police.
Just as Aarman and his team used PMSS as a backdrop for his disgusting map, I used points from real life to draw interest to my piece. No dislike for the person, but a major dislike of the action (the map).
I am not only putting up news items that support my view. I have put up all that I have found, take a quote and then a link to the source. The comments from folks like you also exist on the site. Plus I have responded to just about every comment. I cannot be more transparent than that. The comments are this page are more critical while all other communications weigh in favourable to my point of view.
You are correct, I did not apologize to Ms Standberg nor did she ask me to. Our conversation was based around the issue of the game.
I have given my personal contact information to Aarman when we had a brief FB Msg exchange the other evening. Since then, he has not contacted me. Difficult to gain a deeper understanding. News outlets who have asked him pointed questions in emails get little, off topic or no response.
If I have used wrong information or I misunderstood / misinterpreted something I have no problem correctly and apologizing. Thus far other than some folks saying “you are wrong” there has not been anything forwarded to support that view. Meanwhile, news organizations etc using their own research have found my piece to be spot on.
If I have done something wrong on my blog I would remove it quickly. Just as Aarman did with his material the other night.
> the former president … has decided to … profit from it.
> Aarman promise that students and teachers would be featured and could be “hero, enemy or collateral damage”
I think it has been made clear that these are both false information, not supported by other media coverages or quotes from the developer.
> Your post: The game is being developed by the former President of the Port Moody Secondary School Chapter of Amnesty International, Aarman Rahim.
> Tri-City News: … has issued a statement acknowledging that he provided photographs for the game but didn’t develop it.
These are both quotes from your own blog. Spot the contradiction? You keep stating that if you used the wrong information, then you will “remove it quickly” and apologize, but I have yet to see a correction or an apology.
While I appreciate your advocacy against violence in video games, your way of doing so is distasteful. Your insistence on vilifying Aarmon (by screen capturing his status accompanying your new post: http://www.dave.ca/2013/03/22/statement-from-port-moody-police-on-violent-port-moody-high-school-video-game/ , which is irrelevant as he is not the developer) discredits whatever purpose you hoped to serve.
Overall, “I hope you will put your considerable skills to uplifting our community and not” create false and ignorant posts for views on your page.
Reader – thanks for joining the conversation.
No one has provided backing that anything in my piece is wrong.
Before my blog, Aarmon said he was the developer – including to the press.
After my blog, he has ID’d himself as a co-delveloper, co-creater and/or resource supplier.
The Police speak with him and he ID’s himself as the developer. This is why he also is refusing media interviews because he would face heavy scrutiny.
I put his FB post with the statement as people were saying that Aarmon never went to the Police and I was lying. Thankfully, that FB post was not removed before I captured it.
Again, you are providing false information. Aarmon stated that he provided the resources but that he was not the developer. You quoted this in your blog.
Also, the police statement indicate they spoke with the developer. Ofcourse, the police would have also spoke with Aarmon, since his name was all over the media. I assume this is evident to anyone.
If you really want to make a change in the community, then I suggest you that you first admit to your mistakes for destroying a young man’s reputation with sensationalized statements, and write a new informed post regarding violence in videogames.
Reader – no mistakes or errors were in my piece.
The person the Port Moody Police spoke with was Aarmon and he was the only person they spoke to connected to the game / map.
I appreciate you sharing your opinions.
Dave you continue to confuse your personal opinion with the reality of the situation.
1.) You claimed Aarman was a developer of this game. He is not. Counter Strike was developed by amateur half-life modders back in 1999, then re-created in 2000 when Valve purchased the rights.
That was 12-13 years ago, there is no possible way Aarman is currently developing the game as you claim both in your blog, and on local television.
2.) As with any claim, the burden of proof is on the claimant. You’ve made many assertions in an attempt to vilify Aarman, yet none have any backing. How is your libel and and almost bullying attitude helping anything?
I understand you when you repeat over and over “This is an opinion piece”, “I’m not a journalist”, and more recently “You may not agree but that does not make my items “wrong”. ”
You’re right, this is your blog, and is a place to state opinions.
Opinions cannot really be “wrong”, such as one’s favorite color cannot be “wrong”.
However when you state things as facts, such as the intent of Aarman’s actions, or what role he played. You’re twisting the truth, and creating misinformation.
Your opinions aren’t wrong, it’s the BS you’re trying to pass of as factual information.
Ross – I was using the terms game and map interchangeably and I have stopped. Map is the correct term while game is the generic term the public at large can understand.
Everything I have written has been supported by third parties.
Just because you do not like what I have written does not make it wrong. It only means you do not agree. Aarman’s scrubbing sites of the information and hiding from the media also does not support his “innocence”.
You continue to say that everything you have written is true and backed up with facts, yet you are only able to point to messages and posts that no longer exist that supposedly said that teachers and students were going to be added to the “game.” Can you please either point out some actual evidence or admit that this is not and never was the case and that you are wrong. Please do not respond with a post about this having to do with your opinion, as it doesn’t, this was a factual statement made by you with no substantiating evidence.
Proof – I was using the terms game and map interchangeably and I have stopped. Map is the correct term while game is the generic term the public at large can understand.
Everything I have written has been supported by third parties.
Just because you do not like what I have written does not make it wrong. It only means you do not agree. Aarman’s scrubbing sites of the information and hiding from the media also does not support his “innocence”.
Dave,
Why don’t you quit wasting your time with this “non-issue” and instead get behind something like the pit bull ban. I think that is more worthy of your “concern for the community”.
Dave – While this may be a non-issue for you the folks in the Tri-Cities believe it is an issue.
I do not really care for Pitbulls nor the issue surrounding the breed’s banning. I would rather go for HARSH punishment of the owners of aggressive animals when injury is caused.
Sounds like this could be an issue for you – good luck!
Ok Dave. So far you’ve done a lot of work in bringing this “issue” to light. Nice work. Where do you go from here? Any solutions, ideas, constructive criticism?
At least with the pitbull issue you immediately brought forth a possible solution: harsh penalties for owners of aggressive dogs that cause injury. That’s good—you offered something.
With this Counter-Strike map thing, you have offered nothing constructive. All you’ve been doing is generating fear. And like all fear-mongers, you’ve created nothing. Instead you’ve harmed the reputation of an innocent kid that is part of the community that you are so bent on “protecting”.
And yes, he is INNOCENT. What has he done? Has he committed a crime? No. You and the media have done nothing but try and destroy the character of a young man.
Not sure how you can sleep at night…if anything, society should be protecting us from fear-mongers such as yourself.
Dave – Good question. Bringing the issue to light was first; then conversation involving all involved (although regrettably, the “developers” do not want to speak with anyone in a public forum); and then education on the topics of gaming, social conscience, consequences of actions, etc.
I have not generated fear, I have generated conversation and Aarmon has admitted to the Police he is the “developer” so not really sure how I destroyed his character. He did that on his own.
There are >50 commenters on this blog that are criticizing you, Dave. Don’t you think there is a reason why. Why don’t you reflect a little.
Fed – the 35 or so people who have expressed their opposition to my piece here in the comments pale in comparison to the dozens of supportive calls and emails I have received thanking me for bringing this issue to light.
Most of those folks live in my community. As such, I have had time to consider and re-consider my position, and all is well.
Correction Dave: Aarman did NOT admit that he was the developer pf the map to the Police. Another one of your lies and misrepresentations. He has expressly stated that he is NOT the developer of the map countless times, and it seems this fact has not made its way into the murky recesses of your brain. Such a shame, really. You could’ve helped the community better by getting your facts right before deciding to “bring this issue to the light,” instead of resorting to cheap fear-mongering tactics and unthinkingly slandering a young man. The worst part of it all, Dave, is watching you trying to backtrack and defend your indefensible actions.
If it ever comes to pass (and I hope it will), I will thoroughly enjoy seeing an irresponsible moron such as yourself being eviscerated in a libel suit. Maybe your friend John Daly can cover it on Global.
JL – You are incorrect. Please review the press release by the Port Moody Police. There will be no “libel suits” against me because truth is an absolute defense.
Absolutely not: http://www.tricitynews.com/news/200099501.html. Good luck with your “truth” defense.
That is not the police report. Again what Aarman says to reporters and what he says to Police appear to be different.
Oh wow, Dave. You seriously think that Diane Strandberg would just write whatever Aarman told her to, without checking out her sources? Both the local teacher and the police quoted in her article collaborate what she has written. Did you even read the article?
Seeing that you seem to think you have some kind of divine, omnipresent knowledge about this whole thing, I would really like you to link me up to the police report you always allude to and specify EXACTLY where it says that Aarman is the developer.
I wait with bated breath.
JL – http://www.dave.ca/2013/03/22/statement-from-port-moody-police-on-violent-port-moody-high-school-video-game/
Good job Dave- thejusticeleague question that your opinion is not the truth, and you reply with your own quote.
…which had supporting info plus links to source document.
So Dave, I had some issues with replying to your post. I am spartasparta below, and since the issues have not been addressed there, I’ll repost this here:
You have not stated EXACTLY where ON THE POLICE REPORT it says that Aarman is the developer.
Philosophy 101: The person making the positive claim always has the burden of proof. You’re the person making the positive claim in this case, by insisting that Aarman is the developer. All you have provided, Dave, in the way of “proof” is one flimsy conjecture involving a screen shot and a whole lot of opinion that will not stand up in court, or in the mind of any rational person. Your “proof” does not invalidate Diane’s accurate representation of fact, nor does it disqualify that there could have been two people present that day, and the police were referring to the real ‘developer’ when they mentioned him in the report.
Also, since there is no police report in existence that says anything about Aarman being the developer, and you sure as hell weren’t present when the police interview was being conducted, where in the world do you get off claiming that ‘Aarmon has admitted to the Police he is the “developer”’?
I hope you won’t take down this blog post now, Dave. It’s charming to see an idiot be as bull-headed as you’ve been about this whole thing, even though the facts have been presented to you, clear as day. But rest assured, even if you do, I, as well as dozens of other people, have awesome screen shots to provide to the court when you are being sued for libel. Good day!
JL – not taking the piece down at all. I have already said that. Nor will I be “sued for libel”. No facts have been presented to counter ANYTHING in my piece – just opinion.
Where did my previous reply go? I’ll repeat: you have not stated EXACTLY where ON THE POLICE REPORT it says that Aarman is the developer.
Philosophy 101: The person making the positive claim always has the burden of proof. You’re the person making the positive claim in this case, by insisting that Aarman is the developer. All you have provided, Dave, in the way of “proof” is one flimsy conjecture involving a screen shot and a whole lot of opinion that will not stand up in court, or in the mind of any rational person. Your “proof” does not invalidate Diane’s accurate representation of fact, nor does it disqualify that there could have been two people present that day, and the police were referring to the real ‘developer’ when they mentioned him in the report.
Also, since there is no police report in existence that says anything about Aarman being the developer, and you sure as hell weren’t present when the police interview was being conducted, where in the world do you get off claiming that ‘Aarmon has admitted to the Police he is the “developer”’?