A Port Moody secondary school grad is distancing himself from a video he posted of a first-person shooter game, still in development, that is set in his former high school.
The game has been taken down from YouTube since it first drew attention Wednesday and Aarman Rahim said in an email he didn't make the game. He also asked that his name not be published because of the potential controversy.
The game is now posted on a separate site not related to Rahim, who said he was in class Thursday and unable to comment by phone before The Tri-City News' print deadline.
But Rahim said in an email that responses to questions about the video will soon be posted in the form of an FAQ on the new site, pmssmap.tk.
The video can now be seen on this site, as well as the message: "In case you missed our critically received developer preview trailer to this production, here it is for your viewing pleasure: Due to the overwhelming response, this site was hastily uploaded. Content and information will be added as time goes on. Check back soon for more.
"Rest assured there is no malicious intent behind this production to any actual school property, nor any actual persons associated with the school."
FURTHER DEBATE
In response to the question "With recent gun violence in schools, is this appropriate?," it further states: "This initiative was in motion well before the recent outbursts of gun violence. We also think that players of this map and games like this will be sufficiently mature to realize that the degrees of freedom allotted to you in the virtual realm do not extend to your rights in reality. Additionally, people should realize this is simply a game, no physical harm comes from it. You are free to interpret these productions in any light you wish, but speculation is simply speculation.
"We'd also like to point out that there are other forms of entertainment which involve victimization of school children as a core part of their mechanic. Movies, games, etc. which portray gratuitous loss of human life. We do not wish to claim a moral point in this behaviour at all. We are simply using the environment as a relatable location, and we certainly don't seek to promote harmful action against any persons."
Although Rahim stated that he's not the developer of the game, he said he did provide resources.
NO STUDENTS IN GAME
The video, posted Tuesday, but taken down the next day, shows the exterior and the interior of the high school, including its iconic rainbow lockers. Partway through the video, a hand holding an automatic weapon begins shooting at individuals wearing fatigues. A sign with the words PMSS: A Tradition of Excellence is seen briefly, and combatants appear to "die," much like they do on popular games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
However, nobody is seen close up, no faces are revealed and no "students" appear in the game.
On Wednesday, the game had close to 800 views on YouTube, and generated comment on local blogs.
PMSS is currently closed for spring break and The Tri-City News was unable to reach principal Karen Jensen via email by press deadline. Any comments or new information will be posted at www.tricitynews.com as they become available.
Rahim is an SFU student who has been a champion of several causes, including the establishment of a community garden at PMSS. He is currently the content executive at the CUTC, Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference, slated to take place May 4. But he stated in an email that the game is unrelated to the conference.
