Student Arrested For Posting Zombie-Killing AR Game Clip Filmed at His High School

[ElNono]

Student Arrested For Posting Zombie-Killing AR Game Clip Filmed at His High School

18-year-old high school student Sean Small was arrested in Indiana on Tuesday and charged with a misdemeanor for posting a videogame clip to social media. An anonymous reader quotes Yahoo Lifestyle: The clip in question is Sean playing The Walking Dead: Our World, which is an augmented reality game that animates characters into a real-world setting. In this case, players kill zombies. Along with Sean's video he wrote, "Finally something better than Pokemon Go," which is also an augmented reality game....

Sean, who is a member of the Indiana National Guard, pleaded not guilty to an intimidation charge (https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/high-school-student-arrested-posting-video-game-clip-killing-zombies-school-facebook-002343652.html). He was released on $1,000, and his school expulsion hearing is set for next week. The video featured other students walking through the halls as Sean allegedly attempted to kill the zombies the game placed among them.

Realistic footage of shootings in the high school's hallways apparently alarmed the off-duty sheriff's deputy hired to work at the high school -- who then filed the misdemeanor intimidation charge with the county prosecutor (https://www.wlky.com/article/scottsburg-hs-student-charged-after-social-media-post/22817444).

[Spurtacular]

You must have feelings on this NoNo for you to have felt a need to post it.

[ElNono]

I thought it was interesting enough to share. Some crossroad between tech and the state of panic in schools. Still digesting it, but I thought it could spark some conversation, tbh.

[Chris]

Why is this is the politics forum?

[Spurtacular]

I thought it was interesting enough to share. Some crossroad between tech and the state of panic in schools. Still digesting it, but I thought it could spark some conversation, tbh.

Schools have to do something other than arm themselves, obviously. :lmao

[Reck]

Why is this is the politics forum?

Why are you?

[Luka Doncic]

Why is this is the politics forum?
in*

[ElNono]

Why is this is the politics forum?

Somebody was arrested for playing videogames in high school. Not the first or last time we discuss violent video games in this forum.

I know your WWI flamethrower guy probably won't post 80 tweets about it, but personal rights are just as important.

[ElNono]

Schools have to do something other than arm themselves, obviously. :lmao

The question is why was he charged with anything in the first place, and is there a double-standard/special line that shouldn't be crossed by videogames in a highschool setting.

[Spurtacular]

The question is why was he charged with anything in the first place, and is there a double-standard/special line that shouldn't be crossed by videogames in a highschool setting.

Well, I didn't catch it the first time I browsed the article; but allegedly making images of schoolmates and (virtually) shooting them probably qualifies as "intimidation". Is a misdemeanor too harsh given that he doesn't have a criminal record? Probably. The kid is tone deaf; but a lot of kids are. I'm guessing that the charge is put out there for publicity e.g. the community and school are taking this 'very seriously'. It should get dropped unless the prosecutor is a total ass face, which happens.

[ElNono]

Well, I didn't catch it the first time I browsed the article; but allegedly making images of schoolmates and (virtually) shooting them probably qualifies as "intimidation". Is a misdemeanor too harsh given that he doesn't have a criminal record? Probably. The kid is tone deaf; but a lot of kids are. I'm guessing that the charge is put out there for publicity e.g. the community and school are taking this 'very seriously'. It should get dropped unless the prosecutor is a total ass face, which happens.

The only thing an AR game does is puts a real-time video background to a 3D scene. So basically, he was shooting actual virtual zombies, with the school as the live background.

I mean, I get the hysteria over school shootings, and that graphics look realistic these days, but intimidation? That, I think, is the salient point: do we need to curb speech in school settings like in the case of fake bomb threats?

[Spurtacular]

The only thing an AR game does is puts a real-time video background to a 3D scene. So basically, he was shooting actual virtual zombies, with the school as the live background.

I mean, I get the hysteria over school shootings, and that graphics look realistic these days, but intimidation? That, I think, is the salient point: do we need to curb speech in school settings like in the case of fake bomb threats?

This is the culture of most schools nowadays. If you say or do anything that hints at violence, they're going to lay down the hammer. The hammer is generally expulsion. Though the hammer is typically expulsion, though. I think this is probably a case in which you have some people trying to make names for themselves. Yea, do they have any proof of intent of actual intimidation other than stating that the act in of itself constitutes intimidation? I doubt it.