Well put Kenn! Yeah, this has got to be one of the most ridiculous cases in the universe. You think any true artist ever cares what other peoples negative reactions are? If they did we wouldn't have artists at all.

Innocent until proven guilty is becoming more and more of a lie on a daily basis eh? We should have arrested Colonel Sanders for killing chickens because some people don't like the idea.

Better yet every level designer should be arrested! (LVU campus ring a bell?)

One word on this whole thing. "Stupid"

@ SolarisDeschain:

"He should get a swift kick for not realizing just how some people would react to this."

------------------------------

So you're saying that because of what people think about him, he deserves to be punished?

That's ridiculous! That's insane! That's how most people think!

Okay, well... aside from the last line, I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Knight.

...especially the bit about a public apology.

SolarisDeschain. you are insane.

-->>he created the map, but on the other hand…he should have known he could have got in trouble, because of the way many people with no understanding and no real wish to seek to understand cry wolf at the damndest little things>He should get a swift kick for not realizing just how some people would react to this.

Rainbow Six 3 Athena Sword had a pretty accurate map of a real-world museum in Italy. The devs then put a bunch of armed terrorists inside. I don't think Italian police have arrested anyone yet...

From the Op-Ed "I speak from experience when I say that just about every aspiring level designer starts out by building what he or she knows."

Basic psychology shows over and over again that people will gravitate towards what they know. An expert witness psychologist would be good for the defense. Also, he better get full disclosure for the defense, because I seriously doubt there exists a note that plans out an attack on the school.

Not only is his arrest unconstitutional, it doesn't even make sense mathematically. Let's say you arrest everyone that ever made a map of a familiar site or structure. You'd have about 20 million innocent people and 1 possible suspect (that's made up, but works just as well with 1-in-100 or even 1-in-10). You simply don't go around jailing innocent people. The principle should resign for defamation of character, and the policeman who made the decision to arrest him should be fired.

"As for the student: I’m all for freedom of expression, especially artistically, but building a map of your school in an FPS on the heels of VT was poor judgement. He should have used another building, or at least let the public fear of nerds with guns die down some."

He didn't make the map 'on the heels of VT', it was made before VT
Also judging by the detail on the mod, he would have taken a long time to make it, therefore meaning it was started long before VT...

this is just sheer extreme overeaction by the school, nothing more

As a gamer, animator, and graphic artist I've built plenty of maps (for many different types of games - not just fps) based on places I've known. It is an outrage that he has been bared from graduation over this. It's extreme and unnecessary.

However.

Given recent shootings, and the attention things like this bring, no school in the U.S. would be willing to risk the media blitz and outraged parents that would come with it being known a student made a map of his school in one of those 'murder simulators' and the school did nothing about it.
A simple review of his personality, grades, past aggression (if any) and a mild investigation would have been enough to keep the school out of danger of seeming insensitive and allowed everyone to move on.

As for the student: I'm all for freedom of expression, especially artistically, but building a map of your school in an FPS on the heels of VT was poor judgement. He should have used another building, or at least let the public fear of nerds with guns die down some.

Games have been published with maps of actual physical locations modeled. Ravesoft did their offices is Soldier of Fortune (and the map was very accurate). Tom Clancy Games had the US Capitol offices.

Now if some one with a bigger name and more authority would also say the same the game hatting will stop, or at least decrease.

And thats all we need, that and some court to arrest Jack Thompson for being a JACKass.

Well spoken.

Nope, nowadays schools are made to form new consumer zombies. If they allow creativity, free thought may weasel it’s way in.

Haha... how true... reminds me of this:

Principal Skinner: "That's two independent thought alarms in one day. Willie, the children are over-stimulated. Remove all the colored chalk from the classrooms."
Willie: I warned ya! Didn’t I warn ya? That colored chalk was forged by Lucifer himself!

A rather obscure reference... Possibly this is what he meant by "Amerika":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amerika_%28TV_series%29

Game Developer Rips Texas High School Over Counter-Strike Kid Case...

...

School don't reward or encourage creativity outside of art class, his dream is dead. the public schools just want to make us conform.

Damn you 4chan, I got the Amerika reference!