Software:Standoff (video game)
| Standoff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Farrel dan jedan (Riot corp) |
| Publisher(s) | Acid Publishing Group |
| Designer(s) | Anton Makarevskiy |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | 2018 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Standoff Multiplayer (previously titled Active Shooter) is a first person shooter video game developed by Russian video game developer Anton Makarevskiy[1] and publisher Ata Berdyev, working under the names Revived Games and Acid Publishing Group.[2][3] It was first scheduled for release on June 6, 2018 through the Steam distribution platform.[4] After Valve removed the publisher from the platform, the developer released the game independently as an early access title.[2]
This game is not related to Standoff 2, a mobile first-person shooter, released by the Russian studio Axlebolt in July 2017.[5][6]
Gameplay
The game depicts a school shooting, and allows players to take the role of either the active shooter (referred as the "attacker" on the title screen), a SWAT member responding to the event, or a civilian who can chose to flee the shooting or fight the shooter.[7] In the attacker role Players can choose to attack with guns, grenades, or knives, and the number of civilian, guard, and police deaths are tallied on screen.[2][8] Despite the game depicting a school shooting the only civilian models shown in game are variations of the same adult woman model.
Before gameplay the game in addition to showing that it is an early access game gives a message stating:
"This a computer game and is meant solely for entertainment purposes and simulation. This game contains content and materials not recommended for children and/or those seeking to enhance or establish political views and/or careers. Revived games believes violence and inappropriate actions belong in video games and not real world, and insists that in no event should anyone attempt to recreate or mimic any of the actions, events, or situations occurring in this game. This game is only for 18+"
Controversy
Standoff, then known as Active Shooter, attracted controversy after its Steam store page was published in May 2018,[9] with parents of Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victims campaigning against the game online.[10][11] An online petition had attracted 100,000 signatures by the time of the game's cancellation.[4]
On May 29, it emerged that Revived Games and Acid Publishing Group were the trading names of Anton Makarevskiy[1] and Ata Berdyev, the latter of which had previously been removed from Steam by Valve for copyright infringement after the publication of a Rick and Morty parody called Piccled Ricc.[12] The company later announced that Revived Games and Acid Publishing Group would be removed from the Steam platform. A spokesperson told Matthew Gault of Motherboard that Berdyev is "a troll, with a history of customer abuse, publishing copyrighted material, and user review manipulation".[3] In a subsequent blog post, Acid Software argued that Steam had carried other video games with a focus on violence and murder, giving examples of Hatred, Postal, and Carmageddon.[11]
Following the media reaction to the game, Valve suggested a broader review of its content policies would take place "soon".[7][8] Valve issued this updated policy on June 6, 2018, which stated that they would allow any content on Steam as long as it was not illegal, or if the content was "trolling".[13] Valve's Doug Lombardi used Active Shooter as an example of such trolling, in that the game was "designed to do nothing but generate outrage and cause conflict through its existence", and even if another developer, without the history of abusing Steam as they found with Berdyev, had released the same title, they still would have removed it for its trolling nature.[14]
Later in June 2018, PayPal closed the account of Acid Software, citing that the game violated their Acceptable Use Policy.[15] Indiegogo also dropped the title from their service near the same time.[16] The developers' websites for the game were shut down by Bluehost following a Sandy Hook Promise petition.[17] The game has since become abandonware.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Creator of 'Active Shooter' Speaks Out: I'm No Psychopath" (in en). PCMAG. https://www.pcmag.com/news/361461/creator-of-active-shooter-speaks-out-im-no-psychopath.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "'Active Shooter' game developer vows to continue selling online". NY Post. 2018-06-13. https://nypost.com/2018/06/13/active-shooter-game-developer-vows-to-continue-selling-online/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Valve Has Removed a School Shooting Simulator From Steam, Calling the Developer a 'Troll'" (in en-us). Motherboard. 2018-05-29. https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/evkp3a/active-shooter-removed-from-steam-by-valve.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Active Shooter Game Angers Parkland Parents: 'This Is Gross, This Is Profiteering'" (in en-US). The New York Times. 2018-05-29. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/us/parkland-shooter-video-game.html.
- ↑ "Приложения в Google Play – Standoff 2". https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.axlebolt.standoff2&hl=ru&gl=US.
- ↑ "Standoff 2". https://apps.apple.com/ru/app/standoff-2/id1359706682.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Active Shooter and its developer have been removed from Steam" (in en). PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/active-shooter-and-its-developer-have-been-removed-from-steam/.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "A new video game simulated school shootings. After outcry, it got taken down.". Vox. https://www.vox.com/2018/5/29/17405716/active-shooter-steam-valve-corp-video-game.
- ↑ "Steam store school-shooting game 'appalling'" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2018-05-23. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44230875.
- ↑ Horton, Alex (2018-05-29). "'Active Shooter' video game let players shoot up a school. Parkland parents were horrified." (in en-US). Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2018/05/29/what-parkland-parents-think-of-a-new-video-game-that-lets-people-shoot-up-a-school/.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "'It's a disgrace': Parkland parents condemn video game that simulates school shootings" (in en). miamiherald. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article212025899.html.
- ↑ "Fan-made Rick and Morty game, Piccled Ricc, removed from Steam". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/3/16600350/rick-and-morty-piccled-ricc-steam-valve-pewdiepie-jim-sterling.
- ↑ Grayson, Nathan (June 6, 2018). "Valve Says It Will Now Allow 'Everything' On Steam, Unless It's Illegal Or 'Straight Up Trolling'". Kotaku. https://steamed.kotaku.com/valve-says-it-will-now-allow-everything-on-steam-unles-1826612274.
- ↑ Grubb, Jeff (June 7, 2018). "Valve's confusing Steam policy is about Flappy Bird, not bigotry". Venture Beat. https://venturebeat.com/2018/06/07/valves-would-still-block-active-shooter/.
- ↑ Collins, Dave (June 20, 2018). "PayPal move blocks sales of school shooting video game". Associated Press. https://apnews.com/8368dd3089684046ad4e68330cd1c7fd.
- ↑ Jones, Ali (June 21, 2018). "Active Shooter has been banned from PayPal". PCGamesN. https://www.pcgamesn.com/active-shooter/active-shooter-paypal.
- ↑ KALB. "School shooting video game 'Active Shooter' websites back online" (in en). http://www.kalb.com/content/news/School-shooting-video-game-Active-Shooter-websites-back-online-485441501.html.
External links
- Standoff on Archive.org
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