In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a new video game used in schools to teach math has come under fire for being too "violent" for local parents. Local station KOAT Action 7 News had previously reported on the new math game after-school program, glowing with excitement over the technology. According to that report, kids were learning prime numbers! They never wanted to leave school! Fun and learning together, finally!
But the most recent report focuses on parent complaints about "violence." I've put "violence/violent" in quotes both times because the game seems to be almost entirely non-violent. From footage I've seen, it is a first-person shooter, but instead of shooting guns, kids are shooting abstract lasers at other abstract lasers with numbers over them. Also, the one parent the Action 7 News interviewed for the story really only complains that the game might make the children too addicted to video games, which doesn't have much to do with violence.
Both news spots are incredibly quick and lack almost any information, so it's hard to get a grasp on the situation. Presumably, this is a game that exists somewhere outside of Albuquerque, and I'd like to know what it's called so I can get a better look at the gameplay. In a way, this news encapsulates most controversial video game news: Excitement over amazing new technology followed by knee-jerk reaction by adults who have never played the game, and the knee-jerk reaction is always the better-publicized angle.
[via Kotaku]
