The parents of Parkland school shooting victim Joaquin Oliver have launched a video game, 'The Final Exam,' aimed at raising awareness and pushing for legislative changes on gun control. Manuel 'Manny' Oliver and Patricia Oliver lost their 17-year-old son in the February 2018 shooting, which claimed the lives of 14 students and three staff members, with another 17 injured. This remains the deadliest high-school shooting in U.S. history.
'The Final Exam' puts players in the role of a student trying to navigate an active-shooter scenario. Players have 10 minutes to escape the building—a nod to the average duration of a school shooting—but must also gather pieces of gun-control legislation scattered throughout the school. 'These halls symbolize the real-life terrors of hundreds of schools that have endured mass shootings—places meant to be safe for children but were let down by our government,' states a section of the game's official website. 'In this game and in reality, gun-control bills are crucial for survival. By completing the game and collecting all the bills, you can advocate for change and potentially save thousands of lives in the real world.'
The gun-control bills featured in the game include a ban on assault weapons, mandatory safe storage of firearms (referred to as Ethan's Law), a prohibition on high-capacity magazines, mandatory background checks for all firearm purchases, and a proposal to raise the minimum age for firearm purchases from 18 to 21 years old.
The game also addresses the tendency of certain politicians to blame video games for mass shootings. It's not violent games that worry the Olivers, but the alarming ease with which Americans can acquire lethal weapons with high rates of fire—regardless of their mental or emotional readiness to handle such weapons safely. 'The clock starts now,' the game's site urges. 'Let's push politicians to do what's right: Stop blaming games and start taking effective action against gun violence.'
'The Final Exam' is available for free on its website, where players can also contribute to non-profits supporting gun reform.
