Taking a game programming class...

[}]Crazy[{]

make a game where you shoot marshmellows from a candycane blaster
make a proper candycane blaster design tho.

[Ad Bot]

[elm]

Make a game where you are a gun, and you shoot humans at eachother.

[blood.fm]

really, the game programming classes offered at public school (i'm assuming that's where you are) are terrible. just learn online.

[Landmineman4000²]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB6fq9Aadwk

[McJob]

Absolutely loving handicapped. Well played, education system.

really, the game programming classes offered at public school (i'm assuming that's where you are) are terrible. just learn online.

Most programming lessons online are loving awful and documentation isn't geared towards newbies. At least with a teacher they can walk you through it.

[Rigel]

Make a game about trying to survive disasters.
like 9/11

[sir dooble]

If people cant distinguish a game from reality they are not worth breating the air.

That's not the issue or the point though.

It's just not acceptable in school to be bringing in themes of extreme violence.
You're not in a programming class to learn to be creative, you're there to learn to program. That can be done without making a game with guns or gore. If you can still put in 'friendly' projectiles and things then that's giving you the same skills as making a game with guns.

I don't agree with a total censorship, but it's still not necessary to use guns and graphic violence.
If anything this restriction lets you get more creative with what you do anyway.   

[Tayasaurus]

That's not the issue or the point though.

It's just not acceptable in school to be bringing in themes of extreme violence.
You're not in a programming class to learn to be creative, you're there to learn to program.

Creativity improves upon skill. So no, you ARE there to learn to be creative AND learn to program.

Long story short, its still a load of stuff to crack down and limit any creativity. While its not necessary to have "violence" (cower at the word) it shouldn't be prohibited.

[Plethora]

For once I'm on the middle ground.  It does make some sense to say that you can't make bloodbath games about shooting up schools in a school because, as the kid that pulled that kind of crap before, I know that the school system as a result of shootings and such is kind of cornered into the better safe than sorry viewpoint where they have to make a big show of freaking out so that nobody can ever say "How did you not see the signs?  Why did you let this happen?  I'm going to sue the pants off the school system."

On the other hand, there should be reasonableness in any restrictions imposed.  Yes, you shouldn't make bloodbaths, but a little violence in the plot or the gameplay can make the game better without going overboard.  Unfortunately, what oftentimes happens is that some idiot ruins things early down the line thwarting the "We won't freak out if you don't go overboard" approach.

[Foxscotch]

Long story short, its still a load of stuff to crack down and limit any creativity. While its not necessary to have "violence" (cower at the word) it shouldn't be prohibited.

how is it any different than any other restrictions? I don't see anyone complaining that the ludum dare restricts your creativity because you only get 48 hours

[Headcrab Zombie]

how is it any different than any other restrictions? I don't see anyone complaining that the ludum dare restricts your creativity because you only get 48 hours

That's not a restriction, that's a challenge.

Anyways I'm kind of stuck between my opinion on this. Since most of the people would most likely just make Generic FPS Game #7935, not allowing shooters could potentially boost creativity by making people look into other genres. But no violence at ALL is kind of strict

[Foxscotch]

That's not a restriction, that's a challenge.

it is a restriction
because that's what the word restriction means

but it doesn't matter. view it as a "challenge" to make games that aren't violent. probably the easiest challenge ever
chances are whatever you'd have come up with would've been completely uninteresting anyway

[Headcrab Zombie]

it is a restriction
because that's what the word restriction means

Well technically yeah
But it's also a challenge

chances are whatever you'd have come up with would've been completely uninteresting anyway

That's pretty much what I said
But the problem is what is violence
Are we talking blood and gore and stuff
Or any sort of negative interaction with another character at all, like cartoon violence
Not allowing FPS games would cut out a lot of uninteresting, generic shooters. But "no violence at all" cuts out a lot of interesting ideas

[McJob]

I can't believe Foxscoth and sir dooble are arguing FOR censorship. If there's any one way to spread disinformation and prevent people from maturing and learning it's by limiting expression to be "kid-friendly".

Violence is not just physical. Violence involves negative intent in any form of conflict. Games are based on conflict-resolution and cause/effect. You're essentially preventing somebody from learning about how good game design works for the sake of some handicapped viewpoint that video games cause violence. That's where I draw the loving line in the sand. You can't limit expression because your country has a problem with guns; making games involving guns is the best way to express and teach people about safe operation.

My bet is this teacher is enough of a goddam pain in the arse that they'll interpret anything vaguely like the act of shooting (such as a Tetris block launching blocks at other blocks) as a crime.

[sir dooble]

I think you'll find I said I don't agree with total censorship.
But it's not necessary to have violence in your game in your programming class at school. It's not even a game design class. The school is well within its rights to restrict you from including violence/guns, in the exact same way that they're in their rights to prohibit you from performing Drama scenes about murder/rape, or drawing pictures of death/murder in art class, or writing stories of violence and brutality in English class.
None of it is necessary for learning the skills you're trying to learn.

And that's a right load of toss about it needing to be promoted in your games class. It's not even about keeping children from violence, it's about what's presentable in a school during a day or a parents evening. There's a time and a place. If that truly upsets you then tough titties.