After Making Shooting Threat, Judge Bans Teen From Playing Violent Video Games

A Chicago high school student allegedly made a threat and received an unusual punishment for it, the Chicago Tribune reported. The 16-year-old posted a video on Snapchat that eventually led to a felony charge and his banishment from the world of violent video games.

The sophomore, who was not identified by authorities, reportedly got annoyed by all of the discussion around school shootings in the aftermath of the Valentine’s Day Parkland shooting. He then allegedly posted a Snapchat video in which he played a video game with the caption, “Y’all need to shut up about school shootings or I’ll do one.”

He was charged with felony disorderly conduct in juvenile court, and after a night in juvenile detention, he was released. He was put on indefinite home detention, with a couple of caveats: No phone and no violent video games. The judge told him he could play “Mario Kart,” but anything above that was off-limits.

Ars Technica dove deeper into that aspect of the case. According to a DuPage County state attorney spokesperson, those particular prohibitions were a way to get the teen out of juvenile detention and back home.

They said the ban on gaming is less a punishment and more an “extra precaution.” The spokesperson noted that it was unusual, but made necessary by the circumstances the teen found himself in. The idea is to keep the teen from communicating with others, just like his ban from social media. Multiplayer video games almost always have some form of text or voice chat.

The judge told the teen’s parents they were responsible for “keeping him off those games.” They will have to do that until the judge lifts the teen’s home detention. He will appear again in court on March 12.

Multiple United States politicians have dredged up the old issue of video games causing violent behavior in the wake of the Parkland shooting. President Donald Trump commented on the matter Wednesday, and a Rhode Island state rep proposed a 10 percent tax on violent video games.