The parents of a school shooting victim have created a videogame to educate people about gun control. 'This isn't a scary game. It's an education game.'

Parents of Joaquin Oliver (17), a teen killed in the 2018 mass shooting of Marjory Stoneman Doug High School, Parkland, Florida have released a game that challenges players to survive a shooting at a school. The videogame is meant to convince Americans about the need for more gun control.

The Final Exam, released in September by Change the Ref - an organization founded in the wake of the murder of Manuel and Patricia Oliver's son - places players alone in a fictional school in the middle of a shooting. The Final Exam is a linear journey through a locker-room, gym, and hallways. Interludes are used to hide from the shooter while controlling your breathing using quicktime events. The game is very short, with a playthrough lasting about 10 minutes. According to the website thefinalexam.us, this is the average duration of a mass shooting in the US.

The shooter is only glimpsed a few times, as a half-hidden, shadowy figure. The audio is much more harrowing. Gunfire, distant screams and crying, alarms, sirens and long silences where the only sound you hear is your heartbeat. You can escape by avoiding death at certain preset times. The five gun control bills are aimed at reducing school shootings. They include mandatory background checks, raising the age for purchasing guns, and banning assault weapons and magazines with high capacity.

The website of Final Exam states: "These halls are representative of the real-life horrors that hundreds of schools have experienced mass shootings." "Places where our government failed to provide a safe environment for children."

The Final Exam, despite its simplicity and briefness, is one of the most gruesome games I've ever played. As I skulked through dark rooms and hallways, I was shocked by the sound of gunfire that was too close. I could do nothing about it. It is impossible to ignore the reality of its subject: it's not a good game, but a very effective retelling a truly awful story.

"This is not an scary game," Change the Ref's co-founder Patricia Oliver told the Palm Beach Post, whose son Joaquin was 17 years old. It's an educational video game. We need to pass these laws in real life."

Some people believe violent videogames to be the main cause of mass shootings that occur in the US. Former US President Donald Trump is one of them. After the Marjory stoneman Douglas shooting that left 14 students and 3 staff members dead, he said, "I'm hearing more and more people saying the level of violence in videogames really shapes young people's minds."

As the Post article notes, however, residents of other countries, such as Japan, South Korea and the UK, spend more per person on violent videogames, but suffer a lower incidence of gun-related death. Change the Ref called efforts by the US government to blame gun violence on videogames a "false story."

The Final Exam can be downloaded directly. Steam will be released in the near future.