Facebook Quickly Pulled Their VR Shooter From the Conservative Political Action Conference

The last two weeks have been an especially tumultuous time in North America following the tragic [...]

BulletTrain

The last two weeks have been an especially tumultuous time in North America following the tragic school shooting that claimed 17 lives of both students and staff. With tensions raised on both sides, and even the US President himself weighing in, it's probably not the best idea to showcase a game about massive shootouts in public, every day places. Because of that, Facebook has pulled their VR demo of Bullet Train from their booth at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

This is the same conference that the National Rifle Association shot off an impassioned speech about gun rights, making the tension felt everywhere seem even more prevalent. Facebook's decision to pull the game from their booth at event centering around conservative leaders was one made out of respect as the company's vice president, Hugo Barra, released a statement regarding the move:

"There is a standard set of experiences included in the Oculus demos we feature at public events," he told Variety. "A few of the action games can include violence. In light of the recent events in Florida and out of respect for the victims and their families, we have removed them from this demo. We regret that we failed to do so in the first place."

Though it does seem like a wise decision to pull the game, we are a bit curious as to why they chose that particular title for that particular event. With video games being regularly demonized by more conservative spectrum of political intrigue, and several key members of the Republican party wanting taxation, and even banning, of video games open to the public, it seems like a very odd choice to begin with, regardless of circumstance.

Looking at the title itself, it's self-described as "ultra violent," which would make it a prime target for those that look to video games as a source of blame:

"Bullet Train is the latest VR experience from Epic Games, creators of the popular Showdown VR demo. Staying true to form, Epic puts you in the middle of the action: Use motion controls in the role of an agent undergoing an infiltration simulation set inside a modern train station. Master the art of teleportation, time manipulation, and close-quarters combat to blast through resistance forces. Thanks to Unreal Engine technology and the Oculus Touch motion controllers, you can physically interact with an array of weapons, from guns to grenades to missiles, and even feel them through haptic feedback."

Ultimately, the choice to remove the title from the show floor was a smart decision, regardless of political affiliation.

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