The guys (and one attractive girl) at Waterloo Labs like showing people how to do cool science-based projects on the cheap. For instance, if you have a large wall you can shoot, something to shoot at the large wall, a projector, a few accelerometers and the ability to hook it all up to a fancy computer you too can play Half-Life with real guns/rubber bands/rocks/anything you want to hurl at a wall including shovels. In the video below you can see how these rogue scientists put together everything that was needed so that one can truly use a real gun (or any object) while playing Half-Life and then went on to waste the entire experiment because they didn't bring a crowbar with them.
If you want to do it yourself then head over to their site, but please for the love of everything that is holy do not use real guns. You will most likely not only hurt yourself and others, but also single-handedly set the gaming industry's right to free speech back 10 years.
Speaking of that, Gizmodo had the bright idea of sending the video over to Jack Thompson who, as is par for the course, completely missed the point and instead commented on their headline for the article which read "Half-Life Played With Real Guns Is Jack Thompson's Wet Dream." Sarcasm flying so far over Thompson's head that he probably thought it was a plane, he responded that "Something that further glamorizes killing humans in virtual reality would not be my wet dream. That would be Strauss Zelnick's wet dream." I wonder how you sign "You're an idiot" in ASL. Check out the vid and Thompson's full response after the jump.
Thompson's Response
John, you're terribly confused. Something that further glamorizes killing humans in virtual reality would not be my wet dream. That would be Strauss Zelnick's wet dream.
I'm the guy who opposes this stuff, who has lobbied against it for ten years, and who has been doing everything I can to stop massacres, not foster them.
So just how would what I oppose give me a wet dream? And why would you use such a gross image?
Well, the answer to both questions is in this answer: You have no earthly idea what you are talking about and you have a Jack Thompson obession.
Please report my response to your idiotic headline.
Matthew Razak is Destructoid's Associate editor and co-founder of film site Flixist. He began as community member "cowzilla" and was since sequestered to write brainy features material. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife.
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The sign for "stupid" is making a fist (the letter "s" in ASL) and placing it on your forehead as if your palm is facing in (it's like your knocking on your own head). Combine that with pointing at a person, and you can call them an idiot all you want.
Pretty cool science-wise but seriously Gizmodo...... sending that to Jack Thompson is like sending an article from Stormfront to a Jew. No blame to be put on Jack for that one.
I don't think it went over Jack's head. Contrary to popular belief, Jack isn't a total idiot. He simply chooses very carefully (and very strangely) what he responds to and how he responds. He chose to ignore the crass joke and use it as a means of attacking Zelnick. That's the only way I'd interpret it, and it's true to form for him.
@Mecha Six VII: So I take it you've never played Half Life, or you'd know that the Combine neither run away nor suffer, they just shoot and die. They are nothing more than pieces of code, and anybody with half of a brain can tell the difference between games and reality. No game is a murder simulator, because it is impossible to truly simulate the feeling of killing a real, live human being. If you are the sort of person who does feel remorse when playing shooters, then just let other people play them happily.
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
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Contest:
9:00 AM on 08.08.2009
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combine_(Half-Life)
@ Jack Thompson
Also, nice picture Matthew, I did it myself too.
@ parrothead: Probably nothing! (She just doesn't want us to know that)
Playing Half-Life at home, with guns, is why Jesus brought firearms to the world in the first place.
This is wrong. This is a digital firing range, with the ability to create targets that can attempt to run away and can simulate suffering.
This is something the army would probably like to use to train soldiers.
FPSs aren't inherently murder simulators, but this thing is.
very much so.