An individual hoping to enjoy today's Nintendo Direct, believed to be a student at California State University Fullerton, has caused the campus' Acting Chief of Police to increase security after sending an oblique message to a professor urging that class be cancelled for "the good of humanity".
The news comes directly from the CSUF Police Department's Twitter page (thanks, Nintendo Everything), with Acting Chief Scot Willey confirming that a professor at the University had received an email referencing a "once-in-a-lifetime event" occurring on February 8th and suggesting that class should be cancelled.
The statement communicates that detectives learned of the Nintendo Direct presentation following "hours of investigation" before confirming that the individual reached back out to the professor in question admitting the email was a "bad joke". Regardless, the University will see increased security throughout the day out of "an abundance of caution".
It's an odd one, that's for sure, and perhaps a stark reminder that words written on the internet — whether it be via social media or email — can have a drastic effect on those reading them, intentional or not. In this case, someone's excitement seemed to get the better of them.
What do you make of this debacle? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[source twitter.com, via nintendoeverything.com]
Comments (61)
Since when did Nintendo Life become The Onion?
If this turns out to be another farm Direct, it'll all have been for nothing.
(Disclaimer: Joke)
I mean I took the day off from work, so I can't blame them for wanting to do the same.
Yup. That's America. Insert something about video games leading to spree shootings.
I couldn't stop chuckling throughout the entire statement.
If this direct doesn't have some major announcements, all this effort for the good of humanity will have been wasted.
Amazing and also sad how cagey institutions feel they need to be (especially here in the States).
What a moron......
(more words)
The joke was clearly harmless. On the other hand, in today's environment - particularly concerning recent events in that part of the US - I also don't blame the overreaction. Better safe than sorry and all that.
One of my professors suddenly cancelled a meeting with me today. Maybe he also just wanted to watch the Nintendo direct!
Yeah people need to learn context. Even though the joke was harmless there have been so many violent attacks in schools of course it was going to result in an investigation
@Zybrissa You mean the Direct that re-confirmed the existence of Pikmin 4, revealed Octopath 2, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, Fatal Frame 4, and Fire Emblem Engage?
I'll be super happy if this Direct is as good as September's Direct was.
Can't blame the kneejerk of this kind, given the country's grim track record, but suddenly having the Direct at 1 am over here doesn't sound SO bad.😅 Although I've missed stuff like this before... only to find it officially reuploaded in its entirety a few hours later, so yes, it was ultimately an awkward joke referencing a first world non-problem.
@Zybrissa if folks are STILL salty after a SINGLE sim/JRPG-heavy Direct, I'm amazed how the whole Nintendo fandom wasn't successfully dissolved after 25 straight minutes of SSBU way back when.😏
I'm just imagining there's a homicidal maniac on the verge of snapping and the only thing keeping him somewhat sane is the hopes of something good being revealed in the Nintendo Direct. When it's over, he exclaims, "WHAT!? NO SMASH!?" and then goes on a violent rampage while this music from Mario Party 2 plays in the background: https://youtu.be/ZTbj45PJxyQ
This reminds me of the Smash Bros released day on Switch. A similar situation occurred back then when they printed out the icon of Smash Bros on a paper and put it at school, which made the school thinks that some theorists were going to make a mass shooting that day
I don’t mean the be the “Well, achkshually” person, but let’s be real here, we in the United States are in an era where a mass shooting happens literally every day. It’s reasonable as to why this would be investigated, and an increase in security as a response to a vague message. Although this is humorous to us gamers, it would seem concerning to others who don’t get the joke.
Edit: I don’t know if this topic is too controversial to be mentioned here. If this comment gets taken down, I don’t mind it.
I remember reading a story from back in 2018 where some kid at a middle or high school was so hyped for Super Smash Bros Ultimate that he drew the Smash Bros target symbol on his classroom chalkboard. A teacher mistakened that drawing as a bomb threat and promptly called police.
You can imagine the chaos that ensued.
@EaglyTheKawaiiShika it’s honestly extremely depressing… I love my adopted country so much (I got my citizenship last week) but we need to stop the violence… here’s to the future.
@WiiWouldLikeToPlay Yep, that’s definitely how the onion works
"for the good of humanity" haha that part got me
Student should have known better (I would have had to leave the country the second my parents found I did something so stupid). Just skip the class as you obviously aren’t going to pay attention.
This day and age they should have known sending something like that would have been screened as a potential threat.
I remember after columbine and 9/11 standing outside my high school for a bomb threat thinking “this can’t be how it’s gonna go from now on. Not even safe in a school of all places” nope 15 year old me… it’s worse. All that anger I felt at the time that going to school had become dangerous, well more dangerous than person in a van offering candy, (and I say this as a person with parents that lived through integration and they have some HORROR stories) and I am honestly grateful to be an adult and not in the current school system.
Only in the good ol' U S of A
And how was this caused on behalf of Nintendo or Nintendo Direct directions? This is one person's stupidity that had nothing to do with Nintendo Direct.
And they still didn’t cancel class… hope you have good coverage to watch it under the desk on your phone BY WHICH I MEAN pay attention to your professor
@ChaoticKirby yeah, can't really fault the authorities. Still, America's obsessions with guns will forever be incomprehensible to me.
Well the student wasn't wrong
Oh geez, obviously he didn't mean any harm but I guess considering the state of US society the concern is warranted?
I am now thinking back to all my harshly worded customer support mails I sent to American companies, hopefully they didn't think I was threatening them...
@Parker55 congrats and welcome fellow American!
I mean...the dude’s not wrong...
@WhiteTrashGuy "Feel?" Do you not watch the news?
@Parker55 I wish more people would love the good while admitting the bad exists. America is a great country, but we also have problems that we need to address.
Was it a bomb "threat"? Without the joke, what is the context?
Either way, rofl America... 🤦♂️
guess today’s Nintendo Direct will be… extremely violent 😰
"Once-in-a-lifetime event"
So Nintendo Directs never occurred before and none will happen after this one?
In a country where school shootings are as frequent as they are, I'd sure as hell be glad the police are on top of everything like this.
For every hundred false alarms, there's one that isn't.
What a nerrrrrd.
This is hilarious and sad at the same time, and speaks volumes the state we’re in here.
I know we weren’t given much notice, but I worked extra hours yesterday to ensure I could be home on time to watch it today. I even plan to ride my stationary bike for the entirety of the Direct. 😋
@Savage_Joe Please, no, then all of the people on NL who aren't blocked by Anti-Matter will have to listen to him complaining for the rest of the week.
@TeaCatherine just block the guy like I did 😂 he can’t read my comments, though
"After hours of investigation"??
@Dr_Corndog indeed. It’s an amazing place, just flawed. But so is my homeland of Canada, the Uk, Germany and every other nation.
Must be their first Direct I guess, or they think Metroid Prime 4 is about to be announced.
Understandable that they felt the need to investigate given there’s a mass shooting literally every day.
@EVIL-C it wasn’t a bomb threat but anything urging the cancellation of a large gathering of people (such as a class) is going to be assessed for potential violence. You don’t have to say bomb or gun or whatever you have to push for an out of the ordinary change of a mass gathering that otherwise has no reason for it and the “for the good of humanity” comment could be construed as people are “safe” if the class is canceled. Which is a veiled threat. It’s standard procedure as real threats are not always straightforward on purpose. It sucks but better safe than sorry.
@Savage_Joe Nah, he beat me to it, plus I wouldn't block/ignore anyone because then it would make replies to their comments not make any sense, context is important.
@TeaCatherine that’s on NL for not having a decent quote reply system
at least the k9 dog gets to go for a walk
Fullerton isn't much of a school. Kinda like those adult night classes.. the kids could just skip a class and no one care
@Not_Soos
I think you have a plotline for the next gta or retro city rampage!
@Savage_Joe Yeah, if they had it so that it showed what the person was replying to, but only if you clicked something first, that'd be good.
This is America alright.
If you want to watch a Nintendo Direct live, just don't attend class.
That was a joke, but I'm honestly baffled by the lack of common sense in this joke. College professors don't care if you skip, unless you're legitimately failing class.
@Ryu_Niiyama I guess my criticism was on NL (like usual) for not giving the original example of why this happened. Cause the story makes no sense without context.
@EVIL-C oh gotcha sorry for misunderstanding.
@Zybrissa Well, depends on what is life-changing to that fellow...
@Parker55 congratulations on becoming a citizen and yeah this shouldn’t be the norm
@DiggleDog
It's incomprehensible to many Americans, too.
Damn that's kinda overkill for wanting to watch a Direct live.
Proof of how messed the US is
How is this a threat in any way? School violence is in no way a “once in a lifetime event”. It happens every other week. We had a bomb threat in my middle school twice a week for the whole time I was there. People and there sensitive feels I swear…
@nessisonett which makes it by definition not “once in a lifetime”. To be fair a Nintendo direct is not either
We don't have to worry he will have a good spot in his parents basement for the rest of his life as he won't be able to show his face outside of having a bag over his head. He can kiss his college days goodbye when he gets his pink slip of termination from College.
In this case, they did overreact. There was nothing even hinting at such a thing. What a pitiful state of affairs and how crappy my country has become.
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