Jess Cliffe whose claim to fame is his contribution towards creating the popular multiplayer FPS franchise Counter-Strike is now in the headlines for all the humiliating reasons, that of sexually exploiting an underage girl.
A lot of information isn’t available at the moment though what is known is that Cliffe is lodged in a jail in Seattle. A bail hearing is due on Friday, and the Judge’s ruling then will determine the future course the case will take.
Also, the exact nature of the crime Cliffe is alleged to have committed is unknown though initial reports point to him having shot pictures of child sexual abuse besides having created videos of the same as well. Put in simple terms, Cliffe has been charged with creating child porn.
Cliffe has been working with the gaming firm Valve though the company has stated his employment will remain suspended till further decision. The 36-year-old has been associated with Valve for quite some time now and has been the lead contributor on all Counter-Strike iterations.
In fact, Cliffe had started his career at Valve after having co-created Counter-Strike together with Minh Le.
That was back in 2000 and was subsequently hired by Valve soon after that. Cliffe even has his voice rendering several phrases that players get to hear.
Counter-Strike has also emerged one of the top selling games over the years, with copies of it sold in the millions. Further, with Cliffe being so intricately associated with the game since its inception, it remains to be seen what sort of an impact, if any, there will be on the franchise if Cliffe is indeed found guilty.
Cliffe does not have a record of any such crimes committed earlier. The only other time he has been booked was in 2013.
However, that was assault charges that were levied again him then with the courts eventually giving him a clean chit few months later.
Child porn though happens to be a far more serious crime and Cliff would surely be ruing his luck for finding himself in all this mess.
