Best laugh ive had all day

Asuka

What a troll

A

cartman

sry

Greenbean

Problem is they brush so close to "half-truths" its not funny. Ok, I get the joke, but I also, unfortunately, see a point to choosing the trolls they did. The ressonate with some things which, in some cases, do prove to be true...

DiscoStu

Alert! New MMORPG, "The Sims Online" to Hit the Shelves (C|NET)

now as much as i try those damn sims will never take the rocket launcher, rocket jump onto the roof where i conviently placed the railgun and copy of gta3 then pop the heads of a few of the neighbours then settle down for the night in front of the tv for some fresh violence courtesy of the 6 o'clock news and a spot of carjacking and bank robbery in gta: vice city before bed. whats even worse is that after months of doing this they never feel the need to go postal at work either. maybe im doing something wrong?

super_furry

It's a hoax - http://a.parsons.edu/~dyoo/2002-3/interactivity/mavav/

Greenbean

... apologies for being pedantic, I get that way when drunk. Overall its a very amusing website

swiss

Probably won't do any good, but I sent the following to the email address:

contact@mavov.org

Dear Sir/Madam,

It is with some interest with which I read the information contained within your webpage, www.mavov.org. I understand that you believe that violence and other degrading influences within videogames are a dangerous corrupting influence towards the youth of today. Firstly, I must state that I have recently left my youth behind, and despite having an extensive knowledge of videogaming on several levels, I cannot speak authoriatively about videogames specifically targeted towards the youth market, as I have not had motive or opportunity to study titles geared towards this market in general.

As a games player, I find that many games offer an interactivity and level of involvement that is unparalleled with any other media. I believe that it is only prudent that parents monitor the exposure of their children to this new media, just as they would with any other media. Part of this monitoring process is to ensure that the videogame media which children purchase is appropriate for a child of that age. Video game age ratings has become mandatory on all computer games, all videogames must be certified before it is released, the same as video and dvd releases.

Therefore, I sometimes find the outrage and disgust of parents at the titles their children are playing somewhat disingenuous. Just as one would not give a violent video/dvd release to a child one should appreciate that purchasing a game such as GTA3, with a clear rating that it is unsuitable for minors is also inadvisable. Indeed your website continues it's diatribe against the aforementioned title. I direct you to the following excerpt from the mivav website

"“Rewarding players for having sex with, and killing, a prostitute is a frightening example to set."

As I have already stated, I believe this game is unsuitable for young children. However, as an adult I believe that it is within my discretion to find something disturbing or frightening, or indeed amusing or entertaining. I do not believe I am a sadistic individual, but I am able to distinguish between the fantasy of videogames and the reality inherent in life around us. I would humbly suggest that authors of the same pieces of dogma purported in this website deign to do the same.

I also find that several of your claims about videogame violence and other corrupting influences to be overly alarmist, and in some cases misleading. I refer you to the following quote taken from your website:

"And the newest absurdity, underground videogame cultures which takes gaming to another level, tainted with online "clans", singling out of people, hatred, racism, and sexism"

I am familiar with the concept of gaming clans. It has undoubtedly increased in popularity over the last several years since many games moved from single player titles to popular mulitplayer affairs, often played over the internet or LAN. I myself am a member of a gaming clan, where we play multiplayer titles like "Counter-Strike" and "Quake" with other clans and individuals. I feel that this is a welcome and exciting development to computer games, it takes the concept of videogaming out of a single room/player environment and creates a dynamic social event, where people with similar interests can interact on a much more social basis.

As for the assertion that "singling out of people, hatred, racism, and sexism" is endemic to the formation of clans, then I would firstly like to point out that clans are often formed based on mutual gaming interests shared by it's members. Given that these members are also likely to be in close geographical proximity then it would be wholly unsurprising that many clans consist of many people of the same sex and ethnicity. While I would welcome a change to this, I would also like to point out that this is hardly "singling out of people". It is, in fact, the opposite. It is also grossly unfair to generalise that all clans engage in hatred, racism and sexism without definitive evidence that demonstrates that many clans are guilty of such.

Making such unfounded claims as these undermines your argument, and from a personal point of view, I would not condone any form of hatred based on sex, ethnicity, sexuality or age amongst gaming clans or any other organisation.

In short, although the thrust of your website purports to be about educating parents about the dangers of games, it is entirely misleading in it's application of logic. It blames videogames for societal ills, using them as a scapegoat for poor parental supervision

I am particularly fond of this vitriol saturated diatribe.

"Danger: Do videogames make people violent?
Yes. What was once a debatable question, is now fact. New research has concluded that videogame violence and behavior related violence are in fact closely related."

Indeed. Now that this has been purported as "fact", perhaps some evidence could be procured to demonstrate this beyond any reasonable argument. I have read many such articles, and remain wholly unconvinced that videogames are responsible for many of the violent acts of todays society. As a veteran of many wargames, I can attest that I do not feel any more disposed to violent acts as a result of my hobby.

Sadly many such "facts" are misrepresented, at best, in the name of education. I'm sorry that I don't fit into your convenient demograph of "feral young children and pre-teenage gamers" when stating these opinions. All the opinions expressed here are my own, and do not reflect any third party.

I welcome any feedback which you may have in relation to this email. If you have any comments or queries about any opinions stated here please feel free to email me.

Best regards.

super_furry

Swiss, you should really check out that link I posted.

swiss

D'oh

swiss

Just got a mail bounce from that email address. Looks like you're right. Ah well, my lenghty retort shall be preserved here

ykt0di9url7bc3

hmmmm wood or trees?
wood or trees?
wood or trees?
wood or trees?
wood or trees?
wood or trees?
wood or trees?
wood or trees?
wood or trees?
wood or trees?

Asuka

Well I doubt i would have been laughing so much if I had thought there was any possibility that it was a serious website GB Banging my head off a wall possibly

A

Thorbar

Hey swiss, I've this great hobby of growing little kittens in jars if you want to learn more take a look at this site.

Oh and did you hear about the machine that makes you live forever here take a look.

Only poking fun no harm intended