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Nintendo DS Hurts The Children!
GameSetWatch has a humorous lampoon of an ABC-6 Action News report on the dangers your child can face in the seedy world of Mario Kart. From the article: "We've been struggling in trying to figure out how kids can be 'lured into dangerous chat rooms' while using the Nintendo DS, considering that the DS's chat program, PictoChat, can not be used over the internet, and also keeping in mind that the only way to interact with a living being over the internet through your Nintendo DS is to do so through a game that supports Nintendo WiFi Connection, all of which require both parties to input 'friend codes' before they can play with each other."
I'm vaguely reminded of Brass Eye and its satirical criticism of video games (for the non-initiated, they got a bunch of easily-bought celebrities to come on camera and say that a cartoon dog's eyes on a game could be used as a webcam by a paedophile).
In short; utter fucking bollocks.
By summer it was all gone...now shesmovedon. --
That police chief might sound kind of shady, but it's okay, they got a serious "Internet Saftey Expert" Kieth Dunn to weigh in on the matter. I mean, he's a proud proponent of eBlaster Spy Software -- software that "records ALL emails, chats, instant messages, web sites visited, keystrokes typed, programs launched and peer-to-peer (P2P) files downloaded - then sends it to you via email in the form of a detailed Activity Report" -- so you can not only spy on your child but betray their trust at the very same time!
... If only there was a "Report Spam" key for people.
All for the low price of $99.95.
I left them a nice comment via their contact us link:
Regarding the Nintendo DS story- the 3 lines at the bottom of the story from Nintendo invalidate the entire premise of the story- yet parents won't notice it and will either boycott the DS or potentially write Nintendo letters. While I am routinely disgusted to see the kids that ride my bus glued into these things 24-7, this story either has an ulterior motive to malign Nintendo, or is truly just misinformed and not listening to the people who would know - Nintendo. If someone is within 65 feet of your child, you've got bigger problems.
I can see it now on pictochat...
"Princess Peach! GET OUT NOW! The signal is coming from within the Castle!"