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Aussie Attorney General Says Gamers Are Scarier Than Biker Gangs

Posted by Soulskill on from the well-perhaps-in-some-senses dept.

Sasayaki writes "South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson claims, in an interview with Good Game, that gamers were more of a threat to his family than biker gangs. This is the man who has been the biggest opponent to Australia receiving an R18+ rating for video games and who has the power to veto any such law introducing it."

11 of 409 comments (clear)

  1. Well, i guess so... by gandhi_2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    if you are a bag of Doritos.

    --
    THL phish sticks
    1. Re:Well, i guess so... by interkin3tic · · Score: 5, Insightful

      To be fair, the context was that a gamer slipped a threatening note under his door. I think in general, zombies are scarier than my next door neighbor, but if my next door neighbor says he's going to burn down my house, and zombies remain fictional, temporarily my neighbor becomes scarier than zombies.

      It's not a statement that should have been made by a politician in public though, and since he's keeping censorship going, he deserves whatever he gets (quotes taken out of context AND the threats). Furthermore, for him to fairly make the comparison, he needs to try banning motorcycles and then telling us which is scarier. I don't know much about motorcycle gangs, but I think they probably wouldn't have slid a note under his door, I think they would have slid a note on the end of their boot up his ass.

    2. Re:Well, i guess so... by ozbird · · Score: 5, Insightful

      To be fair, the context was that a gamer slipped a threatening note under his door.

      A gamer allegedly slipped a threatening note under his door.

  2. Hells Angels by e2d2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I hear a challenge Hells Angels/Mongols/Pagans/Insert your club here. This guy just called you all a bunch of pussies!

  3. I'm pretty sure... by SharpFang · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...it would be opposite if he was proposing a ban on motorcycles.

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    45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  4. Even scarier - both by davidwr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Biker gangs playing video games while driving - that's double scary.

    But what about Biker gangs playing video games about biker games playing video games while driving, while driving???

    Or what about ERR_STACK_OVERFLOW

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  5. Veto? by afidel · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wow, the AG has the power of the veto in .AU? That's a pretty strange arrangement where the guy charged with enforcing the law gets to decide if something should be a law.

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    There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
  6. Re:The guy's right by Qzukk · · Score: 5, Insightful

    this guy thinks that gamers are generally more dangerous than bikers in order to discredit him.

    Quote:

    "I feel that my family and I are more at risk from gamers than we are from the outlaw motorcycle gangs who also hate me and are running a candidate against me"

    He didn't say "from a gamer" he said "from gamers", as in the whole group. As opposed to the outlaw motorcycle gangs, as in their whole group. He feels that gamers are more dangerous than bikers. If he's never received a death threat from anyone but a gamer, then perhaps he's justified in feeling that way, but I'm seriously surprised that this is the first death threat an AG would get.

    I do have to say that the motorcycle gangs have a better long term plan than the gamers do at this point. Someone should start a gamer party and run for election on the grounds that you actually know something about what you're trying to regulate.

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    If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
  7. Re:Bwahahaha! by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As a politician and (assuming Rudd isn't running everything) a setter of policy, it's his job to look beyond personal anecdotes. If he's making policy based solely on the fact that some nutjob left a note on his door, and he can't get past that, then he has no business being in a position where he does form policy. I'm sorry someone made some sort of a threat, but if he's suffered that significant an emotional scarring from it, perhaps he should recuse himself.

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    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  8. Re:Bwahahaha! by rale,+the · · Score: 5, Informative

    The article also mentions that in his scuffle with the bikers, he claimed they had BBQ'd and eaten a cat. Then was forced to admit he made it up. Why would you give him any credibility with regards to this supposed threat he received, when he has lied about his opposition in the past?

  9. Threatening?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here is a copy of the note itself
    http://imgur.com/CeACw.png

    How does this constitute a threatening letter?
    "Dear Mick, I Can Has R18 Rating Pls? kthxbai"

    Screen shot Taken from http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/02/16/2820930.htm (not by me)

    Talk about the media taking it and running with it and blowing out of proportion