If you are able to go your entire life without using a single state-provided service, then in all likelihood you are probably far enough off the radar that not paying taxes won't hurt you. Truthfully, you probably don't even need money if that's the case, so it's a non-issue.
As much as bureaucracies love to find busywork to do, I doubt that there are enough resources to spare (or enough people willing to spend money on said resources) to be able to keep track of a virtual economy. Not to mention the logistics and legality of them asking you to provide a list of your in-game assets, if they were to go that route, or forcing a company like Blizzard or Linden Lab to provide or allow access to such information.
I doubt they'd be able to get away with taxing it while it's still in SecondLife dollars. If they tried, it would be fun to watch the first time someone with a huge amount of in-game assets killed their account and claimed a business loss.
Weren't you the same people saying "Games aren't real"? Well, they're not. Stop bitching.
The contexts of the "games aren't real" argument and that of the bitching in the article are different.
When the industry is fighting the government over regulation of content and legislation of sales, they're defending their rights. Regardless of the tastelessness or immorality of game content, the industry has the right to make and publish that content without government interference. The "games aren't real" argument is used against those that want to shift blame for society's ills onto video games and put a cap on their means of expression.
When an article like this pops up, it's criticism from within (and well-deserved criticism at that) but they aren't arguing that the developers and publishers shouldn't have the right to do what they do, but that they need to grow the hell up. The tone of immaturity that hangs over video games does disservice to everyone that plays or makes video games by painting them with the same broad brush. This type of criticism is good and the more they work to alleviate Problem B, the easier it's going to be solve Problem A.
It's possible that, depending on how old you are, the "Well, excuuuuuse me..." line was actually something people picked up from Steve Martin, not the Zelda cartoons.
However anyone who modded your comment off-topic doesn't deserve mod points. I picked up this DVD set a couple months ago and my wife and I sat through the whole thing during a weekend. Every once in a while, she'll bust out an "excuse me, princess!" and I'll die laughing. It's one of those things that goes from being something you don't notice to annoying to hilarious during the course of the series. If the show had run longer, it would have ventured back into annoying, but as it is, during the last 5-7 episodes, whenever Link drops that line, it's the highest of high comedy.
He's too modest to say so, but it's a little known fact that the PS3 will not only be able to play games at 120 fps and decode 10 HDTV channels simultaneously but it will also cure cancer, dispense beer, and give free blowjobs.
It's good to know this technology will be prepared for the future. That way when DNF finally doesn't come out, we'll all have a machine capable of pretending to play it.
Just so you know, the Best Buy near where I live is one of the ones selling (and buying) used games and they aren't just current generation used games. I've bought several NES, SNES, DC, and PS games as well as seen Genesis, Gameboy, GBA, Saturn, and Atari games on the shelves. The cartridge games almost always come without the box or manual. The disc games always have at least a case (sometimes even the original huge PS cases) and usually have the manual with it. The current generation used games they sell are usually in their original packaging with manual intact.
While I don't necessarily agree that without the exact same actors the charm can't be recaptured, both actors are still alive and keeping busy with voice-over work. So unless money is an issue, there shouldn't be any reason to not bring the same guys back.
Neither the MPAA's rating system nor the ESRB's rating system is government-imposed. Legislation had nothing to do with this. And the ESRB already has its own version of NC-17. It's called AO.
comparing their struggles to those of Helen Keller and other heroes of the past, is downright egotistical.
The author was not comparing struggles. In fact, he explicitly says that isn't equating them. The invocation of their was intended to show that these people have developed ways of expressing themselves and furthering their causes in an effective manner and that open-source advocates who wish to change people's minds must learn from those who have already been successful at it. "On the shoulders of giants" and all that.
And if anyone bothers to read the Peruvian Congressman's rebuttal to Microsoft, you'll see a fantastic example of what Bacon is talking about.
Reviewers who don't consult with the game publisher about the intended audience, and don't attempt to position a game in terms of who might like it and who might not like it, are unprofessional.
Let me translate for you: Game reviewers who share their true opinions instead of trying to push units and help even the shittiest of games turn a profit are unprofessional.
In the paragraph where he pined for the return of "cartridges" (not necessarily in their previous form, but some sort of solid state, non-optical media) he specifically mentioned that it needed to be cheap and high capacity. Personally, I'm in his camp. Maybe it's not feasible at the moment, but I would love to see that happen. Especially since a reduction in the number of moving parts would extend the life of consoles.
Slashdot Mirror
If you are able to go your entire life without using a single state-provided service, then in all likelihood you are probably far enough off the radar that not paying taxes won't hurt you. Truthfully, you probably don't even need money if that's the case, so it's a non-issue.
As much as bureaucracies love to find busywork to do, I doubt that there are enough resources to spare (or enough people willing to spend money on said resources) to be able to keep track of a virtual economy. Not to mention the logistics and legality of them asking you to provide a list of your in-game assets, if they were to go that route, or forcing a company like Blizzard or Linden Lab to provide or allow access to such information.
I doubt they'd be able to get away with taxing it while it's still in SecondLife dollars. If they tried, it would be fun to watch the first time someone with a huge amount of in-game assets killed their account and claimed a business loss.
I'm not sure why anyone would find this surprising. If you are making money by doing something, the taxman cometh.
And with all of the supposedly interesting tidbits you could have chosen to comment on, you chose to bitch about the blurb Slashdot picked.
Fuck Christmas. Happy Hallowiin to me!
If gender really doesn't matter, then why would the general public care of 10% or 99% of the game developers are female?
They don't.
Weren't you the same people saying "Games aren't real"? Well, they're not. Stop bitching.
The contexts of the "games aren't real" argument and that of the bitching in the article are different.
When the industry is fighting the government over regulation of content and legislation of sales, they're defending their rights. Regardless of the tastelessness or immorality of game content, the industry has the right to make and publish that content without government interference. The "games aren't real" argument is used against those that want to shift blame for society's ills onto video games and put a cap on their means of expression.
When an article like this pops up, it's criticism from within (and well-deserved criticism at that) but they aren't arguing that the developers and publishers shouldn't have the right to do what they do, but that they need to grow the hell up. The tone of immaturity that hangs over video games does disservice to everyone that plays or makes video games by painting them with the same broad brush. This type of criticism is good and the more they work to alleviate Problem B, the easier it's going to be solve Problem A.
It's possible that, depending on how old you are, the "Well, excuuuuuse me..." line was actually something people picked up from Steve Martin, not the Zelda cartoons.
However anyone who modded your comment off-topic doesn't deserve mod points. I picked up this DVD set a couple months ago and my wife and I sat through the whole thing during a weekend. Every once in a while, she'll bust out an "excuse me, princess!" and I'll die laughing. It's one of those things that goes from being something you don't notice to annoying to hilarious during the course of the series. If the show had run longer, it would have ventured back into annoying, but as it is, during the last 5-7 episodes, whenever Link drops that line, it's the highest of high comedy.
He's too modest to say so, but it's a little known fact that the PS3 will not only be able to play games at 120 fps and decode 10 HDTV channels simultaneously but it will also cure cancer, dispense beer, and give free blowjobs.
It's good to know this technology will be prepared for the future. That way when DNF finally doesn't come out, we'll all have a machine capable of pretending to play it.
Just so you know, the Best Buy near where I live is one of the ones selling (and buying) used games and they aren't just current generation used games. I've bought several NES, SNES, DC, and PS games as well as seen Genesis, Gameboy, GBA, Saturn, and Atari games on the shelves. The cartridge games almost always come without the box or manual. The disc games always have at least a case (sometimes even the original huge PS cases) and usually have the manual with it. The current generation used games they sell are usually in their original packaging with manual intact.
While I don't necessarily agree that without the exact same actors the charm can't be recaptured, both actors are still alive and keeping busy with voice-over work. So unless money is an issue, there shouldn't be any reason to not bring the same guys back.
Also, this is terrific news.
Neither the MPAA's rating system nor the ESRB's rating system is government-imposed. Legislation had nothing to do with this. And the ESRB already has its own version of NC-17. It's called AO.
If any mass media sees that term and picks it up and runs with it, I expect you to commit ritual suicide.
SeppukuGate!
comparing their struggles to those of Helen Keller and other heroes of the past, is downright egotistical.
The author was not comparing struggles. In fact, he explicitly says that isn't equating them. The invocation of their was intended to show that these people have developed ways of expressing themselves and furthering their causes in an effective manner and that open-source advocates who wish to change people's minds must learn from those who have already been successful at it. "On the shoulders of giants" and all that.
And if anyone bothers to read the Peruvian Congressman's rebuttal to Microsoft, you'll see a fantastic example of what Bacon is talking about.
Reviewers who don't consult with the game publisher about the intended audience, and don't attempt to position a game in terms of who might like it and who might not like it, are unprofessional.
Let me translate for you:
Game reviewers who share their true opinions instead of trying to push units and help even the shittiest of games turn a profit are unprofessional.
I'm pretty sure there are no ads in my bathroom, but I'm scared to go check right now.
There are if you have magazines in there.
On my planet, cookie dough batter is already a solid.
Degenatron was from Vice City. The Dormatron was a weight-loss product advertised in GTA III.
California is not, I repeat NOT, a right-to-work state. That being said, whether or not it is seems to have almost nothing to do with this issue.
I think he's referring to the Xbox.
It's been a while since I read an article by someone that uninformed about the current state of video games. Kinda refreshing really.
now easily downloadable PC porno games.
As opposed to the good old days of the Internet when porn wasn't easily downloadable.
1. Mozilla Firefox
2. Mozilla Thunderbird
3. Cygwin
4. WinRAR
5. Zoom Player
6. UltraEdit
7. Gaim
8. Spybot S&D
9. Adobe Acrobat
10. MS Office and/or OpenOffice
The fact that Kaboom is not on the list makes the whole thing worthless.
In the paragraph where he pined for the return of "cartridges" (not necessarily in their previous form, but some sort of solid state, non-optical media) he specifically mentioned that it needed to be cheap and high capacity. Personally, I'm in his camp. Maybe it's not feasible at the moment, but I would love to see that happen. Especially since a reduction in the number of moving parts would extend the life of consoles.