I fight this daily, but wasn't/isn't Lycos the same company that distributes Lycos Sidesearch, a BHO/toolbar recognized by most spyware fighting organizations as spyware?
I see exactly what you're saying, and I probably should come from a standpoint of "they're going to bitch no matter what".
My personal opinion on the matter is as same as the parent poster. If you've gotten in such a wad over the games your kids are playing, stand by them in the store, do research on your own about what the game's all about. Find out why it's got an M rating. If your kid's playing it at someone else's house, then your kid isn't allowed over there.
Bottom line is, it is the parent's responsibility for how their kids turn out. If they let their kids play games with adult content, and that messes them up, then it's the parent's fault, not the game producers.
Funny you should say this... reminds me of my youth...
My dad was one of those "semi-Catholics"; ie, Easter and Christmas mass, maybe. But, he stood fast against anything that was not Catholic, even other Christian denominations.
There was actually a group of folks that lived in the apartments behind my house as a kid that were Wiccans. They performed rituals, and seemed to actually observe Wiccan practices (I'm still not really up on what all they were).Way came unto way, and I became friends with some of the guys over there. About that same time, I started picking up interest in fantasy-type games like DnD, and Magic: The Gathering.
...Enter CATHLI-DAD!, saviour delivering his children from evil! He found out I was hanging out with Wiccans, and he discovered my new RPG/Fantasy interests. My first batch of DnD character sheets got burned up, my Magic cards ripped to shreds, and all of my dice got pulverized under the iron of a sledgehammer.
Pissed off about what he did, I came back at him for an explanation. His reply:
DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT THIS PAGANISM IS ALL ABOUT??? THE WHOLE RELIGION WAS SPAWNED OFF OF DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS!!!!
That reminds me... I need to build an altar to Gary Gygex...
If it's on the market, on a shelf where little Timmy can get to it, it's obviously supposed to be for anyone, right? Never mind the M rating, and how retailers are supposed to check ID for such games!
Why don't more retailers do like they do with adult magazines in most convenience stores? Put them on a rack that's either behind the counter, in view where people old enough could see it, but not where some kid might be able to see. Or even, put the games up on a higher shelf, eye-level for the target audience.
But seriously... these people who say their kids committed violence because of these games, or that they picked up disrespect for women, or drug use, or anything from games need to look closer at themselves. Little Timmy is more likely to say "Shit" because they heard you say it, than some pixelated dude pulling a guy out of a car. At least by hearing you say it, they'll have practical application for those "skills" when the time arises.
I'm thinking if he sends this out, he's going to have to send instructions for booting the discs as "Season's Greetings" :
If you've got a Phoenix BIOS:
Hit Delete...
If you've got a Dell system:
Hit F2, or maybe Delete...
etc...
This would be a really neat idea if everyone was interested in this. I just taught my mom the difference between right- and left-clicking; there's no way I'm going to get her to be able to boot into Knoppix and tell it to use the right screen resolution she's used to...
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I fight this daily, but wasn't/isn't Lycos the same company that distributes Lycos Sidesearch, a BHO/toolbar recognized by most spyware fighting organizations as spyware?
? id=453078521
e r/Sidesearch.html
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/pest/pest.aspx
http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/researchcent
http://xforce.iss.net/xforce/xfdb/14405
Would I be out of place calling hypocrisy here?
I see exactly what you're saying, and I probably should come from a standpoint of "they're going to bitch no matter what".
My personal opinion on the matter is as same as the parent poster. If you've gotten in such a wad over the games your kids are playing, stand by them in the store, do research on your own about what the game's all about. Find out why it's got an M rating. If your kid's playing it at someone else's house, then your kid isn't allowed over there.
Bottom line is, it is the parent's responsibility for how their kids turn out. If they let their kids play games with adult content, and that messes them up, then it's the parent's fault, not the game producers.
Funny you should say this... reminds me of my youth...
...Enter CATHLI-DAD!, saviour delivering his children from evil! He found out I was hanging out with Wiccans, and he discovered my new RPG/Fantasy interests. My first batch of DnD character sheets got burned up, my Magic cards ripped to shreds, and all of my dice got pulverized under the iron of a sledgehammer.
My dad was one of those "semi-Catholics"; ie, Easter and Christmas mass, maybe. But, he stood fast against anything that was not Catholic, even other Christian denominations.
There was actually a group of folks that lived in the apartments behind my house as a kid that were Wiccans. They performed rituals, and seemed to actually observe Wiccan practices (I'm still not really up on what all they were).Way came unto way, and I became friends with some of the guys over there. About that same time, I started picking up interest in fantasy-type games like DnD, and Magic: The Gathering.
Pissed off about what he did, I came back at him for an explanation. His reply:
DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT THIS PAGANISM IS ALL ABOUT??? THE WHOLE RELIGION WAS SPAWNED OFF OF DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS!!!! That reminds me... I need to build an altar to Gary Gygex...
Obviously, you don't see things correctly.
If it's on the market, on a shelf where little Timmy can get to it, it's obviously supposed to be for anyone, right? Never mind the M rating, and how retailers are supposed to check ID for such games!
Why don't more retailers do like they do with adult magazines in most convenience stores? Put them on a rack that's either behind the counter, in view where people old enough could see it, but not where some kid might be able to see. Or even, put the games up on a higher shelf, eye-level for the target audience.
But seriously... these people who say their kids committed violence because of these games, or that they picked up disrespect for women, or drug use, or anything from games need to look closer at themselves. Little Timmy is more likely to say "Shit" because they heard you say it, than some pixelated dude pulling a guy out of a car. At least by hearing you say it, they'll have practical application for those "skills" when the time arises.
So... if I sign up for a free iPod through your sig, when are you going to give me a link to sign up for a free iMac?
If you've got a Phoenix BIOS:
Hit Delete...
If you've got a Dell system:
Hit F2, or maybe Delete...
etc...
This would be a really neat idea if everyone was interested in this. I just taught my mom the difference between right- and left-clicking; there's no way I'm going to get her to be able to boot into Knoppix and tell it to use the right screen resolution she's used to...