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Christmas Cheer Entertainment Games

Gamers Are Good People, Too 294

Posted by simoniker from the god-bless-them-every-one dept.
The Ticktockman writes "For years, gamers have been looked down upon by the media. We are said to be crazy lunatics who, given the chance, might decide to shoot up our school because of the games we play. Well, the game-themed webcomic Penny Arcade has had enough. They have now started a little something with the Seattle Children's Hospital called 'Child's Play', where gamers can buy videogame and non-game-related gifts for patients there. So if you feel like showing the world that gamers are compassionate people too, then head on over to the Penny Arcade 'Child's Play' page for more details."
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Gamers Are Good People, Too More

Gamers Are Good People, Too

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  • no offense (Score:4, Funny)

    by mOoZik ( 698544 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:19AM (#7566565) Homepage
    "For years, gamers have been looked down upon by the media. We are said to be crazy lunatics who, given the chance, might decide to shoot up our school because of the games we play."

    Nah. Any group which spends an immense amount of time and money on playing lame video games will be too stupid to conjure up shootings. :)



    • Re:no offense (Score:5, Funny)

      by t0ny ( 590331 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @05:59AM (#7567138)
      I thought about going on a shooting spree, but I realized that all those guns and ammo are hard to aim without a keyboard/mouse.

      Also, being able to switch from a handgun to a rifle was much slower than pressing the "4" key. Hell, who ever thought a rocket launcer could be so heavy... And dont even get me started on reloading ammo!!

    • Hmm, we are? (Score:2, Insightful)

      by bonch ( 38532 )
      We are said to be crazy lunatics who, given the chance, might decide to shoot up our school because of the games we play.

      We are? As far as I can tell, the media has taken to media and entertainment pretty well. I even saw CNN report on Doom 3 at E3, showing everything. Kill Bill has been well-liked.

      I see no gamer-disdain among the majority of media outlets. What's the problem? Most everyone plays games these days, even some women (The Sims).

      • Re:Hmm, we are? (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Camulus ( 578128 )
        The problem is not the treatment of games in common media. This or that is coming out or look at what they are doing in blah blah blah. The problem is that every time a trouble teen does something crazy they blame it on video games like moms in the 70's used to blame it on music like Kiss. It have been a scapegoat and has in fact been looked down upon with disdain in many, many articles. In a ruling to uphold age restrictions on the sale of video games in some state, a judge went out of his way to say t

        • Re:Hmm, we are? (Score:3, Interesting)

          by drinkypoo ( 153816 )
          No one believes children when they say the boogey man made them do it, or their invisible friend told them to do it, but they blame it on loud music, or video games, or anything parents don't like, and suddenly it's a valid excuse. What it all comes down to is parents who are failures as parents looking for a scapegoat to blame their poor parenting on, and this is why it goes over so well with adults. The blame here is not on the kids who are blaming their actions on video games, kids will blame their actio

  • Go PA! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Maul ( 83993 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:19AM (#7566568) Journal
    Hopefully this will go well. It'll be even better if the media picks up what Penny Arcade is doing rather than running another badly written story about how little Tommy is inevitably going to kill lots of people if he even touches the box that Vice City is packed in.

    • Re:Go PA! (Score:3, Funny)

      by squaretorus ( 459130 )
      I love PA - its great in a kinda crap way. The Sunday Times [timesonline.co.uk] reviewed it a few weeks back as an example of the better comics available online and had a small "may contain some indoor language" warning alongside the reprint and the web address.

      So I checked out the strip and I'm SURE it was THIS ONE [penny-arcade.com].

      That sick kids are exposed to this kind of filth with their free games is most refreshing!! And on a Sunnday too!!! Wholesome!

    • Direct link to the wish list (Score:5, Informative)

      by while(true) ( 626738 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @06:12AM (#7567168)
      Here's the wish list. [amazon.com] Now get over there and buy something for the kids!
    • In order to help get the word out on this great project, my friend and I are beginning a total conversion mod for UT of the Seattle Children's Hospital.

      Oh wait, apparently he was just joking and I am, in fact, an asshole.

  • Not just kids! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Chodak ( 727106 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:21AM (#7566572)
    This a great idea, and I hope a lot of people give thier support, but remember that there are lots of other ways to help, too. My girlfriend's father was recently in the hospital for several months awaiting a heart transplant. He couldn't do any sort of physical activity, and so I brought him one of my old NES systems and a few games. He told me later that they helped him stay sane since he was stuck in his hospital room all day. He was tired of watching TV, but Mario and Link were great company!

    • Re:Not just kids! (Score:5, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @03:29AM (#7566793)
      Yeah, nothing like a little NES to get the weakened heart pounding with adrenaline, and the stress and blood pressure levels high. Your father is leaving you HOW much, exactly?
      • I'm thinking a little vs. golf, and nothing more strenuous than a little tecmo bowl. Of course, some people get way too worked up about sports... Personally my all time number one wish list NES game is Tengen Tetris, a friend of mine owned it once, but I've never seen it again, because collectors bought up all the copies. Oh well, thank heaven for emulation and easy rom downloads. Thanks, USENET!

  • Don't Complain. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Dan the Intern ( 649261 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:22AM (#7566576)
    It may not "News for Nerds," but it certainly is "Stuff that matters."

  • 'Child's Play' (Score:5, Funny)

    by ThumbSuck ( 629952 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:25AM (#7566583)
    ...called 'Child's Play'...

    Now chucky be good..

  • People are the same all over (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Saint Stephen ( 19450 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:28AM (#7566592) Homepage Journal
    Ever notice how the things you like are never harmful, and they are always misunderstood by society?

    Whereas the things you don't like are unprecedented levels of chaos, evil and destruction never before witnessed in the history of man?

    It doesn't matter what the issue is, or what side you're on: play this to your advantage and you'll win ever time :-)

    • Re:People are the same all over (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @03:06AM (#7566716)
      People are inherently xenophobic. In the past 100 years, society has advanced at a rate far faster than the individuals that it is composed of. It is difficult for the less socially aware groups to keep up.

      Rather than expanding their horizons - it's much easier for them to limit it. They place themselves in a box with everything else that they *do* understand. And then they fear or ignore everything else that doesn't fit into their limited world view.

      This is the cause of virtually every major human conflict in the modern world. Particularly the religious ones.
    • Ever notice how the things you like are never harmful, and they are always misunderstood by society?

      Could this be because 99.99% of the people doing $FAVORITE_ACTIVITY are not bloodthirsty killers/terrorists/whatever, even if the media puts big letters on the front page every time someone performing $FAVORITE_ACTIVITY kills/terrorizes/whatever for reasons completely unrelated to $FAVORITE_ACTIVITY?

      Whereas the things you don't like are unprecedented levels of chaos, evil and destruction never before wit
    • I believe people are horribly biased and will continue to be horribly biased until they understand that thier emotions are playing tricks on thier "rational" mind.

      Thankfully for me, my emotions usually compell me to back up my assertions with something concrete, otherwise I feel vulnerable to attack.

      Feeling pretty comfortable with my evidence, I'm going to come right out and assert.

      Homicide and Violent Crimes are at an all time LOW since 1993. (Hell, it's as good at the 50's and 60's)

      Serious

  • Parental role? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by shakamojo ( 518620 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:31AM (#7566599)
    While I think that what Penny Arcade is doing is a wonderful attempt to change the public perception of gamers, I think that the core of the problem is that parents just aren't spending enough time with their kids. When the only interaction and respect that children get is through television, the Internet, and video games, what do you expect?

    I'm certainly going to contribute to what the guys are doing with Child's Play, but what I'd really like to see is some sort of media backlash against the parents who are neglecting their duty to our future! Our children should be viewed as a responsibility, not a liability, and we should stop looking for scapegoats and step up to the plate!

    • Re:Parental role? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by switched4OSX ( 668686 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @03:11AM (#7566735)
      You hit the nail on the head. The problem today is that more and more kids are not taught that they will have to answer for their actions. When I was young, I knew that when I screwed up I was going to have to face my father- which might just entail a whipping. To those of you out there that think paddling damages a kid, you are wrong. Let me clarify something- there is a big difference between a paddling and a beating. At no time in my life have I ever been scared of my dad, but I sure as hell respected him.

      As a parent, you need to teach your kids right from wrong, and that a price may be paid for you wrongs. They need to learn how to respect others and their opinions, even if they differ from yours. If you bring your child up in a sound, moral environment then they will learn to know the difference between real life and fiction. Parenting is a big responsibility, and unfortunately it seems like more and more people are not willing to take the time to do it right. It's just too easy to blame someone else.

      • Almost agree (Score:3, Interesting)

        by 2nd Post! ( 213333 )
        I almost agree with everything you say except paddling ^^

        It doesn't damage the kid, you're right. My dad paddled me when I was younger. However, he decided to stop when he noticed that *I* started to punish my younger brother using force when he did something wrong.

        Maybe he got lucky in raising kids who respected him and his beliefs without resorting to violence, because in the end that is exactly what he taught me; that violence was an appropriate tool for the upright and just, and he decided that wasn't

      • Re:Parental role? (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Sunnan ( 466558 )
        Hey, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

        Doesn't violence beget violence? I'd wager more violent criminals have been subject to violence themselves.

        I was brought up without paddling or much punishment at all. Okay, so I'm a lazy bum but at least I try to be kind.

        I guess that may explain why I don't respect laws that I find meaningless (such as most aspects of copyright law) - that I have no built in fear/respect for the faces of authority.

      • Leave the whole spanking thing alone (Score:5, Insightful)

        by ianscot ( 591483 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @11:05AM (#7569234)
        It's just too easy to blame someone else.

        Which is sort of what you're doing, no offense. Turning this one into a pro-spanking tirade is missing the point and creating a little spat off to the side.

        What we need to do isn't scold parents for not spanking their kids. We just need to encourage families to spend time together, it's that simple. When you have time together, the kids will pick up on the values you believe in -- partly because you play the whole parental role and instruct (and sometimes scold) them, but more importantly because they'll see how you act yourself. There are tons of ways that'll come out, lots of different flavors to it. You're into this spanking thing; well, whatever, but at least be there with them, you know?

        Personally I don't always blame the parents. Partly this is economic -- two working parents on the same schedule has become the norm in order to keep up our SUV insurance payments, and that means kids just plain have less time with the adults who really do care about them. Scolding a single mother for not spanking her kids more is just not going to help anyone. On the other hand, if her work gave her flex time, for example, that might help. Your "Parents are to blame" angle would probably shut that option down.

        But back to the games thing: I like computer games, play them with the kids or with the kids watching often enough, and I'm darn certain they understand the distinction between fantasy and reality there. On the other hand I've run into two-year-olds who couldn't talk except in snippets from video games. Not enough parents in that life, too much games in isolation. That's the difference.

    • Not Quite (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Sentry21 ( 8183 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @10:39AM (#7568944) Journal
      While I think that what Penny Arcade is doing is a wonderful attempt to change the public perception of gamers

      That's not right at all. What Penny Arcade is doign is a wonderful attempt to change the lives of so many underprivileged kids. I'm sure they like the good publicity, but I'm also sure they couldn't care less about it. They're doing this to help, not to 'change the public perception of gamers'.

      Of course, I could be wrong, but if I am, then I don't want any part of this endeavor - the right thing for the wrong reasons is still wrong.

      --Dan

  • "Good" gamers and "bad" gamers (Score:3, Interesting)

    by KeelSpawn ( 575726 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:37AM (#7566621) Journal
    Actually, I believe there are two kinds of gamers. One is the good gamer and the other is the "bad" if you want to call it that way. Look at those teeange gamers who brutally shoot innocent citizens - what do they all have in common??

    1. They're all (if not most) high school drop-outs.
    2. Their parents are no better than their kids. This is in terms of education, respect, and self control.
    3. The violent/unsafe neighborhood they grow up in.
    4. Their parents possesing guns and not safely storing them so their kids won't find it.

    And WHO'S fault are those?? The GAME'S fault?? HELL NO!! I wonder when will kids wake up and realize that they have a future ahead of them and they need to take care of school subjects first. And only have games as a side-entertainment in spare time (or weekends and vacations). And parents need to stop blaming game makers just because they didn't take proper responsibility for their own children.

    People out there, wake up. You have a brain so make use of it. Kids - make use of it for self control on education in school. Parents - make use of it to guide your kids to the positive direction.

    I'm a 16 year old and am currently a high school Junior. I play games more than anything I do, but yet at the same time I can manage all my school work pretty well. It's all about management. Management and self-control.
    • if these kids were actually raised in a "violent/unsafe neighborhood" then they would probably be a lot LESS likely to go out and kill because they wouldve realized the consequence of their action before doing it (i.e. people actualy die in the real world, and you go to jail for killing them). these kids that do these things are not normal. they have some form of mental defficiency that does not allow them to distinguish between right and wrong. none of them were high school drop outs. none of them grew up
      • I agree partly with what you said. But no actually most of them were high school drop-outs. A quick example would be the two teenagers who shot a few cars that were passing by on the road near their home. They said they were influenced by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. They don't care about anything anymore. And I don't have any comments about that. And, maybe certain games might have "encouraged" their original motives though...
      • they have some form of mental defficiency that does not allow them to distinguish between right and wrong

        I'm gonna throw the bullshit flag on that one. Someone that can't distinguish between right and wrong would not be able to function for 15 or so years in public. I agree that the kids that do these things are not normal, but it certainly isn't a right from wrong issue. I tend to lean more on the "I hate you fuckers, and I don't care what happens to me" side. In a way its just an extreme form of doing s

    • Re:"Good" gamers and "bad" gamers (Score:4, Interesting)

      by anaphora ( 680342 ) * on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @05:05AM (#7567025) Journal
      I beg to differ. I was a highschool dropout, 10th grade. My parents kept guns all around the house. I live in Texas, I could go on a Doom2 style rampage with the weapons within reach from this computer. A .308, AR-15, Bowie Knife, 9mm Macarov, .44 Desert Eagle. The only point you make I don't match is #3, and surely that doesn't make THAT big of a difference. Don't blame kids shooting up people on ANYTHING except the kids are fucking crazy.

      • Re:"Good" gamers and "bad" gamers (Score:5, Insightful)

        by AvantLegion ( 595806 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @06:22AM (#7567187) Journal
        You're making a logical fallacy here.

        The poster you replied to cited 4 factors he felt were common among the shooter kids. You applied those factors to yourself, and since you're not a shooter, you declared his point invalid.

        The problem is that you are not interpreting his point correctly. What he said, basically, is "for all shooter kids, there exist these four factors". What he DID NOT say is that "all people with these four factors are shooter kids". There is a very big and important difference.

      • Shit- your right - because you had guns in the house and didnt shoot the shit out of your school theres no problem with guns being in the house.

        The point is - HAD you been a mentalist you had access to guns to shoot the shit out of your school.

        Had I been a mentalist I had access to ... um ... some pretty fucking stingy elastic band / paper clip weapons!
    • . The violent/unsafe neighborhood they grow up in.

      You know I thought that a fair number of shooters were middle class kids in pretty good neighbourhoods. Weren't the Columbine kids from reasonably well-to-do families?
  • now this is nice and all, but i hardly think their latest strip [penny-arcade.com] is going to endear them to the "games are bad mmmmkay" crowd.

    funny strip, though.

  • Well... (Score:4, Funny)

    by switched4OSX ( 668686 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:40AM (#7566632)
    I'd love to submit an insightful post on why most people are able to differentiate between game violence and the real thing, but I've got to go clean my guns.

    • Re:Well... (Score:5, Funny)

      by Riff10111 ( 30276 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:45AM (#7566652)
      Clean them? I just throw them away when they're empty -- there's always another in a nearby crate or something.

    • Re:Well... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Jack Zombie ( 637548 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @07:14AM (#7567341)
      Well, here's a hopefully insightful quote, taken from the comments on this article [gamegirladvance.com] at Game Girl Advance, about how, when people spend too much time playing a realistic videogame without breaks, they subconsciencely blend elements of the gaming reality into their perception of the mundane world (for a short period of time):

      -------------
      (...) I was playing GTA 3 obsessively since the day I bought it. And usually, I am a careful, courteous, safety-conscious driver.

      One night, on the way to a gig, we approached an intersection. The lights were green, but someone in front of me slowed, waiting for oncoming traffic to abate so they could turn.

      A car in the lane next to me was barely behind me, almost right in my blind spot. What I should have done is stopped, waited for them to pass, then continued. But I didn't. On a sudden impulse, I sped up towards the stationary car, then suddenly cut between it and the unsuspecting vehicle beside me, leaving a space of what must have been inches between the corners of the 3 cars, a move that if only a split-second mis-timed, would have been a 3-car pile up.

      My passenger said "JESUS CHRIST, DUDE!!!". The driver I cut in front of braked loudly and honked reproachfully. And then I realised -- that dangerous move was something I often did in the videogame. I had actually risked the lives of real people, by unconsciously using a learned behaviour from an action game.

      I was shocked, and chastened. I now drive ultra-responsibly with an extra layer of "thought censorship" on my impulses. Because I don't trust my mind anymore.

      I don't believe the game would drive people to violence, in fact I don't even blame the game for what I did. Rather, it's a more an aspect of my own dizzy perception of reality. However, I am giving serious thought to leaving the more "realistic" games out of my gaming time from now on.
      -------------

      I think everyone has already heard the "if Pacman affected us as kids, we'd all run around in a darkened room munching pills and listening to repetitive music" quote, but the fact is realistic videogames affect us in more ways than we want to admit. People need to gripe the fact that videogames are an interactive audiovisual experience that can be used to manipulate one's senses in order to achieve alternative mind states. Otherwise, how could videogame technology be used to cure people suffering from acute phobias by showing them a computer simulation of their fears, or to help train pilots and military personnel?

      It isn't just a game anymore.

      • Re:Well... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by PainKilleR-CE ( 597083 )
        So, you're taking an example of someone that acted on impulse, doing something I see people do every day, and saying that people may have justification for their fear of game players? The fact that someone could get to the age at which they are behind the wheel of a vehicle and not have impulse control should be what they fear.

        Otherwise, how could videogame technology be used to cure people suffering from acute phobias by showing them a computer simulation of their fears, or to help train pilots and milit
      • Yes, it's terrible that she did this, but since when is a layer of "thought censorship" a bad thing?
      • For years, Carmageddon was one of my favorite games. It spent more time installed in my harddrive than Chrono Trigger spent plugged into my SNES.

        If you don't know, the point of Carmageddon is to drive around, run over pedestrians, and repeatedly engage in high-speed collitions with the other vehicles in the race until only one car is still running.

        I played this game for longer than I've had my license, and I still play it occasionally now, although it's horribly outdated and I'm good enough at it that I d
  • I just love Tycho & Gabe's website. I only discovered it because of Slashdot, so it's wonderful that you decided to run this story.

    I'd like to see something like this elsewhere than Seattle as well, not that I have anything against Seattle. There are needy and worthy kids all over the world.

    Hopefully, the media will see the results of generous geeks helping these kids and show our community in a positive light for a change. It's not as if we're not used to giving to good causes, in fact when we do d

  • Too late... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by evilviper ( 135110 )

    Well, the game-themed webcomic Penny Arcade has had enough.

    Umm... Too late, I say. By this last generation of game systems (PS2/Xbox) gaming became nearly mainstream. It's more widespread that it had ever been, and it's not mainly kids anymore, but adults. You can see this from the more mature themes of more and more games, and the very widespread advertisements for Mature/AdultsOnly-rated games.

    Gaming is close to becomming as legit as home movie-watching is. It's big business now, and saying anythin

    • I beg to differr. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Inoshiro ( 71693 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @03:23AM (#7566775) Homepage
      "but now it's pointless."

      Maybe if little Cancer-Boy wasn't going to be getting a wonderful gift, which he (or she) might not otherwise be able to enjoy. Nintendo doesn't care if you've lost all your hair or if you only have 6 months to live, it's just there to love you with all the Mario and Zelda it can.

      See, it's not just about the kudos for gamers not being granny-killing, child-raping monters, it's also about helping people in need.
    • Except that people still do it all the time. Most major media sources show a dim view of the dedicated gamer. And I mean that in the immoral sense, not the never-gets-off-the-couch-and-goes-outside sense.

      Really, when you talk about "adult" gamers, it generally goes into the mid- to late-twenties, and that age group still doesn't have much clout. Most of those that write the news are older and don't understand this new-fangled video game thing the kids are talking about.

      Though, on the other hand, my local
    • But, see, that's not the point. "Prove we ain't all badz gamerz" is just a rallying cry. It's not the reason, not at all.

      The thing is that they've set up and streamlined a way for us to genuinly make a difference. It's an effort headed by some guys that we, as a community, know and trust. It's a theme (games as a positive distraction/passtime/playtime) that I'd suggest a large selection of us here can identify with. And it's more personal than your average charity, since we'll even get to see pictur
  • It might be good for gamers to throw benefit LAN bashes and tournaments... these might be a little easier to get on the news than normal "pro gamer" wankfests, they would provide money to charity, and they might show the world that we're not a bunch of ravening columbines waiting to happen.

  • Has this worked for anyone else? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by The Almighty Dave ( 663959 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:47AM (#7566659)
    The local bikers hold rides for toys, MD, probably others. Are they looked at any better because of it? If you are going to do something like this, do it because it makes you feel good. Nobody is going to think any better of you, as a group.

  • Speaking of gamers being crazy lunatics ...

    Here is a good example [ctrlaltdel-online.com] ...

  • Better Link (Score:2, Informative)

    by Takara ( 711260 )
    Here's a link [penny-arcade.com] for child's play that won't dissipear when PA posts a new article in a few hours.

  • problem with reality (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @02:52AM (#7566676)
    I have one statement about violence in video games: it is not reality.

    now I'll elaborate with further statements.

    I've played my fair share of bad games, watched faces of death, rotten.com, goatse.cx....*shiver*
    so I'm not a stranger to horrific things.

    But at the age of 18 when I saw a dead man it was different. way different.

    He had suffered a heart attack behind a gas station in bakersfield.

    Then there was the late night car drive back from san fransico with my sister when we saw the flipped minivan and the grotesqe result of ejction and head vs pavement.

    Both of those incidents were nothing like the movies or even the video accounts of similar events. This was real.

    When someone's experience in reality is the same as one imagined, there is something else wrong.

    • agreed - I too have seen the same 'violent' images since I started playing Mortal Kombat at the age of 12, and moved on to Postal, blowing people's head's off in Counter Strike, killing grandmas in GTA3, etc.

      BUT...I still find my whole body shivering whenever I see so much as a dead squirrel on the side of the road, and the few times that I've seen a dead person up close still haunt me to this day.

      I don't think I'm unique in feeling like this - any reasonably well adjusted person can tell the difference,

  • Quakecon Collection for the Kids (Score:3, Informative)

    by mrpuffypants ( 444598 ) <.moc.liamg. .ta. .stnapyffuprm.> on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @03:17AM (#7566755)
    We've already started a collection for the kids over at the Quakecon Forums [quakecon.org]. After just a few hours I've had $20 sent in and on December 5th I'm going to collect up everything donated and buy a shitload of stuff from the wishlist and send it off to Gabe and Tycho. The specific thread [quakecon.org] has more details and if you'd also like to be a part of our massive money collection then feel free to donate over at the official donation site [uta.edu]. Not only will you get your name on the big donation but you can get a nice warm feeling during Thanksgiving!

  • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • http://games.slashdot.org/~Kris_J/journal/53272 [slashdot.org]. I hope they like retro games (and have a GameCube ;)

  • Polarised opinion (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Space cowboy ( 13680 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @04:04AM (#7566881) Journal
    This probably won't be well-received on /. because it's counter to the "feelgood" nature of the story, but...

    There's no reason to expect that just because someone does something good, they're not capable of doing something evil as well. There's many a tale of mafioso gang members going to church on Sunday with their mother, taking confession, and going out on Monday to kill someone....

    I'm not saying that anyone who helps this project out is going on a gun-toting killing spree (as if!) but to say X can't do A because (s)he has done B is a bit too simplistic.

    It's a nice idea. Don't hype it beyond what it is, it doesn't need it.

    Simon.

    • Hmm, I don't think that's the point -- the point (apart from helping out those kids) is to influence the media. I tend to agree that games are badly portrayed in mainstream media, and it would be nice to change that, even if just a little...

      And as far as mainstream media is concerned, if you buy a sick kid a nice present you can't possibly go out and shoot people.

    • Since organized religion has been heavily involved with some of the worst atrocities that humans have committed against their fellows, I see nothing inconsistent about mafiosos going to Church.
  • PA said this was inspired by this article [heraldnet.com]. Why don't we all write angry letters to the editor and tell them just how wrong they are for publishing that kind of garbage?

    • PA said this was inspired by this article. Why don't we all write angry letters to the editor and tell them just how wrong they are for publishing that kind of garbage?

      Screw that.

      If I can find the secret chamber behind the swastika banner where the mega-blaster-rifle and extra ammo are hidden, I'll take the concealed elevator to the hidden level where the hearaldnet.com's offices are, and blast away at them and their Nazi henchmen until my hit points are in the red 10% zone.

      And those muggles say playing

  • didn't they ?

    Isn't they why they killed a lot of people ?

  • Ah, I don't believe this (Score:5, Funny)

    by wiwo ( 214485 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @04:28AM (#7566940)
    > Gamers Are Good People, Too
    They just behave like good people, they call it Role Playing.
  • For years, gamers have been looked down upon by the media. We are said to be crazy lunatics.... So if you feel like showing the world that gamers are compassionate people too, then head on over to the main Penny Arcade page, and scroll down for details.

    As a gay black man born Jewish who converted to the Muslim faith, many people irrationally believe that I recruit young men into a homosexual lifestyle while raping white women and making matzos with the blood of murdered Christian children on my way to pla
    • There's a difference between paying somone off, and fighting a sterotype buy doing a good thing that is supposedly out of charecter.

      But hey, maybe your right. So... how do YOU propose gamers fight a negative stereotype while helping sick kids?

  • Who Cares? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by manticor24 ( 643590 )
    I for one don't feel obligated to donate to a charity just to make a bunch of morons with half-baked theories feel better about my state of mind. Besides, it wouldn't help anyway. People will believe what they want to.
    • I for one don't feel obligated to donate to a charity just to make a bunch of morons with half-baked theories feel better about my state of mind. Besides, it wouldn't help anyway. People will believe what they want to.

      Right, because it's far better to feed their (and your) cynicism than it is to make a few sick kids happy for a few days out of their lives.

      I'm seeing far too much jaded bitterness in many of these comments here. Regardless of why they're doing it (and who are you to judge?), this is s

  • "Oh, shit." (Score:2, Funny)

    by anaphora ( 680342 ) *
    Mom? Mom? Why aren't you respawning? Mom? Ah shit. *hides his shotgun*

  • +1 Interesting; -1 Troll to Mavia.com (Score:3, Funny)

    by LittleGuy ( 267282 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @07:16AM (#7567348)
    According to Mothers Against Violence in America, they can link the Green River Killer to Violent Video Games, and vice versa.

    Right.

    Back in Old School, they used to call these "old wives' tales."

  • said to be crazy lunatics? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by James Lewis ( 641198 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @07:41AM (#7567438)
    I don't think that that is an appropriate label for the article. That article is only one in a LONG line of alarmist parenting articles, and no where in it does it call gamers "crazy". The article really isn't about the gamers, it is about the games. Articles like that one have been writen countless times on topics from music to babysitters to movies. They all twist the facts to make the topic seem 10 times worse than it is. While I don't agree with twisting facts for any reason, I don't think that the message of the article, that parents should be concerned about what video games their children play, is a crazy one. Games like Grand Theft Auto are NOT meant for kids, and are NOT appropriate. A game of that type is just as unsuitable for a 12 year old as Silence of the Lambs or The Exorcist. Fine for adults, not so for children. For a long time video games have been incapable of showing violence in a realistic enough way to really matter, so some parents just don't see it as important to filter which video games their children play. While that used to be true, it is no longer, and parents should be made aware of this fact.

  • Bikers (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Bigbutt ( 65939 )
    Heh. It doesn't seem to help the biker image for all those toys for tots bike runs.

  • NeenerNeener's Gamers for a Cure (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    NeenerNeener has been running a campaign for multiple sclerosis for three years now. Since the site is all about MMORPGs, they've mostly had MMORPG players there. But everyone can still participate!

    Linky [neenerneener.net]
  • We are said to be crazy lunatics who, given the chance, might decide to shoot up our school because of the games we play

    It is ridiculous to claim that video games influence children. For instance, if PacMan affected kids born in the eighties, we should by now have a bunch of teenagers who run around in darkened rooms and eat pills while listening to monotonous electronic music --Gene Spafford

  • Wait, I'm confused... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Torgo's Pizza ( 547926 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @10:35AM (#7568896) Homepage Journal
    My local IGDA chapter here in Dallas is collecting games to send to soldiers in Iraq. So either my efforts are making soldiers better killers (a good thing) and making sick kids dangerous (a bad thing); or I'm making the soldiers more docile (bad) and making sick kids feel better (good).

    Oooh, my head is so confused!

  • If memory serves me, After Sept 11, one of Sim Racing's big contributors (Zen Joltis) died from complicating injuries he sustained in one of the trade towers. A memorial race was held on a track he designed and the money raised was donated to his family. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the exact link to this race because the Team-Lightspeed forums (who sponsored the race a while back) have been shut down. So I can't provide confirming evidence. But it did take place.

    But what I can point out is:

    htt
  • Seriously... every once in a while we see something about possible behavioral ties, but it's pretty low key. The vast majority of media I see is non-judgemental. Stuff like video game segments on CNN. Do you really feel that hard done by?

    Incidently, if you believe childrens educational video games can be a positive influence on a childs behaviour and growth, then by definition you believe that games based on negative values can do the opposite.
  • Say, why not offer free ad rotation for these kind of charitable drives on Slashdot?

    Rather than seeing the same Visual Studio ad for the 1000th time, we could see a link to Breast Cancer research dontaion drive or to the PA toy drive or even just the United Way. Pick some charities. You've got a big hammer here, why not use it to build a house rather than a store?
  • ...apparently gamers do it to improve their reputation.

    Instead of a nice post about how wonderful it would be to give games to sick children, we're given the impression that the purpose of doing so is to improve one's image in the media.

    I'll give PA the benefit of the doubt and assume their motives in giving are better than The Ticktockman's apparently are.

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