A Gaming Nation

[Sorrow]

So, I was thinking about those who want to destroy our gaming culture, about those who wage a one-sided war against "violent" computer games.
I'm outraged by their audacity and passiveness of gamers - most of gamers that I personally know, simply don't care if games will be banned or not.
It's a very bad thing, because it encourages aliens to destroy our culture - to them, lack of our reaction is equal to approval.

It should be made clear that we, gamers won't tolerate any attempts to destroy our culture, such as the violent games ban that <s>Nazis</s> Germans try force on Europeans.
There are many ways to fight such crimes against our culture, including sending letters to politicians, organising protests, invading EU forums, boycotting products of countries that oppress gamers, etc.

So, I think that we can successfully battle alien invaders that want to destroy our culture - we just need proper coordination, information and propaganda and we need to take responsibility for defending our culture, just as we are defending Fallout.

When searching the net for some info about recent events, I came upon a Video Game Voters Network.
I think that gamers in EU need a similar site to organize the defence of our culture.
I'm fed up with politicians that attack us to get more votes for "fighting against crime and violence" and I want to take action to defend our culture.

What you, people think about it?

 

[Falzzi]

Many people who speak against the culture revolving around games and other computer related things dont know jack about the things they are working so hard to ban.
People are always looking something to blame when something terrible happens..Before TV it was music, then after TV its violent computer games.
Parents just dont want to take responsibility for their kids going out and shooting someone.

 

[Sorrow]

Many people who speak against the culture revolving around games and other computer related things dont know jack about the things they are working so hard to ban.

I think that they know. They know enough to think that people who were "taught how to kill by games" won't use violence to protest - they know that gamers are peaceful people, they know that "nerds" aren't people who would go rioting or who would shoot them for trying to destroy their culture.

No.
They assume that gamers are defenceless.

Gamers are a perfect scapegoat - they aren't violent or very active and violent games make them an easy target for hate campaigns.

Parents just dont want to take responsibility for their kids going out and shooting someone.

Or for teaching their kids what are consequences of using violence...

 

[Falzzi]

Many people who speak against the culture revolving around games and other computer related things dont know jack about the things they are working so hard to ban.

I think that they know. They know enough to think that people who were "taught how to kill by games" won't use violence to protest - they know that gamers are peaceful people, they know that "nerds" don't aren't people who would go rioting or who would shoot them for trying to destroy their culture.

No.
They assume that gamers are defenceless.

Gamers are a perfect scapegoat - they aren't violent or very active and violent games make them an easy target for hate campaigns.

Parents just dont want to take responsibility for their kids going out and shooting someone.

Or for teaching their kids what are consequences of using violence...

It's true, the gaming community is a perfect scape goat. People want to push all the real problems away because they are too hard to deal with, and replace them with something simple that everyone can understand. For example "You kill people in games -> youll be wanting to do that IRL".

 

[Jarno Mikkola]

Well there is all ready a solution for such problem it begins with a T and ends with -ent. There is always problems with that, but as a private citizen, you really don't have to worry about them.

 

[Sorrow]

It's true, the gaming community is a perfect scape goat. People want to push all the real problems away because they are too hard to deal with, and replace them with something simple that everyone can understand. For example "You kill people in games -> youll be wanting to do that IRL".

Yes, and the gaming community does almost nothing to defend itself against them.

 

[Wooz]

I think that we can successfully battle alien invaders that want to destroy our culture

In combination with your heart-in-swastika drawing on the deviantart account, one could easily jump to hasty conclusions.

The 'defense' ideas stated in your first post are childish at best, as is the whole concept of "fighting the evil politicians" guns blazing, charging windmills.

Sending hate mail, propaganda, and vandalizing forums won't do any good, and I really doubt any furious masses of opressed gamers will pour into the streets overthrowing the government.

If you really want to make a difference, try making a difference using explanative articles, pointing out why and how the said politicians' rethoric is wrong.

 

[Sorrow]

Sending hate mail, propaganda, and vandalizing forums won't do any good

I never talked about sending hate mail or vandalising forums . I'm thinking about the opposite - sending polite letters to politicians and invading UE forums under strict ROE - no personal attacks, no flaming, no vandalism - just expressing our opinion about the problem . The invasion means gathering as many forums as possible, registering at UE forums and becoming normal formum members. The difference would be that the EU forums would be full of gamers that could use them to express their opinions about current hate-campaigns against gamers.

Propaganda is needed to educate players what are the consequences of not taking action now, and what methods of taking action are acceptable.

If you really want to make a difference, try making a difference using explanative articles, pointing out why and how the said politicians' rethoric is wrong.

I agree here. The problem is that the politician's retheric is getting more precise and more radical. They no longer claim that computer games are turning normal people into murderers - no, they just say that they can "desensitize unstable individuals to violence and stilmulate them" and they think that it is acceptable to destroy our culture to "save a few lifes" .

BTW.
What do you think about the site that have I linked in the first post?

 

[Rainstorm]

If you really want to make a difference, try making a difference using explanative articles, pointing out why and how the said politicians' rethoric is wrong.

I agree here. The problem is that the politician's retheric is getting more precise and more radical. They no longer claim that computer games are turning normal people into murderers - no, they just say that they can "desensitize unstable individuals to violence and stilmulate them" and they think that it is acceptable to destroy our culture to "save a few lifes" .

Using wordings like "destroying our culture just to save a few lives" is not the way to go either IMHO.(since it may sound like you are willing to let a few die as long as you can have it your way)
Something like:
They claim they do it to save lives,but I seriously doubt they will,since an individual that is prone to become violent most likely will snap,sooner or later.(regardless if the individual has played violent games or spent his time reading Winnie the pooh)

One way,that I think would be more effective than sending mails to politicians is to send it to media,to try to get people,the common people to understand what it's all about.
If handled succesfully enough,media itself may even jump on the bandwagon (which they will if they think it'll sell more copies) and do interviews with gamers and so on.(which will make the politicians think about it since they don't want to lose votes)

So if you see some paper write about it,write your own reply to their open forum part of the paper and to their online forum,if they have one where you can discuss articles.(much like here on NMA,with a link to discuss that article)

It's just my personal opinion,but I think it will have a greater impact than 100 people writing more or less the same thing at more or less the same time to more or less the same people...

 

[Sorrow]

Using wordings like "destroying our culture just to save a few lives" is not the way to go either IMHO.(since it may sound like you are willing to let a few die as long as you can have it your way)

Hehehe...
I don't use such rhethoric when talking to non-gamers, of course .

Something like:
They claim they do it to save lives,but I seriously doubt they will,since an individual that is prone to become violent most likely will snap,sooner or later.(regardless if the individual has played violent games or spent his time reading Winnie the pooh)

I agree here. Also, anti-game theories can be easily reduced to absurd. I have written about it in my DA yournal:

I noticed that there's a lot hate against computer games in politics lately.
They hate them, because they show violence - something that they don't want to see.
They think that computer games cause violence and want to ban them.
They say that they can "desensitize and stimulate unstable individuals".
I say that it's bullshit.

Also, the notion that violent computer games should be banned, becuase they may inspire evil people to commit crimes is bullshit.
Following their train of thought, I say that we should ban all other possible motives, which in opposition to computer games are proven and well documented:

Money - because, money is a very common motive - it is proven that money can cause evil individuals to murder, rob, etc.
Sex - a motive of rape, sexual abuse, etc. All women should wear islamic clothes so that "unstable individuals" wouldn't rape them...
Love - jealousy crimes, killing someone because they don't return love, etc... Love should be a crime.
Religion - it's proven and well documented that religion can cause delusions, hatred, murder, etc. Religion should be banned.

Etc, etc, etc...

One way,that I think would be more effective than sending mails to politicians is to send it to media,to try to get people,the common people to understand what it's all about.

I agree. Non gamer media rarely show real gamers. One of the problems is that informational media often don't show reality but search for sensation.
They show violence, accidents, catastrophes, politics, but they rarely show normal, real life. I stopped watching News, because they painted a vision of a horrible, violent world. A world that I don't know from reality. I think that a "bad image" of gamers is caused by dysfunctional "informational" media that try to act as horror shows instead of giving a proportional information about real life.
If we could convince media to write about real gamers...

The question is:
Do media want to write about reality?

(which will make the politicians think about it since they don't want to lose votes)

Few (hundred) thousand gamers writing on EU forums may have a similiar effect .

So if you see some paper write about it,write your own reply to their open forum part of the paper and to their online forum,if they have one where you can discuss articles.(much like here on NMA,with a link to discuss that article)

Yeah. I written to one German newspaper in January.

It's just my personal opinion,but I think it will have a greater impact than 100 people writing more or less the same thing at more or less the same time to more or less the same people...

You mean writing on this forum ?