Florida News Station Warns Of Pedophiles Offering Game Points For Photos

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Florida News Station Warns Of Pedophiles Offering Game Points For Photos


An Orlando CBS News [http://www.cbsnews.com/] affiliate is warning that child predators are offering game points in exchange for nude photos of children through internet-connected videogames.

In a report by Local 6 News [http://www.local6.com], Florida Attorney General Cybercrime Detective Lieutenant David Maurer said, "Kids are playing games, and they are being asked to take photos of themselves naked in order to get game points. There is not only the chatting version of the games but also a webcam involved."

"My theory on it is that predators are going to go where kids are, and kids are playing videogames so it's a perfect place for them to be," he continued, explaining how his personal misgivings and complete lack of comprehension regarding videogames translated into iron-clad statements designed to elicit the greatest possible alarm from equally uninformed parents. At least one of those parents, Alida Magana, reacted predictably, revealing a blend of parental concern and mind-boggling ignorance by saying, "You think they're just watching a game, and like you said, I didn't really know they could actually get through the games and play a lot of people."

Local 6 reporter Donald Forbes said that at any time, "There can be 50 to 300,000 people online playing the most popular Internet-connected games," a number seemingly as random as the statements made by Maurer and Magana. Games cited by Forbes as being popular with children today include Grand Theft Auto [http://www.halo3.com]. And while the majority of gamers online only want to play some games, according to the report, "Some of them are looking for more than just gaming action."

The video report accompanying the article is as compelling and informative as one would expect, saying that children on the World of Warcraft [http://www.xbox.com] mixed with shots of kids talking over Xbox headsets to make the point. Parental controls, a fixture on all three console systems, are just barely touched on, while the fact that only certain games can use cameras at all is completely ignored.

It all may sound like a joke, particularly coming from a man who sounds suspiciously like a coworker of Sergeant local6.com [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant_Frank_Drebin].

via: Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/5029902/pedophiles-award-game-points-for-nude-pictures-of-children]


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Johnn Johnston

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May 4, 2008
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Malygris said:
"There can be 50 to 300,000 people online playing the most popular Internet-connected games."
I play 50 different people an hour, and last night on Halo 3 (the only game I own that keeps track of the amount of people online at that time), there were 200,000 people onlineat that time alone. I think the estimate is a *little* low.

Also, as far as I know, you can't actually give someone else points. XBL Marketplace has Microsoft Points, which is the only thing I would take my clothes off for (I mean, come on. I need that horse armour), and they aren't tradeable.

In short, I give a resounding, "Um...what?" to that entire news story.
 

Skrapt

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May 6, 2008
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Slow news week? It seems like they;ve made up this story, seriously 'game points' wtf are they talking about? The closest thing I can think of is Xbox live points, but as far as I know they can't be handed between players so wtf are they going on about?
 

DarkHyth

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Apr 10, 2008
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Malygris said:
Games cited by Forbes as being popular with children today include Grand Theft Auto [http://www.halo3.com].
I'm not really sure as to why these big names are being brought into this. If this problem exists in these games at all, then it is simply the parents' fault for letting children play these games, as Halo 3, Call Of Duty and Grand Theft Auto all have very clear M ratings, and the kids should not be playing the game.
 

meatloaf231

Old Man Glenn
Feb 13, 2008
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Erm...

Game points? Seriously? How much farther can this be stretched? Now people are just making things up!

I wonder if they just thought "Hey, you know what people are afraid of? Video games. You know what else they are afraid of? Pedophiles getting to their children. Hey! Let's just make up some bullshit story about how those two are related! Great idea!"
 
Feb 13, 2008
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BaronAsh said:
wow thats just inconceivable
Very poor choice of words. ;)

But given that Facebook, Bebo etc. all give away points for information and photos, what do you expect?

The 'net is no place for kids. Or a lot of adults. Freedom of Choice also means Responsibility of Choice.

And that goes double for scumbag journo's who are only after ratings. Do Paedophiles stay away from News sites and their indecent photos of naked celebrities? Nope? Then we should ban them as well.
 

BlazeTheVampire

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May 14, 2008
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The_root_of_all_evil said:
BaronAsh said:
wow thats just inconceivable
Very poor choice of words. ;)

But given that Facebook, Bebo etc. all give away points for information and photos, what do you expect?

The 'net is no place for kids. Or a lot of adults. Freedom of Choice also means Responsibility of Choice.

And that goes double for scumbag journo's who are only after ratings. Do Paedophiles stay away from News sites and their indecent photos of naked celebrities? Nope? Then we should ban them as well.
I can't think of any point where Facebook offers you a reward for photos or information. I'm not familiar with Bebo, but I'm 100% sure that Facebook doesn't have "points".
 

Treblaine

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Jul 25, 2008
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I don't get it, Wii was supposed to bring gaming to the masses yet still people can't figure out how games work "looking at his game" ITS NOT A FRAKING DVD!!

It does make you worry about news in general if they can talk with such confidence about such serious issues yet neither the reporters nor their target audience (yes, news channels have target audiences) know anything about them. They do this with crime, terrorism, child abuse and major accidents where they don't consult any experts in the field or in the case of FOX news they consult and expert (like Geoff Keighley on Mass Effect) yet completely ignore and contradict what he says.

The problem with news is it's not about truth, it's about stories, they don't compete to see who can be the most accurate and detailed, they compete for ratings. I don't advocate government funded news (BBC is a disgrace) but viewers need to stop watching news that is just plane wrong!
 

Aries_Split

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May 12, 2008
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Runs hand along thigh whilst licking lips. Slowly unbuttons shirt and casts it aside.

"Mmmmm....if you want the pants off, that's gonna cost you extra..."


Proceeds a cruel laugh.

Honestly, I laughed at this. What the hell are "Game points?"
 

Church256

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Jul 24, 2008
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Another thrown together report trying (yet again) to say games are dangerous and what an EPIC FAIL.
 

fluffylandmine

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Jul 23, 2008
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this is why no one can be trusted(the media),now quick to the safe house their coming to fill our heads with da shiznit!
 

the monopoly guy

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May 8, 2008
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http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=spot_the_pedo

problem solved


smallharmlesskitten said:
truly fail. truly

call to duty....
*ring*
hello?
Hello, is this duty?
No, this is arms
Ah, sorry, wrong number

*click*
 

Jumplion

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Mar 10, 2008
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Well, you have to admit, they certainly had to pull this out of their ass and they can be creative in times of need.

Though I'm sure everyone will forget comepletely about this news headline by tommorow. Hell, I've already forgotten what they said mostly.
 

maxusy3k

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May 17, 2008
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The problem here though is that anybody with half a clue about gaming knows instantly this is just horseshit. Unfortunately, the people the story is targetting, the parents, friends of parents etc, don't and won't know it's almost entirely a work of fiction.

It's how the media machine works, and it works on polarisation... anybody trying to represent games or gaming systems against this is just the opposition in the argument, and presumably not to be trusted.

It's easy for us to laugh it off, not so much for the people who'll believe this stuff as it's spoon-fed to them, and accept it unquestionably as the true state of affairs.
 

stompy

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Jan 21, 2008
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meatloaf231 said:
I wonder if they just thought "Hey, you know what people are afraid of? Video games. You know what else they are afraid of? Pedophiles getting to their children. Hey! Let's just make up some bullshit story about how those two are related! Great idea!"
Kinda like this:

News Investigator: Sir, there was just a murder in an apartment! 4 people are dead, and the police have no leads!
Editor: So, we have nothing to report... well, what was in the room?
News Investigator: A phone, a TV, an Xbox, a-
Editor: Right, I've got it!

News Reporter: **smug voice** Shocking news today as 4 people were killed over a dispute involving a computer game...

Experts say that computer games are to blame for this travesty, and that all computer games should be banned. This sick, sick filth has got to end...

And now, we present the 'Bikini babes'...