Atkinson: Gamers Are More Threatening Than Bikers

[The Cake Is Annoying]

Do you really think hes got people reading every game forum out there trolling for quotes to use against us? You are waaaaaayy too paranoid.

If his PR are in any way competant, or if he has any favours to call in with local journalists on a slow news day, then yes, absolutely. You call it trolling, but this is a political tactic older than paper. Discrediting political opponents? Schmoozing the press? You've never heard of these things before?

Paranoid? No.

All I see are people using the internet to express thier anger and outrage over this grave injustice.

Expressing anger and outrage isn't always legal. "I'm entitled to my opinion" isn't some legal immunity prefix to statements like "that x is an idiot. We should go around to his house and harass his family."

That stuff winds up in courts using words like "conspiracy to commit..." and "repeat threats of...". Mouthy assholes can make gamers look like a threat in ways that Atkninson alone can't.

And as for grave injustice? Spare me. The man just shot his mouth off to score political points. This isn't Nelson Mandella locked up 27 years. He mouthed off about outlaw bikers who don't give a damn about what a pasty faced politician thinks. He's looking to dehumanise some social outsiders to gain some credibility.

You should have seen the stuff written about Jack Thompson. I think they even made a flash game starring Thompson where he goes on a shooting spree at a game developer.

What happened to Thompson has no bearing on what will happen with Atkninson. But regardless I followed the news around that time, I've seen the stuff. And that game you're describing? "I'm O.K ? A Murder Simulator" wasn't as straight forward as that. There's a story behind that, it wasn't thrown together on a whim for no reason. Certainly an important one was "A Modest Video Game Proposal" of Thompson's for instance.

And don't confuse game developers and programmers with gamers. They're groups with entirely different perspectives, responsibilitys and influences on gaming.

That didn't stop us from succesfully destroying every shred of credibility he had left.

Gamers had little active role in Jack Thompson's exit from law. The man self destructed; a quick glance at the diverse range of things he filed against (its all on WP) earned him withspread contempt.

Atkinson is different. He's only pissed off gamers; his reasons for censoring gaming are never clearly outlined and his approach is sensationalist (though nowhere as much as Thompson's was) but he's only chosen strong arguments to paint gamers in a bad light - harassment in the small hours of the morning for instance.

If you think Atkinson is going to make the same mistakes as Thompson you should compare what each have said, because there's little overlap. Different country, different reputations and different arguments.

 

[jimduckie]

gee i guess i'm a double threat , i ride and play games ... yeah it might only be a bicycle but i ride hard and fast plus i spend alot on the biking hobby too ,just like gaming

 

[Kiju]

I think the point he's trying to convey is that gamers have had the actual experience of beheading someone via a virtual effort.

The only problem is, he has even more of a hard time distinguishing fantasy from fiction than the gamers do. Why do we like bloodbath games like L4D2? Because it's a safe, legal way to vent our frustrations and kill something without jail-time. Now, he wants to impose the idea that it's illegal to safely relieve tension without the use of drugs? Ha.

I just don't think it's fair that he actually wants to make it illegal to play games intended for adults. It should be up to the adults who play them, not some stuck up prick who wasn't born late enough to enjoy the computer age.

 

[lacktheknack]

"With interactive games, people are actually doing things," Atkinson said. "One can go to the cinema and see someone beheaded, and one sees it as a passive viewer.

While he is indeed a asshole, he does have a point there.

Because pressing a button labeled "X" is exactly like swinging an axe.

IGNORE MANHUNT 2 FOR THE WII.

 

[lacktheknack]

If he said where he lived live how long do you think it will take for him to be killed?, id give him 1 hour.

And that there is the world's most horrific tragedy and the person who killed him would be the world's - no, HISTORY'S - biggest asshat because they proved him RIGHT.

Baaaaad ideas.

 

[lacktheknack]

This man is married with 3 sons and a daughter (source - WP). Those poor kids. I hope they have a good doctor because they may well die of embarassment.

Fun facts one of those sons is also a competitive gamer.

Aaaaaand you have made my life.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

Debates like this in Australia, don't help it's image to the eyes of gamers which is 85% of people in a test i made up for this post. So Aussie Land is not favored by majority of people

 

[breadlord]

I didn't make this. But it shows you how dangerous we are:

THE HORROR!

 

[Pegghead]

Hooray for spending an hour on paint all to show the obvious hypocricy of Mike the merciless!

 

[ace_of_something]

What the hell man?

He insulted BOTH the gamers and motorcycle riders. I'm a member of both of those things. I am definitly not giving australia my vaction dollars next summer.

 

[VonBrewskie]

Ridiculous. This man's tyranny is out of control. Kudos to the gamer with the note. Way to stand up for free speech in that totalitarian BS. I admit it's just games, and not the newspaper or something, but as we say in America, free speech is a slippery slope. You put one block in the way, and that can really screw up the rest of the system. It can also undermine the people's faith in their own democracy.

 

[VonBrewskie]

How about gamers that are bikers?

Oh shit. Call the Airforce. Those guys need to be carpet bombed. haha. Good post yo...

 

[Zing]

Dear Greg,

Please stop posting this tools mugshot. I always feel a strong urge to punch my monitor.

Sincerely, Zing.

 

[JWAN]

What if I'm a gamer AND a biker?

I'd say lets float our bikes down there and kick his totalitarian ass

I don't get on my Harley for such inane reasons, and it would just prove his point.

That gaming bikers are the master race?

(SARCASM)

 

[Altorin]

A thread title hasn't made me laugh at such absurdity in a long time.

Only Michael Atkinson would think that, because Michael Atkinson has seen to it to make us his enemy. Even Jack Thompson only hates games, not gamers. He drew the line in the sand, and now sees us as more threatening then bikers?

to him maybe. To the rest of the world, we're on the whole pretty nice people. Of course as a whole we'd like to see Michael Atkinson fired out of a cannon into the sun, but I doubt he's in any real danger. I doubt there are many "Kill someone to get initiated" Video Game Gangs, fighting over Turf.

seriously, crazy as a loon.

 

[Hallow'sEve]

Fuck yeah we are!! Mad GAMER Max bitches!! hahaha

oh a side note, ATKINSON, WE'VE MADE NUMEROUS ADVANCES IN DENTISTRY, GET SOME BRACES!!

 

[dirt_empire]

I wonder about your country, my Australian Escapists, is this all your country has to deal with right now? No financial crisis, no battles between political parties or religious groups? Really? Atkinson has so little on his plate he finds time to ***** about us? Gamers?

In other news, we should totally get Atkinson to divorce his wife. Then we get the game-hating-mom from a few weeks back and set them up. The world will collapse into itself!

 

[Dr. wonderful]

You damn straight we are.

We jump on turtles, use big guns, and kick alien asses three times a day plus have enough
time to rock the f@#k out with our bands.

We are made from crazy awesome.

Spoiler

Oh wait, that is only in the games. Atkinson, is the one who believe we can do all that. Silly man, trix are for kids.