Emergency Alerts May Be Coming to Your Xbox

[pneuma08]

It makes sense if you live in a potential disaster area. Tornado, hurricane, and flood warnings are helpful and getting them across as many channels as possible is the best way to make sure people are hearing the info.

On XBL I just imagine it would be:
BAH-dup: BOB wants you to join an XBOX LIVE PARTY
BAH-dup: CITY OF NEW YORK has sent you a MESSAGE

 

[Low Key]

As long as I have the option to turn off the alerts, then sure! The last thing I need is more random bullshit popping up on my screen. Knowing the government, they'll start using the system to send out "Don't do drugs" statements after a while. Thanks for invading my privacy AGAIN government.

 

[mistermessiah]

I totally back this idea. If a zombie apoclayse ouccrs while i'm playing left 4 dead 2 i want to know right away, cause if it happens then I'll be in just the right mood for the whole thing.

 

[samsonguy920]

Well those in New York playing XBL or PSN, strap yourselves in for some hiccup testing. But otherwise I see this as a step forward for once, where gaming is recognized as a medium like watching TV. But if you conspiracy theorists would rather not, then why are you watching TV where the government is already doing this?

 

[Kuliani]

I think it would be tons of fun. For the operator of the system, of course. The messages could just pop up on the screen like an annoying IM:

"To the guy that just shot me in the back, FU!"
"Warning! There is a TORNADO headed for your house. Please take cover immediately."
"HAHA, all those people that just ran from that fake tornado just got PWNED!"
""

 

[Lucane]

I'd say a pop-up that looks like a trophy/achivement but altered colors to indicate it's a warning so as not to fully stop the game unless you want too and then have a channel you could go to for the actual alert.

Cause if it just overrides people are gonna be pissed if it gonna be those this is a test of the 360/PSN system and if it we're a real alert we would have mention it etc.

 

[Chainsaws_of_War_2]

Not a bad idea, just slightly unconventional.

 

[zidine100]

hmmm did not expect this,

video games are the devil, lets use them to convay emergancys to the public.

sounds somewhat hypocritical if you ask me. But still a good idea.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

The moment I saw the title my mind spirited away in a fantasy world where I'm just about to get to the last level of Modern Warfare 2 and unlock the AK47 when a freaking alert talking crap about tornadoes appears on my screen, intrerupting my game.

Personally, screw natural disasters. I WANT MY DAMN GUN!

 

[squid5580]

Why would I want emergency alerts from New York when I live in the middle of England? Joking, of course.

And how is that bad? If typhoon or a barrage of nukes is approaching, you want to hide or run away - not play Modern Warfare 2.

Nothing in theory. In practise, I can imagine ham-fished government employees virtually destroying the network they plan to communicate over. but if they get it into working order, its a brilliant idea.

Sure it is all fine and dandy until your game gets interrupted by "this is a test BEEEEEEEEEP" cutting off the best damn match of your life. If they can do it without that and keep it to your local area (I don't care if a typhoon is gonna destroy NY when I live in Canada) then ya it is a good idea.

 

[johnman]

Flash up a message saying zombies are coming and you jsut ensured that the vast majority of people who are the best prepared for it are aware, excellent idea!

 

[Sunfirecross]

As a New Yorker I din find this very annoying to read.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Pardon me gamer, Country X has just launched a nuclear strike against your country, one of their more powerful bombs will impact close to you. By the time you have finished reading this message the bomb will be so close you will not have time to do anything except soil yourself in fear. We apologise in advance of destroying your blissful ignorance of impending doom and ruining your gameplay. We thank you in advance for your forgivness and understanding.

This doomsday message has been brought to you by Doritos, for a more entertaining snack, try new Zombie Apocalypse flavour, so tasty it will make you think you are really eating brains!

 

[IxionIndustries]

I'm fine with this, as long as it's not that annoying BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP noise, that sounds like your getting ear raped with a pineapple.

 

[Royas]

And how is that bad? If typhoon or a barrage of nukes is approaching, you want to hide or run away - not play Modern Warfare 2. And such emergencies do not occur on a daily basis. Plus, a classic air raid siren sounds totally awesome - even if it means that you're going to be in a middle of shrapnel rain. Don't deny it.

Also, 2000 posts. Yay me, i guess.

Only reason I'd say it's bad is that I've seen what sort of small-time minor crap they use the emergency broadcast system for now in my state. 99.9% of the time it's warning me of things that I frankly don't consider to be emergencies. "Severe storm warning!" Gee, I guess the high winds and lashing rain outside wasn't warning enough? "Flash flood warning!" See above, it's raining like hell, of course it's going to flood in low lying areas. Once in a great while it will give an actual warning of something like tornadoes or something else actually dangerous, but for the most part it just interrupts the show for nothing important.

 

[Wakefield]

The only alert I want is that there is finally an 18+ game rating in Australia.

Only kidding, I'm kinda on the fence on this idea. I'd like to know more about it.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Pardon me gamer, Country X has just launched a nuclear strike against your country, one of their more powerful bombs will impact close to you. By the time you have finished reading this message the bomb will be so close you will not have time to do anything except soil yourself in fear. We apologise in advance of destroying your blissful ignorance of impending doom and ruining your gameplay. We thank you in advance for your forgivness and understanding.

This doomsday message has been brought to you by Doritos, for a more entertaining snack, try new Zombie Apocalypse flavour, so tasty it will make you think you are really eating brains!

You are my new favorite person ever. That was beautiful.

Why do they keep trying to interrupt my gameplay? I just want to play Borderlands, not be alerted of a tornado warning on the other side of the country. I just want to play Splinter Cell, not have big advertisements popping up all over the place. Leave us alone, please.

 

[Ftaghn To You Too]

Trust me people, this is bad. You don't want the government getting their head into this tech even for something as noble as warning of a disaster.

There are so many other ways that are more suited by their infrastructure and their user functionality. If games about terrorism like Modern Warfare 2 require are warning about something like terrorism, how long is it before some stuffy and out of touch politician or civil servant says "you can't have this in the game. I don't care if it's part of the experience, this is not a game any more, this is primarily a public broadcast system"

Resist this people. There are so many better methods like Twitter, mass email, even texting would be better and easier.

If it's done this way, BAD BAD BAD idea. But if they stay the hell out of our games and let Microsoft or Sony pass a message on, then we should be safe from censorship, right?

 

[Teh Roflchoppa]

Its funny cause i thought about this alot, i thought, gee what if im playing xbox and then suddenly an earthquake hit and i died but if i was watching TV they would warn me to take cover...

 

[Treblaine]

Trust me people, this is bad. You don't want the government getting their head into this tech even for something as noble as warning of a disaster.

There are so many other ways that are more suited by their infrastructure and their user functionality. If games about terrorism like Modern Warfare 2 require are warning about something like terrorism, how long is it before some stuffy and out of touch politician or civil servant says "you can't have this in the game. I don't care if it's part of the experience, this is not a game any more, this is primarily a public broadcast system"

Resist this people. There are so many better methods like Twitter, mass email, even texting would be better and easier.

If it's done this way, BAD BAD BAD idea. But if they stay the hell out of our games and let Microsoft or Sony pass a message on, then we should be safe from censorship, right?

I wouldn't bet on it. Mention the "T-word" to politicians and they go NUTS! Conservative and even liberals all seem to do "whatever is necessary" which usually involves a massive over-reaction. I call it "24-syndrome".

This is the WORST medium to warn about terrorism, a medium that readily and creatively recreates fictional terrorism with increasing realism, but to mix that with warnings of real life terrorism which seems to be getting increasingly surreal in their boldness.

Look, if PS3 and 360 had a dedicated, obvious and explicitly SEPARATE news feed that could be for stuff like weather and traffic reports most of the time and disaster warning in an emergency... well great. That would work. But in-game integration is a foolish move and issues of government censorship are virtually guaranteed.