Town Holds Violent Videogame Buyback Program

[Twilight_guy]

If they offer a good deal I'd do it. It'll probably suck on value you get though. When major companies are competing you with you, your little event is probably not going to do well.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

I see the Escapist trend of ambiguous, frightening headlines to draw in pageviews is still working. "Town Holds Violent-Videogame Buyback Program" sounds like there was a riot where a mob demanded people turn over violent games for monetary compensation, not a casual suggestion of a voucher.

 

[Therumancer]

Counries with school shootings: USA
Countries with violent video games: ALL
Countries with with lax gun laws: USA

Yes,it is obviously the video games' fault.

Well more accuratly the big issue is the USA having an out of control media. We pretty much let the media sensationaalize just about anything they want to, and broadcast it internationally. Since everyone cares about the USA (whatever they might claim) everyone also tunes right in to hear about it, and it stays in the news longer.

When people attempt to cause mass casualties in other countries it's a relative foot note. For example in China some guy went berserk in a school with a knife before being taken down, like the day before "Sandy Hook". It didn't get one tenth the press coverage, and honestly, it's amazing we even heard about it to the extent we did because most countries try and keep their dirty laundry like that in the country and compartmentalized instead of broadcasting it everywhere.

The thing is that when you look at murder sprees and such in general, the US isn't so bad, but it takes more digging, and also the desire to remember them. Also there is a tendency among everyone in the world to value what happens elsewhere less, because the USA is pretty much the most dominant and enlightened culture, and sets a standard, it's nice to take a chunk out of us once in a while, and while everyone agrees we're more or less "tops", they tend to think of anyone other than us and themselves as comparitively barbaric.

Do a search for something called "Three Guys One Hammer" (Encyclopedia Dramatica used to have links to the video, but I believe they took it down), it's fairly old right now, but the bottom line was that it was a bunch of kids in Russia (I believe) torturing and killing this dude for fun while recording it on their cell phone. It's been a while, but the bottom line is that this only got it's 15 minutes of fame because it made it on the internet as a shock video. The apprehension of the guys that did it was barely a footnote comparitively speaking. Nobody much cares or remembers it now, or thinks of it in cases like this, because it's not the USA, and pretty much anyone else around the world probably to some degree think "the people there are animals, so it's expected", which was in part what you heard when this video was "new".

Someone sets off a nail bomb in a school in Poland or whatever, and you might hear about it for five minutes, but globally speaking nobody cares, and neither does the media. In part because the Polish authorities will probably be far more assertive in dealing with the media to prevent it from being turned into this kind of a circus (which gets into other issues like relative "Freedom of the Press" as well... globally speaking, not just about Poland).

... and yes, part of the reason why you hear about it is because people want to point fingers at the USA and say "The USA sucks" which is part of "caring". As I said, a tradgedy elsewhere tends to just be "duh, expected".

-

Also as a side note I'll say that the problems we're looking at aren't exactly recent either. The US, like most countries, has had non-stop dark moments since it was formed, it's just that the media wasn't in a position to distribute the information on a large scale. Some horror writers have pointed out that while doing research for books all they need to do is go into archival newspaper footage, and they will find something truely, beyond the pale, F@cked up, in the history of pretty much any town you can think of, and a grain of truth behind just about any "local" or "urban" legend. This is what inspires so many writers to have characters in their works do "research" in town archives and such to find why hauntings and such occur, because it's remotely plausible, since everywhere has
something like that.

See, if someone went into a school in a relatively small town with a Tommy Gun and iced 30 or so kids in the 1930s, the odds of anyone outside of the area knowing about it were prety much non-existant. There was no internet, radio was comparitively crude, and newspapers could only be distributed as far as trucks could carry them and few people cared about what happened outside of their area (except for big, federal, headlines). Also to be fair shock journalism has always been around, but it's only been fairly recent (within a few decades) where it's become the bread and butter of reporting.

That's my thoughts at any rate. Consider that one of the things that made Hoover so famous in his gangster hunts and such is that he was able to get media coverage, and was one of the very first people to use the media so heavily for crimes. He did a lot to get people's pictures, stories, etc... out there. Even as late as the 1960s you had criminal gangs (like bikers) virtually taking over towns because everything was so compartmentalized and it was hard for people to tell what was goin on where, or mount effective responses, and as many people will point out even when things sucked here the USA was pretty bloody well off compared to the rest of the world. It's not that things have changed, you just hear about it more, indeed things are probably the best they have ever been for the first world, but increasing information gathering and distribution technology means that we're simply more aware so it seems like the opposite is true.

 

[Abomination]

Also I wonder how many people are just going to give them the cases with blank CD-Rs in them just to get the vouchers.

...
Brilliant plan, good sir.

I wonder how much I can make from this scheme.

 

[Nimzabaat]

I can't wait for the NRA to get on board with this. Get a free gun for every video game you turn in! Staying indoors is creepy, go outside and shoot something with real bullets like a true American!

On topic for treating the symptoms but not the disease;

http://www.leaderpost.com/life/fashion-beauty/Bulletproof+gear+kids/7766916/story.html

Yup, bulletproof school gear for kids. Which only means that your average psycho will need to pony up for armor-piercing rounds. Hmmmm so psychos will need better guns and ammo, concerned parents are shelling out for body armor for their kids... that's a win/win for the NRA when you think about it. Well played NRA.

 

[Vault101]

People all over the world do things that are pure stupidity all the time and no one on this forum makes a peep about it.

are you kidding?..."stupid people being stupid" is one of the most popular topics here

[quote/]
Isn't everyone above me pretty much blasting them for not buying violent movies or books?[/quote]
uhhh...no..not that I can see
[quote/]Kinda hard to accuse them of having a crusade against artistic expression when they're perfectly comfortable with huge swaths of it.[/quote]
..what?

[quote/]
As for the banning, sure you can. It's a little thing called the constitution. This group has zero power to ban anything, hasn't attempted to ban anything, and hasn't talked about banning anything. [/quote]
its the same "mindset" that the games are so "harmful" that they actually go to such lengths as this (this whole thing is pretty rediculous when you think about) if not then what I said was slightly off topic, that the "ban media!" argument is stupid

[quote/]As for preventing people from handing over their games, why would you? It's their game. If they want to hand it over, what business is it of yours?[/quote]
I don't want to prevent people from handing over their games...they might get a nice deal out of, though I would disagree with them doing it because it would only encourage this dumbassery, as for the people running it...well I wouldn't ban it but I'm still going to say its stupid

[quote/]
You bet that, do you? Based on what? What evidence do you have that these particular "self rightous [sic] wankers" would force us all to give up violent video games?[/quote]

like what I said earlyer, the fact they think the games are enough of a problem to want to actually get people to get rid of them seems pretty convincing to me, obviously they can't ban them so they take a more "mutually beneficial" aproach...stupid as it is, if not thease people then there are plenty more groups that would love to see them banned

[quote/]Let's face it: This entire story boils down to one thing- some people in Connecticut have marked themselves as not being a part of the gamer tribe, and so gamers on this site are throwing a tantrum.[/quote]
"tantrum" oh how precious

no, our "tantrum" is because people are beign stupid...you know what? I dont even deny there is a link between behaviour and games...I DO think taking a "DERP! BAN IT ALL" aproach is absolutly disgusting and only a few steps above book burnings, how the fuck is what they are doing suposed to have an impact?..AT ALL....the only impact is symbolic, [b/]banning what already exists[/b] is about as effective as pissing in the ocean

 

[Ragsnstitches]

*sigh* dumb-asses make wanna cry

Nice string of faceless new users there.

"Dumb-asses make wanna cry" ? Mkay. Go back to your hole.

Whoa... what the crikey did that guy do to deserve that backlash? Granted, he may have overreacted, but most of the first page is overreactions. Why single out this guy?

Really, I love that you think I'm angry. I was talking specifically of the 3 posts in-a-row before mine with no avatars and 15 posts or less, all talking about how guns suck. Oh yea, that's not suspicious at all.. Ever hear of socks?

Love how the topic isn't about guns either.

But hey, it's cool. Let's let the faceless socks derail threads for yet another gun control debate. . .

It doesn't take much effort to check each persons post history, especially given how few there are... these guys are not the same person.

So maybe think before you shoot your mouth off. It's even easier to do on the web because there are no time constraints on posting.

Also, given the recency of the shootings and the obvious connotations of this buyback, it's perfectly reasonable to question "why not guns" under the current controversies. Those posts are well within the scope of the topic. Just because you don't like their viewpoint does not mean they are deliberately derailing the thread. Ironically, you are starting to derail the thread by venting your groundless suspicions.

If you suspect dodgy accounts, report and move on. Though given that they haven't done anything against the forum rules, and at a glance don't appear to be the same person, it would be safer to just ignore and move on, as reprisals are to be expected from abusing the report function.

 

[nexus]

It doesn't take much effort to check each persons post history, especially given how few there are... these guys are not the same person.

So maybe think before you shoot your mouth off. It's even easier to do on the web because there are no time constraints on posting.

I never said it was a single person.

I'm completely tired of every discussion board on the internet being invaded by people with no interest in the site itself, rather they just care about sparking a gun control debate and saying everyone is a gun-nut dumbass for not agreeing with them. Everywhere. Fucking game boards, sites dedicated to the preparation and consumption of rare shellfish, antique silverware discussion sites.... doesn't matter where. Wherever you go, there they are stinking up the whole room with their shit.

 

[AlwaysPractical]

Hm... While I hate the underlying hatred, fear and ignorance, I have to aknowledge that this is one of the most reasonable and mature ways to deal with it. Good on them for at least not all out calling for bans.

 

[Strazdas]

Well...at least it's not mandatory.

If a parent thinks 'hmm, maybe my kid shouldn't be exposed to this kind of violent imagery at this time', then that's a decision that needs to be made at the store counter, so to speak, not 1/2 years down the line.

I can't deny that perhaps their hearts are in the right place, but they are quite openly admitting that they ignored the PEGI (or whatever it is) rating - that's after all there for a reason - so really it's just too little too late if they don't want their kids playing videogames with violent imagery.

there is only one reason for PEGI rating - for stupid people to think certain things are inappropriate to certain people.


as for the buyback, well, there will be people who can get rid of old games this way, more power to them. actually id love a place where i could trade in my old books, sadly no such exist in my country....

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

While this is beyond stupid, I would actually suggest people do this.

Not your brand new games, but go to them with your old PS2 games and what not that your never going to play/too scratched up to play/you have a digital copy, but gamestop will not pay a dime for, partly so you get money, partly so you can point it out later and laugh in their faces about.

I know this happened at gun buy back programs.

 

[triggrhappy94]

I think Marin County--the area just North of the Golden Gate bridge and San Fran--did something like this.
I remember they mentioned it on the local news and the mayor (or whoever) had spelt "Halo 4" wrong on his website.

EDIT:
At least it's better than selling to gamestop.

 

[Strazdas]

People all over the world do things that are pure stupidity all the time and no one on this forum makes a peep about it.

actually, we do. and we get shouted at by the stupid people of "how wrong you are".

 

[Pat8u]

I slammed my desk when I read this these uneducated fools who keep claiming that because one person who liked video games (movies also) and then killed people means that all people who like video games will do the same, always continue to tire me and make me so frustrated

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Yes, because playing Prototype makes me want to tear people asunder with my tentacle arms.

So yeah, the violence in videogames is rarely imitable.

Honestly, the only reason I'd take advantage of this is to get more than the standard trade in at Gamestop, but only if I actually go to the places they offer gift cards for.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Well, I do have a few of the more shit CoD games lying around and they can't possibly offer worse deals then Gamestop...

So fuck it! I'm in!

 

[The Youth Counselor]

Counries with school shootings: USA
Countries with violent video games: ALL
Countries with with lax gun laws: USA

Yes,it is obviously the video games' fault.

Can't argue with that.
Also, about gun buyback:
They offer, what, 50 dollars for weapons, that clearly cost a lot more? Those guys will sell them and make profit, and if not, they are complete morons.

$50 (or credit) is usually the least amount given. Recent gun buyback programs in my area offered up to $250 for each gun.

A lot of the guns turned in are junk guns such as Hi-Points, Lorcins, Cobras, Ravens, Brycos some of which don't even have the retail value of $50. A lot of gun shops I've frequented include those guns for free after purchases or as a perk for servicemen, law enforcement, Front Sight, and NRA members, (and because it's inventory that they need to clear.)

There are gun stores that give complementary guns with the purchase of guns and/or gun accessories?

I'm not for or against it, it just seems so strange to me.

Business is business, even if it involves death.

In an equally strange but more depressing note, a local funeral home began to give us discounts because so many of our family members started dying one after the other in the past year.

 

[The Youth Counselor]

I think Marin County--the area just North of the Golden Gate bridge and San Fran--did something like this.
I remember they mentioned it on the local news and the mayor (or whoever) had spelt "Halo 4" wrong on his website.

EDIT:
At least it's better than selling to gamestop.

This has been happening all over the nation recently in response to the shootings.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking...irearms-collected-during-gun-buybacks-oakland

But like I said in my other posts, most of these are junk that opportunistic collectors, retailers, and criminals want to get rid of. Many of the guns were inherited by family members who don't shoot or decided they have outgrown them, and are unlikely to end up on the streets or used in a massacre.

 

[Vhite]

I misread the thread name and for a long moment I thought Towns developers were doing this.

I was almost prepared to hate on them. o_o

Read twice people, it saves lives.

 

[Quellist]

The world doesn't need all those copies of Brink and Duke Nukem Forever, does it?

I think delivering copies of Brink and Duke Nukem Forever to an organization likely to destroy them actually qualifies as a public service actually.

Seconded! those pieces of toxic filth are an offence to violent games everywhere.

Seriously though, will these idiots ever stop flailing around for anyone and anything to blame except the real culprits (themselves, bad parenting, gun culture etc take your pick)