TV news: Animal Crossing is a haven for child molesters

cloudeagle

I'd post this in the regular AC thread, but this is just so goddamn funny I think it's worth its own thread.

The TV news on KMIZ, an ABC affiliate in Columbia, Missouri, recently reported that something called the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force is warning of sexual predators using Animal Crossing-City Folk to target kids.

How did they come to this conclusion? Here is their logic, in its entirety:

"There is no reason an adult should have this game," says Andy Anderson, Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force.

Anderson says adults playing "animal crossing" and similar games are likely doing it for the wrong reasons.

Apparently these guys would like to keep kids safe from all kinds of harmless games on other systems, but there's a problem.

"The equipment is real expensive and we cannot afford to buy all of the systems and do not have the resources either to examine all of the possibilities," Anderson explains.

The task force is, apparently, real and uses the resources of Boone County detectives.

http://mmictaskforce.com/default.aspx

Even if it's not real, keep in mind this was actually reported seriously.

http://www.kmiz.com/news/story.php?id=13725

So all you adults playing Animal Crossing better stay out of Columbia!

urahonky

What in the living fuck?

THEPAIN73

Ummm WHAT?!?!?!

Honk

Stupidity. Processed and refined into it's purest form.

Daedalus

You know what I've never figured out is why do the ESA's well-funded lawyer army never go after stuff like this? Do they just have their hands full suing state governments that pass laws that have already been found unconstitutional in other states, or what?

Imran

...Andy Anderson?

Are you fucking serious

Who names their kid Andy Anderson

Vyolynce

cloudeagle wrote: »

I'd post this in the regular AC thread,

Where we've already ridiculed the ever-loving shit out of it.

SwashbucklerXX

I do find this rather amusing considering that the current title of our Animal Crossing thread is, "Serena is a dirty dirty whore." Somebody call the PO-LICE!

Wren

damn they're on to me.. I'd better go back to Halo

Toxic Pickle

Actually, this was already discussed in the Animal Crossing thread, but of course the task force is not specifically targetting AC... the news station merely seems to latch onto it because it seems to more of a kid-friendly game and thus it's far more sensational that predators could be using it as a weapon to get at peoples' children.

As usual, it's pretty obvious if you watch the video report that they truly have no idea what they're talking about. When they mention that 'this guy here, we have no idea who he could be', the newsbabe is referring to Tortimer, an NPC in the game.

Honk

I wish some day that people would stop to fear and seek to destroy every single thing that they don't understand.

cloudeagle

Toxic Pickle wrote: »

Actually, this was already discussed in the Animal Crossing thread, but of course the task force is not specifically targetting AC... the news station merely seems to latch onto it because it seems to more of a kid-friendly game and thus it's far more sensational that predators could be using it as a weapon to get at peoples' children.

As usual, it's pretty obvious if you watch the video report that they truly have no idea what they're talking about. When they mention that 'this guy here, we have no idea who he could be', the newsbabe is referring to Tortimer, an NPC in the game.

Actually, the task force did specifically say that there's absolutely no reason an adult should play AC:CF, so they're equally stupid. It's like two large air masses of stupid colliding and forming a tornado of idiocy, devastating all logic in its path.

Toxic Pickle

cloudeagle wrote: »

Actually, the task force did specifically say that there's absolutely no reason an adult should play AC:CF, so they're equally stupid. It's like two large air masses of stupid colliding and forming a tornado of idiocy, devastating all logic in its path.

I don't have access to the video report from here at work, but I do remember that quote from him and even then I wasn't sure he was specifically talking about AC:CF... though in any case, I'm not disagreeing that he is still an ignorant fool who doesn't appear to even understand what it is he's investigating.

darleysam

Honk wrote: »

Stupidity. Processed and refined into it's purest form.

Just what a paedophile would say!

Dusda

...

They just keep coming up with new ways to look at this medium, don't they.

e: The news I mean.

Dirty

This reminds me of that report that warned parents of the dangers of Pictochat. If a child molester is close enough to Pictochat with your child, the DS is not your biggest problem right now.

This report says that your children have no say in what goes on in this online world. They actually do have say. Dare I say, the final word. Friends have to be established outside of the game beforehand. If a predator contacts a young child via Animal Crossing, the real question is how that code exchange came about in the first place.

Toxic Pickle

Dirty wrote: »

This report says that your children have no say in what goes on in this online world. They actually do have say. Dare I say, the final word. Friends have to be established outside of the game beforehand. If a predator contacts a young child via Animal Crossing, the real question is how that code exchange came about in the first place.

Right here is essentially the point: Parents should be wary of what their children are doing online, and should be keeping tabs on things like, say, posting your Wii friend codes on their Myspace. Or hell, having a Myspace at all that isn't severely locked down.

The problem comes in using ignorance to inspire fear. It's pretty obvious to anyone who has spent any time with Animal Crossing that pedophiles are not just going to be breaking into your children's towns to have dirty chats with them. A lot has to happen before such an interaction takes place... even if someone were to get a child's friend code, the child has to personally add that other person's friend code to his or her list, and then open the gate of their town when that other person is online for them to get in.

But none of that sounds nearly as dangerous as making parents think their sweet, innocent little offspring could be playing a perfectly normal video game and suddenly be attacked by internet predators.

FirmSkater

Damn.

I love Animal Crossing =/

Honk

FirmSkater wrote: »

Damn.

I love Animal Crossing =/

And also small children?

Dr Snofeld

You know what's funny? It's actually marketed at adults here in the UK.

Women mostly, but I know as well as anyone the clawing desire for more furniture (on DS at least).

Wren

well female pedophiles aren't nearly as hated. so thats ok then

That_Guy

Wren wrote: »

well female pedophiles aren't nearly as hated. so thats ok then

:winky::winky:

Rehab

Alright, this is the last fucking time I'm going to say this. Seriously.

The Animal Crossing Fan Club that I've arranged to meet at the community center on weekends is purely innocent. Just leave us alone already.

Mr Pink

Yeah, wait, didn't the commercials for this feature adult women playing the game?

Dr Snofeld

Mr Pink wrote: »

Yeah, wait, didn't the commercials for this feature adult women playing the game?

The UK one was like that. But UK Nintendo ads tend to spend more time looking at the people playing than at the games themselves.

jeddy lee

Wait... didn't ALL of the commercials for this game feature adults playing it?

EDIT: Beat so hard that I'm bruised.

Fiaryn

:whistle:I love little girls they make me feel so good
I love little girls they make me feel so bad
When theyre around they make me feel
Like Im the only guy in town
I love little girls they make me feel so good:whistle:

Quick someone find a way to turn this into an Animal Crossing town theme.

Mr Pink

Dr Snofeld wrote: »

Mr Pink wrote: »

Yeah, wait, didn't the commercials for this feature adult women playing the game?

The UK one was like that. But UK Nintendo ads tend to spend more time looking at the people playing than at the games themselves.

I could have sword the American one I saw was some woman sitting on her couch, talking to her friend through the mic thing while they played.

No reason, indeed. I guess I can't buy the new Pokemon game now too. Or pretty much half the Wii library.

Sterica

The second a cash prize comes up, I'm just going to bank on the AC thread. We're talking Chris Hansen and the whole deal here.

XiaNaphryz

cloudeagle wrote: »

I'd post this in the regular AC thread, but this is just so goddamn funny I think it's worth its own thread.

It was already posted in that thread yesterday.

Looks like that ABC station's news director has responded:

Sometimes, even those with the best of intentions can get things wrong. Case in point? Missouri television station KMIZ ABC-17. Last week, the station ran a news piece warning parents about the dangers of sexual predators targeting children through online games. The focal point of the piece? Animal Crossing: City Folk on the Wii. Wait, what?

That’s right. The news report claimed that predators were targeting children via Nintendo’s virtual world, and even went so far as to show Mayor Tortimer in the game, claiming that “This character could be the man in California police are warning about tonight, that asked for images from Missouri children.” Doubtful to say the least, as anyone who’s played the game knows that, as frustrating as the aged little tortoise politician may be, he’s a computer controlled character. And in ALL my time with the game (which I wrote the Crispy review for), I can promise you that never once has Mayor Tortimer ever asked me to send him dirty pictures of myself or anyone else.

Of course, as sensationalized as the piece is, the reporter, Jacqueline Lapine, can’t take all the blame. It seems that a lot of the information came from Detective Andy Anderson of the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force, who said, “I cannot come up with any legitimate reason that an adult would be playing that particular game.” Anderson went on to say that adults playing Animal Crossing and similar games are “likely doing it for the wrong reasons.”

After watching the story, I managed to get a hold of KMIZ News Director, Curtis Varns, to discuss the news piece. I explained how the game works, as well as how broad the demographic for the Animal Crossing franchise is. I even went so far as to point out the fact that I, myself, am a 33-year-old journalist who plays the game, and that Nintendo’s ad campaign for City Folk included spots featuring two adult women playing the game while casually chatting. Did that mean I could be considered a predator by the the standards of the story, or was Nintendo pandering to a pedophiliac crown by featuring adults playing a game which they apparently have no “legitimate reason” to be playing?

Varns responded saying, “I think Detective Anderson’s comments did take the story down an unintended path. We decided to do the story to let viewers know children had been contacted inappropriately through the game. It was not intended to be an indictment of the game or a smear piece on any form of interactive entertainment. The point of the story was to make parents aware so they could decide whether or not they needed to keep a watchful eye on their kids’ activities. The reporter even wrapped the story up by stressing police were not putting this information out to make people paranoid rather trying to make them aware. Upon reviewing the story, I fear much of the intent has been lost because of the comments we allowed into the story.”

Here’s the deal, folks. The video game industry is an entertainment industry, meant to entertain people of all ages, backgrounds, and tastes. Personally, I’m just as content to spend a couple of hours chasing butterflies with a net and digging up fossils in Animal Crossing as I am unloading a shotgun into swarms of the undead in Resident Evil 5. And while KMIZ may have said it wasn’t the story’s intention to indict or smear the game industry, you can’t help but wonder how an ill-informed parent might look at someone with a higher degree of suspicion after seeing that person playing a game that both the local police and news have said no adult has any reason to play. Detective Anderson may have been well meaning in his warning to parents, but both he and KMIZ reporter Jacqueline Lapine should have made sure they were better informed before making their statements to the public. Hopefully, by addressing the issue, the KMIZ news department can avoid a similar mistake in the future.

Only time will tell.

Toxic Pickle

I love that they try to shift the blame off the reporter and onto the detective. In fairness, he is a tool just for being named Andy Anderson, but this chick is supposed to be a reporter, right? I mean, she did go to some form of journalism school?

The problem is of course that no one actually investigates stuff anymore, they just find sensationalist tripe and run with it, figuring they can shift the blame away if it comes back on them.

SirUltimos

What a bullshit excuse for it. They outright said "Any adult who plays this game is a pedophile and will try to molest you children any chance they get" but they\re claiming to claim they meant to just say watch out, because in theory someone might make a sexual comment if you go through all the steps to allow a stranger to play with you.

Smooth.

TheUnsane1

Hey guys Adult's who play pokemon love the kiddies too.... Seriously what's next carding people for buying E rated games?? Sorry sir you're over 18 I can not sell you this pokemon game unless there is a minor present.

Toxic Pickle

TheUnsane1 wrote: »

Hey guys Adult's who play pokemon love the kiddies too.... Seriously what's next carding people for buying E rated games?? Sorry sir you're over 18 I can not sell you this pokemon game unless there is a minor present.

I sort've imagine it being the opposite of when teens are trying to buy booze, and get an adult to go into the store to get it for them.

"Hey kid... I'll give you $5 bucks to go in there and pick me up a copy of Diamond. C'mon, please? They won't sell it to me."

Buttcleft

Its a well documented fact that people use Harvest Moon series of games to explore and connect with the seedy underground world of human slavery and bestiality.

Sir Carcass

Toxic Pickle wrote: »

TheUnsane1 wrote: »

Hey guys Adult's who play pokemon love the kiddies too.... Seriously what's next carding people for buying E rated games?? Sorry sir you're over 18 I can not sell you this pokemon game unless there is a minor present.

I sort've imagine it being the opposite of when teens are trying to buy booze, and get an adult to go into the store to get it for them.

"Hey kid... I'll give you $5 bucks to go in there and pick me up a copy of Diamond. C'mon, please? They won't sell it to me."

Or the group of adults with the one underage friend they send on GameStop runs.

troublebrewing

Wren wrote: »

well female pedophiles aren't nearly as hated. so thats ok then

nIIIIIcceee.

Buttcleft

I would laugh my ass off if geeks from all over the country Convoy'd to Columbia, Missouri and bought hundreds and hundreds of copies of Animal Crossing.

chasehatesbears

Buttcleft wrote: »

I would laugh my ass off if geeks from all over the country Convoy'd to Columbia, Missouri and bought hundreds and hundreds of copies of Animal Crossing.

Are pedophiles on a pilgrimage to your town?

Find out after the weather!

cloudeagle

To be fair, many local TV news stations pull this kind of misrepresented, alarmist crap all the time.

"Tonight on News 6, find out about 57 common household items that can kill you."

Buttcleft

cloudeagle wrote: »

To be fair, many local TV news stations pull this kind of misrepresented, alarmist crap all the time.

"Tonight on News 6, find out about 57 common household items that can kill you."

WHATS IN YOUR FAVORITE HOUSEHOLD DRINK THAT COULD KILL YOU BY MORNING? Find out tonight at 11