astr0creep

If you reduce your sugar/carb intake you will be less tired and you won't need coffee or Da Dew.

Just no werewolves. Werewolves BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD! *runs and hides* <{POST_SNAPBACK}> They would be killable by physical means. I do not believe a game should have an enemy that is not killable if you attacked it normally using a weapon. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Maybe a special weapon. Are Werewolves hurt by silver in Masquerade?

For those of us who get addicted to a new game and wish to play hours on end without stopping, we need something in our system to keep us going. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh you mean like self-discipline?

Just no werewolves. Werewolves BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD! *runs and hides* <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm just wondering... Why do you people need to stay awake with drugs and coffee when you play games? Are they that boring?

We don't like piracy here. How are tv-shows different from games? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> TV shows are free. it will be piracy once people start downloading the DVD version when it is released. There is no difference from using Tivo or a vcr to downloading from the internet. As long as its not available on DVD. Imo. I did the same as Hades and I will definitely buy season 2 anyway.

Forty, fifty years ago, which is one generation ago, families were composed, very often, of 10 or more kids and most families were doing just fine. Of course, mommy was home all the time... The only big families here in Canada now are immigrant famillies. They reproduce like rabbits those people! And we encourage them! For once, Hades said it best: This world is ***ked up.

I love BSG. When I read this story I had a little unfortunate flashback of Farscape: The Game. *Shivers*

When I was around 12, my father let me taste his beer. My mother was outraged but my dad looked at her and said I was old enough to know what I liked to drink and eat. he slept on the couch that night. After tasting beer and realizing my own pee tasted much better, I never bought beer in my life and I would never in the future either. I will only have some when it would be rude not too, such as at a familly BBQ. Same thing with cigarettes, drugs and huh... other things. You try, your learn. You don,t try, you never learn.

Psychological harm is inevitable. You get psychologically harmed everyday of your life. Good parenting will allow children to get through obstacles, psychological or otherwise and move on with their life with little consequences. Keeping children completely shielded from every possible form of harm is wrong, wrong, wrong. Children(and adults) NEED to get hurt from time to time, to learn and experience so that when certain similar situations happen again, they are prepared to face them. Imagine this situation: A 14 year old girl, having lived a life of pure joy, with no violence or bad things so far in her life, is witness to a cat being run over by a car, it's head exploding under a wheel. There is a pretty good chance she will be catatonic for at least a few minutes, probably traumatized. I don't think the shock would've been as powerful if the event would happen 10 years earlier in her life, when a child understands a lot less about the world. The law will protect children of bad parents, perhaps. But it will do so at the expense of the large majority of parents who are decent, good people who only want the best for their children and who go out of their way to provide it for them. The law will put another limit on the amount of parenting options. And that is not good.

4 Albums AC/DC fans need : 1- Back in Black 2- Highway to Hell 3- Powerage 4- AC/DC Live(Any)

That example is bad. No matter what you know about your kid, giving her/him a beer, a cigarette, a line of coke will always be an action of activelly trying to hurt your child. Some kids won't be hurt psychologically by watching Kratos tear the limbs off of a harpy. Others will kringe in fear and disgust, traumatized for the rest of their lives. Restrictive ratings and consumer laws put all the eggs into one basket when eggs come in all shapes, colors and sizes. Ratings should stay a warning, not a restriction of freedoms. If only to allow "good" parents to do their job.

Well if one of my kids is sick I take them to a doctor I dont try to treat them myself. So it's quite natural that parents should look towards qualified "experts" for guidence when it comes to what you should and should not be exposing your children to. It's a nice idea. But in the real world quitting your job isnt an option for most people. People need to eat, pay the rent , that sort of thing. Some people are clearly unfit to be parents for a number of reasons. But if people object to something as trivial as rating of games. Not likely you will see any intervention in that area. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes, you take them to a doctor. When your screaming kid takes your empty gun to his friend's face and pulls the trigger repeatedly because he's mad he just got beaten at Soul Calibur 3 will you take your child to the ratings board or a psychiatrist? If you knew your child the way a parent is SUPPOSED to know her/his child would this situation even take place? A choice needs to be made when having a child. One parent has to be with the child. In an ideal world which was, apparently, in the fifties... It is essential but our current lifstyle does not permit it. We will pay for our greed and materialistic values later... I'm not objecting to ratings. I'm objecting to ratings being used as more than a warning to parents. I'm objecting to situations described by Pixies earlier in this thread, that will become very common if the ratings are subject to some of the laws that some politicians want to have adopted. I'm objecting to this entire issue as it is another blatant example of people in general neglecting their responsibilities and asking the government to do something so that they don't have to face those tasks, which will result in more taxes, more needs to work, more lost opportunities to spend time with the ones we love. This issue is a drop in the ocean but the oceans are full.

Actually they made many songs with the same riff, by their own admition. After 33 years they still have record ticket sales all over the world. They're the kind of band you go see in concert for the big nostalgia factor. And the naked women. :D Most of their albums are iffy with only 1 or 2 songs really worth a listen but they 're used to promote concert tickets sales and Live is where this band is at. You haven't seen a rock concert until you've seen AC/DC.

Ah well i'm not excusing cluelessness only lack of qualification. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You are right. It is all about the lack of qualification to be a parent. Because the only qualification you need to be a parent is to want to conceive AND raise a child. Most people only want another toy to play with and can't be bothered to quit their job to take proper care of a living, breathing person.

If that is all there is to it, I would be very sad indeed and it would not be very good for the future of the human race. I think that first, parents should KNOW their child. After that, based on what they know, they can make a decision on what game to buy or movie to see. Some highly violent game could be suitable for some kids and not for others. It depends on the person. Their maturity, intelligence, emotional responses, etc. I saw my 3 year old nefew(sp?) being disturbed by the first Aladin movie from Disney. He was terrified during most of the first Scooby Doo as well and yet both those movies are rated E for Everyone. He will obviously won't be playing God of War anytime soon. The ratings must stay only a warning to parents, who must be the ones deciding what is played and what stays on storeshelves, based on the knowledge and confidence they have in their children.

First of all, it doesn't take 20 hours to preview a 20 hour game. <_< Second, all I'm saying is that parents should take a more active role in their children's lives and finding out things about what interests them, no matter if it is video games, sports or books, can only be a good thing. Politicians and other anti-video games activists are misinformed. I seriously doubt ANY of them have ever actually sat down and played video games, both violent ones and others. Also, everyone is different and only a very small minority of children/adults will actually turn violent enough to kill someone and that will have to do more with other aspects of their lives than JUST videogames. This entire debate is like Rock n Roll in the fifties and movies in the 1900s. Oh and any alcohol intoxication isn't suitable for anyone.

Yes, their album "Born in the USA" was awesome! (w00t)

If Video games don't teach any good skills for later in life then why are surgons required to play at least 20 hours a week? Also if you play other games (mainly multiplayer) you can learn team dynamics and team management. you can also pick up strategy (without having luck factored into strategy so how good it is in the real world I don't know) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 1- So they can relax their brain. I don't want to be operated on by a doctor who just played 20 minutes of Devil May Cry 3. I'd rather his/her hands be calm and relaxed. Don't you? Oh and today's surgeons weren't playing video games when they were 10 years old! 2- MMORPGs are glorified chat rooms. Period. Team dynamics, strategy, everything you mentionned can be learned outside playing with your friends, which are another loss if you play TOO MUCH video games. 3- I did use words like "most" and "usually", which implies exceptions... :D

The Beatles are the first boy band. That was the extent of their genius. Led Zeppelin are much more innovative and brilliant. AC/DC are more visceral and fun. And they are my fav, ever. And anyone who has seen them live would give them their vote in a second, no contest. But I never saw Led Zep in concert, or The Beatles.

Sounds a lot like an Atlus game. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I was thinking more like a colorful take on the current cell-shading trend. Like what Dragon Quest 8 does only a bit more cartoony. The story, the gameplay, the setting would be more adult oriented, with lots of violence and some sexual content. It's a FPS/RPG Hybrid in which you can switch between party members at will.

Sorry but I disagree. If your child's interests are more akin to playing music, writing fantasy or even sports(God forbid!), you will take the time to get informed and support your child, spend the money necessary to support the material needs. The problem with video games, compared to the examples above, is that it's usually a complete waste of your child's time. No skills are learned, it will serve absolutely no purpose in life unless chosen much later as a career path. The purpose of gaming(in most cases) is to waste time, to fight boredom. Thats it, no matter what we as gamers want to believe(notice the "we" please). But if it is a child's interest, a passion, a hobby, any parent should take the time to learn more about video games and how their child interacts with them. No newspaper, pharmaceutical company, or Jack Thompsons will ever be able to inform you on your specific child's needs, tastes and temperament. The ratings are a warning. "This game MAY not be suitable for certain people". The laws try to change that little sentence to something like :"This game IS NOT suitable for certain people" That is a clear restriction of the basic freedom to choose.

For work, I always still rely on the good 1.44Mb floppies myself. They still have a use. Even better are those nice and shiny memory sticks that act as small removable hard drives. They cost approx 50-70USD now. Always save your work on removable storage when you're done for the day. For your question, your machine could freeze but It won't "blow up". And you can always buy another HD with more space and then transfer your files from the old drive. Just save your work somewhere else, to be safe.