One of the biggest stories going around the blogs today is a bit of fantastic “journalism” by ABC 17 News with the following specific quote by investigator Andy Anderson (as taken from Game Politics) really striking a nerve:
“There is no reason an adult should have [Animal Crossing: City Folk],” says Andy Anderson, Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force.
Wow. The wife and I were utterly enthralled by the “first” (yes, I am aware of the Japanese Nintendo 64 version) game on the Gamecube… at least until I beat her in paying off my mortgage, and we realized there was no end-game beyond that. I then found myself completely absorbed into my Wild World on the DS trying to catch all of the fish, pay off yet another mortgage, keep my neighbors from leaving town, etc.
I have not had a chance to get into it with some City Folk, especially since nearly all reviews state that for its third (fourth) iteration, Nintendo has not brought anything new to the table. That does not mean, however, that I suddenly feel that adults have no reason to be playing these games, and should somehow come under suspicion of perverted wrong-doing for doing so.
Yes, the point of these stories is to frighten the begeezus out of parents. Yes, mainstream media almost always gets it wrong. Yes, Animal Crossing is a cutesy game. Yes, you should be worried if someone misses a real-life mortgage payment because they are busy fending off Tom Crook Nook.
But seriously? They’re a pedophile if they play Animal Crossing…?
Anderson says adults playing “animal crossing” and similar games are likely doing it for the wrong reasons.
Those parents who Nintendo originally marketed the game to so they could trade messages with their children in the off-hours while one’s at school and the other is home or at work? Bad, bad, bad people.
Sound off, everyone.
(Also, yes, I’m changing around the look of the blog. It is nowhere near finished, but it is a start. Additionally also as well too, more Street Fighter writings to come as promised.)