Is Video Gaming a Threat to America’s High School Jock Culture?
September 8, 2009 by Stephenson Billings
Filed under Faith Links, Featured, Video Games
Is there anything more American than our high school athletic culture? From small town rivalries to Little League Championships, from cheerleaders and their pom poms to young firm men filling out new crisp football uniforms, a pair of bulging muscles below soccer shorts, the pep rallies, the bleachers packed with parents and victory pizza parties, in every way teenage jock culture is the epitome of wholesomeness. This sports world teaches our children to decide between right and wrong in realistic situations. They treat their bodies as temples by exploring and mastering their physical powers. They learn to be part of a social group where the glory of the whole is based on the sacrifices of the individual. It is, in essence, incredible training for the Christianity inherent in our beautiful American boys and girls.
There comes a time in every youngster’s life when they must decide to follow the jock world, to work hard on their bodies and skills, or to chose another path. Often, it’s the freshman year of high school when social pressures are high and the girls start to look awfully pretty. Choosing to be a jock insures a boy popularity, a fantastic group of friends, the love of parents and eventually success with the female persuasion.
When video gaming first became popular, experts warned of the likelihood of increased amounts of obesity, apathy, suicide, school violence, Satanism, masturbation, homosexuality and unemployment. Despite the fact that these predictions have come true, not much effort has been made to stop the production and distribution of video games. Grand Theft Auto, World of Warcraft, the Sims, Halo, Guitar Hero and Mario Brothers, just to name a few, have made unscrupulous corporations rich and taught a generation of our children to hate society and their parents.
Now video gaming is developing into a high school “culture” itself, as more and more children chose this pathetic and harmful lifestyle instead of joining a fun sports team. It is a world of couch potatoes and basement dwellers. Mentally, they have not developed past the 12-year old stage. They were raised on imaginary cartoon characters like SpongeBob, Pokemon, Barney, Transformers, Scooby Doo and Raggedy Ann. All they want is to return to that tv funtime, but their bodies have become so pumped with hormones they’re confused. Video gaming turns their childhood dreams upside down. Suddenly, Raggedy Ann is killing Scooby Doo while SpongeBob sexually pokemons Barney and these kids have found a new outlet for their mixed-up physical urges. It is no wonder, then, that we have increased episodes of violence like Columbine today. Video gaming is an addiction scientifically proven to be just as dangerous as crack cocaine and it’s making our kids immoral and angry in the process. They have lost all sense of right and wrong. They cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality and shooting guns seems like a fun thing to do. This is all the more tragic when they shoot the jocks, the very thing they wish they could be but failed at so miserably.
Adults who were video gamers in high school are far less likely to become investment bankers, real estate salesmen, doctors, lawyers and sports coaches. They do not become our pastors or politicians. With less athletes learning social and moral skills in high school, we have less of the people who make this country truly great. Instead, we see young adults who cannot accept maturity. They find comfort in worlds of dragons and blue-skinned girls with wings, androgyny and dirty muscular fantasy men. They’re far more likely to meet strangers from the internet in public parks. These poor souls may never have the courage to ask a girl on a date. Homosexuality is often an easy answer for their awkwardness. Out of terrible shame, they will lie to your face and describe themselves as successful, goodlooking heterosexuals with gorgeous girlfriends and a rich social life. But we know this is not true. It’s a desperate attempt to cover up utter failure. Professionally, the video gamer may grow up to be your Radio Shack employee, your bug exterminator, your cable repairman or maybe if you’re lucky, your half pleasant IT guy. But is that what any parent really wants for their child? So please, parents, be vigilant with your children and push them into sports. Take it from someone who knows, you will be saving their lives.
Stephenson’s Five Tips for Happy Jock Kids!
- No laptops! Kids can sneak these into their bedrooms for late-night play. Instead, get a heavy desktop computer and set it up with the screen facing outward in your family room. That way you can monitor you child’s computer use (homework!) at all times without interrupting your television viewing.
- When you’re not at home, unplug the power cord to your computer and hide the mouse. You can always put it in one of your sock drawers. This is a great way to make sure no video games are played when you’re not around.
- Be honest with your boys and tell them they’ll grow up as failures if they don’t excel at sports. Make them go outdoors! Lock them out if necessary. On birthdays and Christmas, buy them sports gifts. Every kid enjoys a new baseball mitt or a football! (I’d avoid skateboards, however, there is too much drug use and anti-social behavior connected with it.) And when they’re 16, it’s time to consider the appropriate “muscle car” for your boy.
- Have a private talk with your child’s friends (maybe when you “accidentally” lock your own kid outside) and ask them some of my video game slang trick questions: “What level paladin are you these days, buddy?” “Gosh, this town is nothing like Vice City, isn’t it?” or “Did you lose your Wee? I found one in the station wagon.” If they answer with any knowledge whatsoever of these terms, you have a secret gamer on your hands. Beware!
- Be concerned about the physical shape of our young people. You don’t even need to be a parent to do this. Watch them run and throw and jump. Encourage them to lift weights. With a handsome firm body, you don’t need an afternoon of sweaty wrestling with a soccer ball as an excuse to celebrate the beauty that our Creator endowed us with. Remind them that jocks can tan themselves shirtless anytime! There is just something so wonderfully wholesome about America’s strong and cocky high school jocks. The pale and pimply loners in black t-shirts too afraid to shower in the locker rooms will never be able to compete with that!
This post was submitted by Stephenson Billings.
That sounds mighty gay, Billings.
“This sports world teaches our children to decide between right and wrong in realistic situations.”
No, it teaches children to be constantly competing with one another, and that physical violence (i.e. tackling) is an acceptable means of winning a game.
“They treat their bodies as temples by exploring and mastering their physical powers.”
So then what’s all this I hear about steroids, eh?
“Mentally, they have not developed past the 12-year old stage.”
Oh, right, and jocks are just sooooo smart…
“That way you can monitor you child’s computer use (homework!) at all times without interrupting your television viewing.”
So, you’re berating children for playing video games, but giving parents tips on how to keep their child’s homework from interfering with their own television viewing? Shouldn’t parents have their priorities straight as well?
“When you’re not at home, unplug the power cord to your computer and hide the mouse. You can always put it in one of your sock drawers. This is a great way to make sure no video games are played when you’re not around.”
Haven’t I already explained to you that if a kid wants to play video games badly enough, he/she will *gasp!* figure out how to plug the computer back in and manage to locate the mouse? By the way, what if the child needs the computer for homework?
“Be honest with your boys and tell them they’ll grow up as failures if they don’t excel at sports.”
So you want parents to lie to their children? My father did not play sports as a kid (he HATED them) and he turned out very successful. He married a wonderful woman (my mother), and they had two kids together, the elder of whom was among the top 3 females in her high school graduating class, got into American University, and has been on the Dean’s List for her entire college career.
“On birthdays and Christmas, buy them sports gifts. Every kid enjoys a new baseball mitt or a football!”
So, so, so untrue.
“There is just something so wonderfully wholesome about America’s strong and cocky high school jocks.”
Probably the second gayest thing you’ve ever said.
Now that I’m done picking apart various quotes of yours, I would like to add some more of my thoughts:
I HATE jocks. I DESPISE jocks. I’ve hated them my whole life. You know why? Having grown up as a quiet, shy little kid, I was the PERFECT target for teasing from the jocks (even before they were old enough to really be called “jocks”). Jocks are buckets of testosterone, and they feel the need to impress people wherever they go. They are also incredibly, incredibly greedy. It is absolutely mind-boggling how much food they eat in one sitting. In my college’s dining room, you can be guaranteed that whenever you see a jock, he will pile onto his plate: at least 3 hamburgers, at least 2 hot dogs, whatever specialty they are serving that day (usually some kind of meat, potatoes, pasta, etc) as well as several slices of pizza, and at least 4, count ‘em 4, overflowing glasses of powerade. They will LITERALLY pile all that food onto their plates. One time when they were serving something crappy for lunch, I had to resort to getting a hamburger. I had to wait in line for one, as they weren’t quite ready yet. There was a jock in line in front of me. The chef took four burgers off the grill and placed them on the serving plate. The jock took ALL FOUR, without any thought that there were people behind him also waiting for food. One time, during some sort of family day thing, my friend was waiting in line for a burger with her dad, and all of a sudden from across the room, I hear the dad yell “Did you see that? He took five burgers!”
However, NOT ONLY are jocks greedy, they also caused the possible deaths of three of the school’s beagles. Our Veterinary Technology program gets beagles and cats every year for us to train with (I know, it sounds inhumane, but rest assured, they live in very good conditions, receive LOTS of love from us, and are adopted out to loving families at the end of the year). We fall in love with them instantly, and they want love, too, so it’s a win-win situation. Well, one night a few years ago a group of the school’s football players thought it would be funny to break into the kennel and set the beagles free. We got all but three of them back, and for all we know those three little doggies could be dead.
That is why I HATE jocks.
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athletes eat a lot cause they burn it all off playing around! dont you know anything about the body? i thought you was a nurse. and they growing up to be strong and big. some of them are real big, over 6 feet, so they have to eat. you’re really showing your colors here claire. this is just too bias your hate and all. so what if there good at sports and better looking? its how the world works!
and sorry about the beagles but what does that have to do with food or anything? your just trying to blame someone for anything.
and i like this story. reminds me of the chioces i try to make as a mom. you dont want kids getting all weird in lviing in there bedrooms all the time.
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“athletes eat a lot cause they burn it all off playing around! dont you know anything about the body?”
I’m AWARE of that, you dolt. However, NOBODY needs to be that greedy when it comes to food. Yes, they do need to eat more than the average person, but they take it to the extreme, and it needs to stop.
“so what if there good at sports and better looking?”
Who said that they were “better” looking? In my opinion, they’re disgusting pigs.
“and sorry about the beagles but what does that have to do with food or anything?”
Why do you assume that the beagle story is connected to the food story? The beagle story was yet ANOTHER example of why I hate jocks. It has nothing to do with food. Do you need me to sum it up for you?
I hate jocks because:
1. they killed three dogs
2. they’re greedy pigs
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Well I Still Think Your Jealous!
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Please explain to me why I would be jealous of people who KILLED OUR DOGS?
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Everybody stop agruging!Whoever posted this is a closet homosexual,and anyone who takes this even remotely seriously is as stupid as the OP
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Hahaha, the best part about that is they keep eating that much after they’re out of school and at home sitting on their asses. Almost every jock I knew from high school is now overweight with a dead-end job.
Nerds have this thing called intelligence that ends them up in high-paying tech jobs. And every nerd I know has a hot girlfriend, whereas the jocks just have ugly ditsy overweight ex-cheerleaders with the mental capacity of a football.
Thankfully, we don’t need to justify this article because everyone knows those above facts. This article is hilarious as hell.
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You know whats funny… most jocks that I know have turned out to be complete failures in life. A good amount ended up in prison and another portion had their girlfriends prenant before they left highschool. Me one the other hand I am a “gamer” and I am going for a P.H.D in forensic psychology, have a wonderful girlfriend who I planning to marry as soon as I graduate and I have had no problems with my friendships and have had some of the same friends since 1st grade. I do not have an aggressive bone in my body, I am no homosexual, and I also work in a contract pharmacy not a fast food resturant (no offense to those who do.) Playing video games does not reflect your intelligence or social level. Also just because someone is a jock doesn’t mean they are stupid or cruel. Some of my best friends are what you could consider jocks and they turned out just fine. A good portion that I do know are idiots and really don’t have a bright future.
Clair much praise to you bringing logical and thought out responses. Too bad most people don’t do that and leave rubbish like “f**k you” or “you suck.” Keep up the good work. Billings… I really don’t know what to say to you… maybe get an education that isn’t so far right that it would scare the crap out of the Nazis. Or just maybe try logics some time instead of biased responses that hold no substinence. I’ll agree that violent games can breed violent behavior in children but it is rare and easily manageable. Increased obseity is another vaild arguement since kids just are not getting outside as much as they should. However the decreased social life and homosexuality or totally unfounded. As for the a “pair of bulging muscles below soccer shorts” thing… thats all yours… ummm enjoy?
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Claire, just because I celebrate the success of our young Americans, you shouldn;t work yourself up into a frenzy. You accusations of homosexuality are offensive and childish. I’m sick of your outrageous and inexplicable claims. Obviously a man like myself, a dedicated Christain with incredible ties to his community, would not stand such words in person. It’s so easy, however, for you to throw this horse dung at me online. That’s just shameful and shows how low you have sunk. If you had pride, you could say these things to my face instead of in some anony chat room. Well, shame on you!
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Stephenson Billings, oh you arrogant retard.
Everything you post just makes you look like more of an idiot.
Tell me, who dropped you on your head as a child to make you think like this?
Yes i would say any of this to your face and no you would not do anything about it.
you are retarded.
THAT IS ALL. BE GONE NOW, FOOOL
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“If you had pride, you could say these things to my face instead of in some anony chat room. Well, shame on you!”
Rest assured, if I ever do meet you face to face, I WILL say those things. I’m not afraid of you.
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You sound like a jock, that had a few girls around you that played football in high school and are now depressed because a VIDEO game player makes millions while you sit on your butt all day writing worthless articles about nothing.
How is it christian to talk about men’s sexy bodies, cheerleaders, and how cool jocks are?
Writing this article is not being a christian, please review it over and over again.
I am a gamer, I make $45,000 a year, I am a IT professional, and without trying to figure out how to fix my computer so I could play games I would have never understood a computer. So yes video gamers can be successful and many I play with make a very good living.
Saying a gamer most likely will not be a lawyer or politician means nothing, how is making a living lying all day christian and right?
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haha, what an absolutely ridiculous article… I dont mean to sound like an ass, but why is it that whenever christian’s tend to speak there mind, its always far fetched and extremist..this article almost should have been put in the movie jesus camp. And I am open to the idea of new beliefs, however I can never seem to meet you nutjobs half way.
Anyways, you are so incorrect its not even funny.. Why do you have such hard feelings over video games? You have no control over this issue. What you should be doing is trying to unify the two groups instead of making people seem as if gamers are the devil… Unbelievable, I would really love to see your proof for that accusation. And another things, whats with christians and the devil? I was raised catholic although Im not anymore (because of video games probably!) and we never droned on about the devil as much as you guys.. leave it alone, please.
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Dear Stephenson Billings:
It’s people like you that have caused my generation to become “heathens” and “godless pagans”.
Your article sounded more homoerotic than almost anything I’ve ever read. While you were busy jizzing all over yourself, writing about muscular and sweaty teenage boys, some of us were doing good in the world.
Does your God not preach of tolerance, acceptance, and love? Did he not heal a leper, and did he not wash the feet of others? Yes, he did.
I play video games, yes. I’m not a virgin and I’m unmarried. I curse, I look at pornography, and I enjoy movies with a violent and graphic plot.
Yet, I am the same person who holds doors open for others, and says ‘please and thank you’. I am the same person who was never kicked out of class or reprimanded in school for being disrespectful to a teacher or others, unlike many of the ‘jocks’ I attended school with. I’m the same person who would never mistreat a woman. Many of the jocks that you dream about being the ‘good future of the christian faith’ often cheat on, abuse, lie to, and generally mistreat women.
I’m sorry. I have values and I am a generally good person. I’m respectful, kind, courteous, and willing to help others when I can. I’m not perfect.
But neither are the jocks that you blow your wad over. They do more harm in the world than someone like me. If you can’t see that, you were either a jock in high school, or you are overly delusional.
I wish I could still believe in God. But it’s people like you, Stephenson Billings, that make me unable to believe that there is an all powerful God who loves each and every one of us.
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Your post makes me feel awkward about being a christian.
I didnt fail at school.
My parents never pushed me into sports, I’m studying to become a teacher.
I am a voluntry youth worker and you know what? I play video games!
Also every ‘Jock’ I have met has been a selfish idiot who bullies everyone around him who is not like him. I personaly will not force my children into sports.
I would also stop my children getting into the crowd of jocks to begin with.
So I would be saving my childs life by stopping them getting into sports, as most of the jocks ive known over the years have died in pub fights, car accidnts (their faults), drugs and getting involved with riots.
Out of the 20 or so jocks I went to school with only 4 of them are alive today.
Worst part is their all over weight and jobless.
I seriously hope your going to reconsider this post.
I have given you a non christian awnser to your non christian argument.
Next time you feel about ranting on your weird glory days do it on a sports site.
Its people like you who make christians look bad.
You have had enough of my attention now.
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I am at such a loss for what to say, here, but I felt the need to say something. Mr. Billings, it’s people like you that have made it so difficult to even mention our Savior in front of my peers without being greeted with a slew of horror stories about bad experiences with alleged Christians.
I know we’re called to rebuke, but we are called to do so LOVINGLY. This is just mean.
I am a Christian. I teach a 3rd and 4th grade Sunday school class, assist the worship ministry as a soundboard technician, and work on the IT team. And yes, I am a gamer. I am not, however, obese, or even overweight. Nor am I underweight. I’m healthy. I’m not pimply or pale (although acne has nothing to do with athleticism, and I think it’s unfair to bring that up), nor am I unintelligent. I have a 3.7 GPA, and have just been inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society.
I will concede that I’m not a part of the WOW crowd, nor the GTA fans, but I loved video games all through my childhood, and still do. I play Mario Kart and Dance Dance Revolution with my students (with their parents full knowledge), and we talk about Wii Fit and Sonic the Hedgehog during leisure time. There’s nothing wrong with it.
I can see that you’re passionate about what you believe, but please stop being so closed-minded! Jocks are NOT the only face of future Christian America. I could never play sports because I had asthma. I cooked, read, studied, sewed, drew, and played video games. So what if I was shy and still am? So what if I preferred solitude in my room during adolescence? Does that make me a liar or a hypocrite or a threat to society? No. You’re alienating your own family, and making Christians out to be a cruel, prejudiced, and narrow-minded people. It hurts my heart to read through your article and see such intolerance for diversity within the body, and makes me ashamed to have kinship with you through our Lord.
I will pray for you.
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So, I’m trying to figure out if Stephenson Billings is a Troll, does this for the collection plate funds or is just clueless
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To Claire and Stephenson;
Dear Claire,
Thank you so much for everything you have said. You make excellent points, and honestly if Stephenson wants to keep dodging answering, there is nothing we can do. I was a jock in high school. It was a small Montana school, however, and I was respectful to all women, and enjoyed the game, exactly as it’s meant to be enjoyed. A game. I currently am in Pre-Med, and I do not think being a jock was a bad decision. It taught me leadership, honesty, and to enjoy life. However, I agree that most jocks are complete tools, and, although from Stephenson’s picture, which looks like he himself is either a necrophiliac, or a pedophile, and that it does not take “being a jock” to be successful. The whole article seems hastily written, by someone who is so numb-skulled and set in his ways that he can “assume” whatever he wants about America’s Youth. Thank you Claire, you are a very intelligent person, and the world needs more of you than radical egotistical assholes like Stephenson.
Stepehson,
How in the world can you say any of the things in your article with any confidence? I know you are the extremist religion type, but for God’s sake, this is completely ridiculous. Honestly I know why I’d never heard of you until a friend dropped the article by in college because it is a hilarious attempt to push your propaganda. All I can say to you is that you honestly have not contributed to society any more than a video game player. Video games are completely fine! If it’s raining and ya don’t want to read, or you just want to relax it makes no difference. However, people writing half-witted, moronic articles such as yours are the real problem today. I was All State Football, placed at State track, and All Conference Basketball, and I still am not the Herculean depiction of a successful person you claim will come without personal effort. I strive in school through school work, not my sports achievements. Sports ARE good things, but they are not life in general. Life, is what motivates you. To me, life is spending time with family, camping, recreation. My life has not/will never be affected by video games or your religious/ignorant rants.
Thanks people who realize that this is completely retarded and poorly thought out by a biased writer, who most likely is hypocritical in his beliefs, sexual orientation, and most likely never actually had a sports career in the first place.
Peace.
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Excuse me, assmunch, but how the hell is she supposed to say that to your face when she doesn’t even know you in person?! And with all that talk about muscles beneath shorts and whatnot, you sound an awful lot like some kind of pedophile. Judging by your picture, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.
I know one thing: if I were to meet YOU in person, I’d see to it that my LaVayan Satanic boot would make quick friends with your ignorant conservative ass. And trust me, you wouldn’t like it.
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dude, Billings is so gay.
Have you seen the bananna filling thing? You’re so gay I don’t even have anything mature to say here. You are just so gay it blows my mind like your load all over some poor high school football player’s back.
anyway I just wanted to point that out.
did I mention how gay that billings dude is.
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Wow! I would unsubscribe to this site just for posting that crap. First off it says video gamers most likely wont be politicians or lawyers? The writer is saying that like its a bad thing….No instead video game players are inventors of google, facebook, and are some of the richest people in the world!
I am also christian, and when is talking about bulging muscles, and girls all over a jock being christian? The author basically said that being a jock makes you more popular and sexy…hmmm ok.
Anyways, so the author of this probably makes $25,000 a year and is angry that gamers are making millions in game, out of game, and still writing better then he or she.
I am a gamer, I play 25+ hours a week, plus I work 40+ hours a week, I own a house, 3 cars, I work in IT and am 24. I have played since day 1 and guess what! I would not have my job without gaming and being determined to fix my computer so I could play games!
So the author of this is false! And he, or she needs to understand the culture of gaming before he, or she starts typing on that fancy computer that was MOST LIKELY BUILT BY A GAMER!
Thx for posting this I have officially vented!
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I think the much more important concern is the effect of spending hours and hours more or less motionless in front of a TV or computer rather than the effects of the content of the some silly games.
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you guys are so stupid it makes me want to puke i am the star quarter back in my skill and guess what i own all the systems so every thing you said is stupid also one of my dearest friends killed himself over football from taking steroids to get bigger i dont hear video gamers dieng of that dumb shits
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Nerds rule the world just think about it a nerd could steal all of you account information and the jock would have no clue!!i myself and a videogamer and i run so am i good or am i bad?also if a jock picks on some one in school then when will the memories come back to haunt them…When they get a job working for the person they picked on!so i think nerds/video gamers rule the world cause through cyberspace they can do what ever they want.
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Oh wow, this entire article has confirmed to me that you’re actually a pedophile. It probably wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t use phrases like “young firm men”, “they treat their bodies as temples”, and let’s not forget the best one: “a pair of bulging muscles below soccer shorts”.
Oh how I laughed.
And as for computer games being the root of all obesity, could that not also be blamed on the wide availability of automobiles and increasingly popular fast food chains, not the mention the ease to simply order a pizza out and eating it while watching the television? Surely that plays some kind of role.
Apathy? Well I can surely tell you that I’d be just this apathetic with or without computer games.
Suicide? Who’d want to kill themselves when Command & Conquer 4 is coming out next year?
School Violence has always been a problem. I’ve a feeling that the jocks you worship so much are major players in THIS particular sport.
Satanism has always been there, computer games hardly promote that kind of thing. You’re more likely to be fighting demons in a computer game than siding with them.
Masturbation has always existed, and there’s no argueing that bit of fact, I’m afraid. If you’re going to blame anything, blame the wide availability of porn. Or are you bored of that one already?
Now that society is beginning to accept people with different sexual preferences to others, it only makes sense that homosexuals, who have ALWAYS been there, are beginning to show their true colours. Um, which would be all of them, in a rainbow. I suppose.
Unemployment, blame the economy. Jobs are being cut and people are being laid off of work, it’s not their fault, but with these cuts comes a rising unemployment figure. In actual fact, people out of luck with work are trying their hand at creating their own games, with many proving successful and earning them a small fortune. The growing market for computer games is creating jobs in an economic climate that is doing the opposite.
Now really, you should research these topics more. I KNOW it’s easy to just blame it on something and be done with it. But isn’t that a bit… You know…
Lazy?
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if you sit on the floor all day playing a game on the tv of course your going to get fat! you have no logic. thats just stupid. and sure some of that other stuff has been around, but the whole video gamer thing just makes it all worse. there are plenty of science behind that so dont try and be all crazy here and just blind yourself to thr truth! and if a boy is sitting around all day what skills is he learning for a job? its the kids who get out there and network new people and shake hands and do honest work who get ahead. if you sitting home alone all the time that just sad.
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Who says the person spends all day playing video games? I go to the gym a few times a week. I’m actually a tad underweight, how is that so if I spend a bit of my time playing video games? Maybe this only happens in America because most of my friends in England who play video games are thin and quite a few are athletic.
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Helolo I am JaniceFun I LIEK to say MeANIngless and biASEd garbage with strANge PUNctuation so thAT i can THink IM CLever and stUFF LOl.
Seriously… get a fucking clue
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I think you just gave Billings a Hard on by posting those pictures…
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that’s just not proper to say such things here, sorry.
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That’s probably a very good bet. You could make bank off of it.
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Oh, YOU’re telling people what is proper to say and what’s not? Not only do you treat homosexuality as some sort of desease, you confuse young people with false statements, trying to “push” them into stuff they do not want to do.
If you want your kid to end up derailed and criminally, push them to do stuff they do not want, and raise them with an orthodox view on the bible. I’m sure they’ll thank you for it when they grow up to discover the truth.
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Jeroen you say that they’re calling homosexuality a disease when in the article it says:
“These poor souls may never have the courage to ask a girl on a date. Homosexuality is often an easy answer for their awkwardness.”
Sounds like the author thinks the same thing.
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I was talking about the author and JaniceFun, the reply wasn’t posted where I wanted it to.
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Hmm…. let’s look at this. Janice syays- ah, screw it, I’m just going to copy/paste the entire string I want to flame her with.
Frank says:
September 8, 2009 at 8:27 pm
I think you just gave Billings a Hard on by posting those pictures…
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JaniceFun says:
September 8, 2009 at 8:34 pm
that’s just not proper to say such things here, sorry.
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The Defiant Soldier says:
September 8, 2009 at 9:25 pm
That’s probably a very good bet. You could make bank off of it.
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Jeroen says:
September 9, 2009 at 5:22 am
Oh, YOU’re telling people what is proper to say and what’s not?
HYPOCRITE!
By the way, Commisar, (or however you say it, I’m not going reply hunting again) WARHAMMER 40K IS AMAZING! CAN’T WAIT FOR THE MMO!!!
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As much as I Agree,Rules 1 & 2
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Well, I think Claire and Chris pretty much summed it up, so I guess I’ll take the “Pot-Shot.”
“Are those…..”(ok get ready for this.)
“Are those the little altar boys that sit under your desk? Wow. You must doing pretty well billings. Did you take beefman up on that offer to split halfsies on facebook? You naughty boy!”
There. I’m done. And Claire and Chris, GOOD JOB!
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Well I think this artical is VERY BRAVE! You people all love your video games and talk it all the time but you know what? There are so many bad things that come from that life and there is a whole nother world out there away from you computers. Kids who plays sports are just happy and nice. I am a MOTHER and I know these things. I am happy that my sons always loved there sports. They have good friends and I am proud there life. I just think you guys are so fast to attack what you dont understand. Well this one is plane and simple to me! I am happy my boys are old enough (17, 19, 23) that they dont get into this silly stuff. Its all just a big watse of time really.
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“Kids who plays sports are just happy and nice.”
Happy? Maybe. Nice? No way. Throughout my ENTIRE school career I was teased, simply because my quietness and shyness made me an easy target. You know who teased me? The sporty kids, primarily. Also, it’s not really “nice” to kill three innocent dogs.
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Thank you, Janice. I always appreciate your words of support. It is interesting that there is so much anger from some of the people posting replies right now. It perfectly exmeplifies the type of angry, loner character that I was referring to in my article. I am happy to hear that your sons were raised with an involved and loving mother. It must really show in their promise!
Bless you, Janice!
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Janice… did you just reply to yourself an hour after your comment? are you that lonely?
and jocks don’t all turn out successful, we all know jocks are “cool” and drugs are “cool”, put them together, most jocks take drugs, usually not the heavier deadly one like cocaine, but softer ones like pot. Does God want kids to take pot, i doubt it.
and why are video games evil? if they are, then theres a flaw.
we all agree sports are good(its true!
)
you say video games = evil
a sport videogame is what? it cant be good, cuz its a video game, but it cant be bad cuz its a sport, not a “gay-inducing” magic weapon buying game (lol)
You say a kid played for 24 hours? well thats not the kid’s or video game’s fault, thats just bad parenting.
please use common sense, video games are like any hobby, too much of it is bad, just like too much sports, or too much exercise or eating, yet all these things in moderation arent bad for you.
Let kids play video games if they like it, but make sure that they understand that the priority list doent change:
1) yourself
2) family and friends
3)School/work
—-
x) video games
you need to take care of yourself and your family before other things, that completely true, but starting lies about magic items making you gay and satanic dress up parties with wild sex isn’t the way to set priorities straight.
I’ve played video games since i was a wee lad (like 4 years old), I’m going to college in nutrition, i could be the one making diet plans in hospitals or preventing you from getting the swine flu from that dinner you ate at.
video games are a hobby, if they become to much more than that, it can be dangerous for your self and your social life, but if you take care of yourself and take all things in moderation, video games are a fun way to spend the evening.
PS: Don’t hate gays because they like men, its like hating someoen because he like blue instead of red. I dont mind them, i dont want them hitting on me, but i dont mind them, in their core they are people, just like you and me, and thats all that matters in Gods eyes.
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“Janice… did you just reply to yourself an hour after your comment? are you that lonely?”
Nah, she didn’t. Stephenson just forgot to log out of his Janice account and into his actual account before posting. Way to go, Stephenson! *cheer*
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Uh oh, looks like Janice is talking to herself again.
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oh i heart you claire <3
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SAMEFAG LOL
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HOW DOES I LOG OUT
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Lol I take back what i said. You dont deserve a second chance. I thought you were just a misinformed reminiscing old fart. But you have to be about the stupidest person on earth. you blow your cover as janice wide fucking open then continue to use that profile to back up your arguments.,.. what a bitch little samefag. OMfg i didnt know stupidity came in that level. It shouldnt be possible, but damn.
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Well hey, there are some people who are actually adults who really enjoy video games. because they were raised under different beliefs. and what sickens me is the idiot sports kids who pick on those who WERE raised or grew up differently. it’s like kicking a starving African child in the face because they are that way. It is YOU people that are ruining it for the kids who like video games.
also, having a girl doesn’t mean INSTANT WIN at life. have fun being dragged around the town and to the mall with your fat wife you met in high school.
I’ll have fun with my life, hope you enjoy yours and we never meet.
-stan has fooled you :3333333333
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OP is right
but jocks (most of them) are crazy single minded stupid people. true they maybe strong at body but they are weak at mind. what people should do is to invest thier time on what is going to benefit them now and in the future.
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This article is an embarrassment to everyone involved. I am a 17 year old gamer, a senior in high school. I have a dozen close friends who I hang out with regularly, I am friends with almost everyone else at school as well, and I do not plan on shooting the jocks any time soon, although the jock-y-est of them are shallow assholes who I have seen sell out their friends over a girl or a game. I know exponentially more drug-abusing jocks than gamers. The image of the “popular football player in high school who fails later in life” exists for a reason, and is far more well known than the “gamer who fails later in life”.
And sadly, you are too wrapped up with your fond image of jock-culture being a great thing to realize that that aspect of America is already dead. Giving a muscle car to your son for his 16th birthday?
Dead.
Preventing your kid from experiencing any videogames?
Impossible. If they go to friends’ houses, they will see them, play them, and wish they had them.
The thing that shows that you honestly just don’t belong writing articles, however, is your claim that gamers never grow up in maturity past 12 years old, when you in fact are stuck at 16 yourself, as you’ve proven with this article.
So I am going to tell you a terribly ironic statement coming from a 17 year old gamer:
GROW. UP.
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Rezeil, I’m glad you’re one of the lucky ones. But not everyone has it so easy with the poor life choices they make as an early teen. I hope you put a greater value on friends and schoolwork than on your video game world. It really contributes very little to you later in life. And maybe kids will always sneak behind their parents backs, but don’t you think it’s important to get the word out about the dangers they face? I do. And I’m trying my best to inform parents who really don’t know any better.
As I noted in this article, I am older and experienced enough to know what the future is for people like this.
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No, you’re old enough that you don’t understand anything about this culture. You say that people who play video games will end up with bad jobs. Who do you think created the internet? How do you think you have this website? Do you really believe a jock developed the internet while at the sidelines of a football game? Video games have no impact on what job you could get as long as they don’t affect you work. I’m sure Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have played video games at some point in their lives and they’re doing a lot better than most, if not all, of the jocks who were at their schools.
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I could care less who created the internet. It’s been around much longer than your gamer “culture” so stop confusing yourself. I was writing about a very real and sad issue here. Gaming has made our children so sedentary that they’re losing physical stamina. And morally, it’s teaching them nothing.
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Losing physical stamina? I’m sure there are many other things contributing to that in America. It is very easy to play games and exercise. Maybe we won’t have that body of yours you keep saying about but I can live with that. Hey, it doesn’t matter anyway, you’re just going to be rotting in the ground when you die!
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It saddens me you have to throw such childish and negative language around. I pray that I’ll be in heaven in my afterlife.
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Technically, the computer game came before the internet.
The first computer game was a tic-tac-toe game in 1952
http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/history/timeline_flash.html
The internet arrives in 1957.
http://www.davesite.com/webstation/net-history.shtml#1957
Both the internet and video games started at roughly at the same time. And they all eventually made their strides into what they are today.
Please do more research before making incorrect statements.
I mastered multiplication as a kid from a School House Rock computer game. Games aren’t the problem. Obsession over a game is the main problem and is often caused by poor parenting due to lack of discipline. The parent has the right and responsibility to look at the ESRB rating on the game and take it away.
Also,
Do you really think Tetris is the work of the devil? Or do you think Grand Theft Auto is the work of the devil, and then summarily lump all video games, including Tetris and all the educational games targeted for children into a generic statement and lump them together?
Please write better and refrain from lumping everything in the same boat.
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Are you fucking kidding me? The time between the birth of the internet, and the gaming culture can be measured in DAYS, you moron!
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I’ll bet that Billings sniffs jockstraps.
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claire why do you put up your photos here? you should shave your legs laughing out loud!!!
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Those are some damn fine legs, right there.
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So, wait a second, I think you got some of this backwards. First of all, Video gamers are more likely to become the successful businessman than some slovenly failure, unlike a jock. Also, you seem to have missed that most people in the military (yes, the defenders of your countries freedom!) either got the idea to join up from videogames, or actively play video games during what little free time they may have overseas. Along with that, Video gamers usually make the best pilots in the world for both military and commercial applications (working as an ENGINEER (holy craop a successful gamer no way!) I see pilots who make over 10000 dollars…just for getting off the ground), and their highly developed reflexes help them avoid potential hazards.
With this article, you are also telling parents that allowing thier children free choice is bad (what about democracy?), censorship is good (so, you’re korean I take it?), and that anyone who is different deserves to be shunned from society.
Another problem I have with this article is how you consistantly emphasize that jocks are so perfect, and how everyone should aspire to be a muscleheaded roid rageing failure. You are telling these parents that the people who constantly abuse fellow students, are one of the HIGHEST causes of violence and depression in schools, and who frequently fail half thier classes…are the perfect examples of christianity. Violence and ignorance sounds pretty christian to me actually, so I guess you got that one part right…
Now, if anyone is willing to have an intelligent discussion about this, and not just consistantly say “Science tells us so!” without having any proof, or supporting statements, feel free to leave a reply and I’ll get back to you ASAP. To any parents reading this-TALK to your children, ask them WHY they play video games, dont just mindlessly push them into something they may hate.
-[LM] CjAy
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First of all, I highly doubt your connection between military men and World of Warcraft players. Look at our soldiers and their body types. They look more like football players than gamers. Though since the military is so high tech these days I’m sure there are a few nerds in the back rooms keeping the radios running and all.
Also, you say gamers grow up to be successful? Sure, you can look at Bill Gates and a few other internet millionaires, but the bulk of Fortune 500 company CEOs are serious, hardworking men where the ability to socialize intelligently, including navigating obstacles is very important. They’re also the types who know how to motivate large groups, their sales forces for instance. This is a definite ethic learned in sports and being a team captain or a school president. Again, our CEOs and politicians did not grow up geeks. Maybe their number crunchers did.
And don’t give me the free choice nonsense. Parents need to be PARENTAL! And that means making choices for our children and leading them down the right path for development and success. I wouldn’t let a 14 year old girl go on a date with a 30 year old, just because she felt it was an expression of her “Free Choice”.
And of course, I find some of your claims to be outright exaggerations. That’s precisely what I was referring to in my article when I stated: Out of terrible shame, Video Gamers will lie to your face and describe themselves as successful, goodlooking heterosexuals with gorgeous girlfriends and a rich social life. But we know this is not true. It’s a desperate attempt to cover up utter failure.
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kk To the OP who claims out Military men and women are not gamers…..several of my buddies are in the Military with me (a gamer) considering the Air Force…..gtfo….this is why I don’t believe in God
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Actually in world of warcraft there are these things called raids where you get 25 people together and kill bosses with scripted abilities. Each boss does different things and each player will have certain jobs in the fight in order to be successful.
Someone has to lead these raids. Guilds will die on a boss for weeks and weeks before getting it right. Do you think that takes some kind of motivation and leader to kill these very difficult encounters? In fact, in the higher guilds, you might have to fill out an application on why you are a good player and what will you bring to your guild that someone else won’t. This is JUST LIKE A JOB APPLICATION. Spelling/grammar/intelligence count for A LOT on these applications. It takes teamwork, dedication, and organization as well as accuracy and precision in order to lead and accomplish a raid.
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Oh what a simplistic mind you have… You think wrangling with your joy stick will really teach you the skills to hold down a job? You’re far too myopic to truly understand what I was trying to say here. There’s an incredible difference between hanging out with your computer screen and actually interacting with live human beings in person and getting them to accomplish things. Sports teaches our youngsters some great values and life skills. Why else do we put so much emphasis on athletic scholarships at colleges?
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Stephenson there are some very good Christian video games. I think you overlooked that. Guitar Praise for instance is very popular with Christian adults and children.
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Unfortunately, the majority of the high-end universities have gotten rid of their sports scholarships.
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Ooo, I know why! Offering high dollar scholarships to good athletes means better athletes for your athletic programs and a better athletic program means more students paying to go to your school and better ticket sales. Ka-ching!
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“And don’t give me the free choice nonsense. Parents need to be PARENTAL! And that means making choices for our children and leading them down the right path for development and success.”
Parents do have the right to tell their kids to take a break from video games, but they do NOT have the right to force their kids to play sports. There are lots of kids like me, who FUCKING HATE SPORTS.
And, there’s always the possibility of severe injury or even death when you play sports. If I were a parent, I’d feel mighty guilty if I had forced my child into sports and then the child died.
CSB image warning.
“I wouldn’t let a 14 year old girl go on a date with a 30 year old”
But you seem to find it okay for a 60 year old to hit on an 18 year old.
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Seriously Claire? This is what you’ve debased yourself to? Posting nasty bloody pictures because you’re so confused by my journalism? I worry for, my girl.
And believe me, I am only interested in your soul. Please do not let others trick you into thinking I am inappropriate towards children. That is quite upsetting to me.
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“This is what you’ve debased yourself to? Posting nasty bloody pictures because you’re so confused by my journalism?”
Confused by your journalism? Hardly. I merely posted those pictures to make a statement about how dangerous sports can be.
“And believe me, I am only interested in your soul.”
My soul is for me to be interested in, nobody else.
“Please do not let others trick you into thinking I am inappropriate towards children.”
Considering how I wrote the first reply on here, I’m pretty sure I managed to find out all by myself how perverted you are. If you don’t want to be labeled a pervert, perhaps you should stop posting things such as: “…to young firm men filling out new crisp football uniforms, a pair of bulging muscles below soccer shorts…” or telling 18 year old girls about your body.
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“And believe me, I am only interested in your soul.”
Yeah. That’s the only reason you were hitting on her. Riiiiight. So I wonder…..
If I went through this entire site, how many times could I count Stevy contradicting himself?
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“First of all, I highly doubt your connection between military men and World of Warcraft players. Look at our soldiers and their body types. They look more like football players than gamers. ”
That’s just plain bullshit I know of atleast 10 people who play World of Warcraft while they’re not on patrol in Iraq and I mean frontline soldiers I’ve played with a soldier who was on medical leave after getting getting shot twice while in Iraq. What do you have to say about that?
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Exactly! I mean, when I played on Crushridge in my guild there were so many soldiers from all over Europe! Some were still in Iraq and used WoW to relax a bit.
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As a teenager in high school I had very, very little to do with the “popular” crowd. I pretty much hated the lot of them, seeing as how most of them made fun of me all through grade school up until about senior year. In my freshman year, myself and a handful of the “unpopular” kids, i.e.:gamers, LARPs, bad geeks and the like, started playing rugby after school on the band practice field a couple days a week. In junior year, some of the jocks got interested in playing and actually showed up one or two at a time. Every single one of your precious jocks that ever came to play left with minor concussions, broken fingers, lacerations, avulsions, and abrasions out the yin yang.
So there’s what I think of your oh so wholesome jocks and the phony, wannabe badasses they think they are. Oh and by the way, I play World of Warcraft and have actually progressed quite far in the game, all while passing exams through paramedic school with high B’s and A’s. I also have a terrific girlfriend named Katie, who is working through nursing school to be an RN. I am also not fat. I’m about 5′9″ and about 150 lbs. The Air Force served me as well as I served it, I think.
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Daniel, hmmmm… So you’re telling me you beatdown a bunch of jocks because of your physical superiority picked up fooling around with a joystick? Please don’t make up nonsense for me so easily. I’m older and have been around the block far too many times.
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Just like you haven’t made up any nonsense? Where are ANY of your sources?
“When video gaming first became popular, experts warned of the likelihood of increased amounts of obesity, apathy, suicide, school violence, Satanism, masturbation, homosexuality and unemployment”
“Video gaming is an addiction scientifically proven to be just as dangerous as crack cocaine and it’s making our kids immoral and angry in the process”
“Adults who were video gamers in high school are far less likely to become investment bankers, real estate salesmen, doctors, lawyers and sports coaches.”
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Welcome to the internet, my young friend. In case you’re unfamiliar with it, there are these things called links. I have provided several with my article. Just click on them! Please do this before posting your wrong-headed silliness.
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Okay, let me first of starting by saying.. I dont belive in god, heaven or hell or ANY other religion.. i am an Atheist and if you find that wrong.. so be it.
Second. YES World of warcraft have gotten the official ”title” of being the most addictive game in the WORLD..Even got a place in Guinies worlds records.. However, this dont mean that EVERY player in the WORLD that plays world of warcraft is addicted to it..
Looking at the replies you gave us.. You hate Gays/lesbians.. Though alot of people think of being Gay as an insult, i dont.
People have a tend to look down on things they dont see as normal, in this case. You dont see video gaming as normal. You think playing too many video games will make you stupid and fail in life.
I dont say i can proove you wrong. What i do say though is. We live in a world were, like it or not, technology is becomming part of the day. Today we declare war, and ”Do” war with weapons and other ”close up” stuff.. Seeing the way technology evolves.. i belive that in maybe about 100 years from now, we will start the first ”Internet” war. Meaning that we wont use guns and other stuff.
About the ”People are getting stupid from video games” part again.
I live in denmark.. In my class we got 22 students, 9 of which plays world of warcraft (Indluding me). ”Strangely” enough its those 9 students who are ALWAYS getting top rating when it comes to english essays.
Also, its those 9 people who are ALWAYS getting top rating when it comes to Medie/IT..
People who play video games WILL become VERY handy with computers and such.
And seeing the world we live in at the moment. In only a few years, you couldent care less about being in top shape when applying for a job.. You NEED to be handy with computers.
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Yeah, that’s because you’re too drunk to find the house!
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That’s cute. I’m writing that one down, Charlie!
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haha you know what guys im a jock and a gamer and guess what JaniceFun<—gay you need to shut your shit mouth(yes you ate shit for breakfast) because jocks are fine some are gay shits. You need to understand that your being opionated i hope u can understand that word because you dont seem to understand that this is a troll site.
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just hope that author of this text don’t have any kids. “you have a secret gamer on your hands. Beware”. wtf is that about??? does he think there’s a devil hiding in pc? and btw computer kids are smart (most of the time:), cuz u need more than hand/leg-eye coordination to use it), not like jock’s, strong and brain-dead. and shame on u Stephenson Billings, Investigative Journalist publishing yuour work on internet, maybe even using pc to write it, shame on you
sorry for bad english, not my native tongue, and what i know, learned it from computer, not from jock
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I’m sorry, you’re wrong. It has been scientifically been proven that if you play video games for so long you turn into the character you’ve been playing. For example, if you are playing GTA you will go out, pick up a hooker, screw her in an alley and then mow her down and steal her money.
You have been warned, go to this website now! http://www.god-helps-gaymers.com
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Well obviously, the solution is to play Madden 24/7
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I am not a father myself but I do work with many children and have learned a great deal about their struggles with internet and gaming addictions. Try not to be so facetious with your comments, it’s really not productive.
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Hey Stephenson, you’ve already acknowledged yourself that you have no children of your own and are basically basing any and all arguments you’ve put forth on pointless conjecture, backing up your own arguments with ‘evidence’ that consists of posts written by other bloggers on this very website. That’s the kind of thing you would get an F for writing a grade school essay.
Oh also, a soda bottle collector has absolutely no business deriding someone else for a hobby. That was probably the funniest part of your post.
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i cant believe that i acctaully read all this. and for once agian i came into the same conclusion, that when christianity is in danger (loosing ppl) they start blame the way the lost them cuz less ppl = less money and less crowd control. so good job blaming the ones who choose a different way of living and dont believe in that bullshit called religion and to make all the religion fanboys happy YES i will burn in hell!!! happy now? good
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Haha oh wow, this site is really full of it. This site pretty much explains why no one takes Christians seriously anymore, and why the agnostic and atheist population continue to grow. If parents actually follow the advice posted here, you’re the most laughable parents in the country. Disregard this comment though, as most here probably will. So very close minded and intolerant…
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Articles like these are the reason fundamentalist fanatics shouldn’t be allowed in the internet, they keep breaking the boundaries of stupidity.
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tottaly agree with u m8
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I got one thing to say and one thing only…
Those who agree with the OP if this post will all burn in hell.
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10/10
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You know, someone else had a very similar view on topics like this. He knew He had the answers, and could show people the Way. He promised that if you followed Him, the world would be a better place.
I’m talking of course, about Adolf Hitler (What, you thought I meant Jesus Christ??? lol)
Hitler preached just this kind of intolerance and hatred that you are streaming on this website right now. Kind of makes you feel a little sick inside doesn’t it? No, it probably doesn’t, since your ego has inflated to the point of being the only actual thing you have left. I pity you. Christianity is supposed to teach tolerance, and peace.
You are a very perverse individual, I hope you change someday.
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As many of my friends here can attest, I find Nazism and Adolph Hitler incredibly awful. It’s also personally offensive to me that you accuse me of having these types of sympathies. The Nazis were very cruel to Christians and Adolph was never one himself (he persecuted priests, married out of a church, invaded Christian countries like Poland and France, etc. etc.). So save you rhetoric for the Daily Kos.
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Oh dear, poor Mr. Billings feels bullied. What’s the problem Mr. Jock? Why don’t you just shove all of us into lockers like that poor kid at the end of your article? You’re clearly a strong member of the jock master race, so I think you should have no problem.
Sarcasm aside, this article is disgusting. Would you really compare the actions of modern jocks with the Christian ideal? If there is a parallel there, I think I’ll have to rethink my faith.
Video games are one of, if not the most popular forms of entertainment these days. In fact, many social boundaries have been lessened or eliminated due to this common ground where you don’t have to have a chiseled body or play sports to compete. More and more people of every gender, age group, and lifestyle play games because it gives them all an even playing field, not to mention they’re entertaining.
I’d love to see your reaction to how the Wii is being integrated into nursing homes as physical therapy and entertainment. Would you take that away from the elderly and claim you did it for Jesus?
I’m just appalled, honestly.
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Are you serious with this article? You even have a picture of a jock bullying another kid in the article. Guess what???? bullying is now a CRIME in most states which can result in time in Juvi for the most serious cases. Guess who is leading things like our nation’s military…….that’s right video game JOCKS! We have the brain power necessary to do something more then grunt and beat people. I say GO TO HELL CHRISTWIRE!
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“When video gaming first became popular, experts warned of the likelihood of increased amounts of obesity, apathy, suicide, school violence, Satanism, masturbation, homosexuality and unemployment”
Whhyyyy the fuck do you people think that homosexuality is caused by video games? Homosexuality has been around longer than video games.. They are just coming out of the closet now because it is slowly getting more accepting to society.
And no, just because a man isn’t all muscles and firm buns DOES NOT mean he isn’t going to get a girlfriend. You are promoting shallowness based purely on looks, thus also promoting the whole ‘women are property’ bullshit.
You fall in love with who shares similar interests, not those two can bench press 200 pounds. I would stay away from an idiot like that, men with egos are suck assholes. Your kids SURE are going to be successful like that.
Oh, and if you look at a lot of suicide victims.. You don’t see a lot of these kids killing themselves because video games told them so. Pressuring parents, sports, and school is a lot more likely to lead to alcoholism and drug use. More of these ‘perfect jock kids’ that I knew in school used drugs and alcohol than any of my gaming friends. I used those jocks as an example NOT to follow, because greed, being full of ones self and thinking they’re better than everyone else in the school is SO christ like.
You people are seriously fucked up in the minds. Pressuring your kids to be chiseled into what YOU want them to be is really going to work, your brainwashing is pathetic.
FAIL MORE PLEASE!
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NOT TRUE! Homosexuality started at THE SAME TIME as video games. TRY TO PROVE ME WRONG! Homo inhibitor!
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Get off your high horse. Go look up some history.
How about Saddam and Gamorrah?
Or the Romans? Check out some of those emperors.
Homosexuality has been around for a LONG time.
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Hey, hey, how do you know his horse is high? you must be one of those internet stalkers PEDO!!! And also his reply was a fact written by the mighty Linken DONT ARGUE WITH THE FACTS OR YOU ARE ARE A FAGGOT, and i need someone to go up and down with me in the elevator. i’m also a slow learner
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…what?
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K, I’ll prove you wrong. ^^
“Pong (marketed as PONG) is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. The aim is to defeat an opponent—either computer-controlled or a second player—by earning a higher score. The game was originally manufactured by Atari Incorporated (Atari), who released it in 1972.”
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong
“The first known appearance of homosexual in print is found in an 1869 German pamphlet by the Austrian-born novelist Karl-Maria Kertbeny, published anonymously,[12] arguing against a Prussian anti-sodomy law.[13][14] In 1879, Gustav Jager used Kertbeny’s terms in his book, Discovery of the Soul (1880).”
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality
FAIL MORE PLEASE!
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MOAR!
“Hitler popularized the ideology that Germans were the master race of Earth and that everyone else was inferior. Hitler used the Jews as a scapegoat for Germany’s problems, and believed that they and any deemed as a life unworthy of living was no use beyond working in a labor camp. He basically targeted anyone who wasn’t German, many of which did not have blonde hair and blue eyes. Some groups besides Jews that he targeted were the homosexuals, the blacks, socialists/communists, anyone who opposed the Nazi ideology, etc.”
So, according to you, Hitlers nazi’s must have busted down the door of homosexual jews playing Super Smash Brothers back in the 1940’s and 1950’s?
And here’s some more Christian hate in history, sounds a bit like our little Hitler, don’t it?
“In the year 342, the Christian emperors Constantius II and Constans declared the death penalty for a male who aped the role of a bride.[7] In the year 390, the Christian emperors Valentinian II, Theodosius I and Arcadius denounced males “acting the part of a woman”, condemning those who were guilty of such acts to be publicly burned. [8] The Christian emperor Justinian (527-565) made those who would now be called “homosexuals” a scape goat for problems such as “famines, earthquakes, and pestilences.”
Year 342 AD! Wow! I wonder what kind of video games they had then!
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Why should i defend myself against inaccurate and inane quotes you’ve picked up from wikipedia? I have made no such claims in support of Nazism and in fact I find the suggestion is highly offensive to me. I am a journalist with many, many years under my belt. Why don’t you leave the intelligent studies to me? You’re clearly not capable of handling anything more complex than 10th grade algebra.
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I didn’t write that bit about Nazism, so I’m not sure what you’re accusing me of. Please see my previous responses in regard to Hitler’s fascism and why I find it horribly offensive. There is so much joy and promise in Christianity. I just wish you children could welcome His light into your hearts!
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” –Psalm 23
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Because knocking on my intelligence is really going to make a point here, isn’t it?
“There is so much joy and promise in Christianity.” There is SO much joy in christian radicals that outcast groups of people and focus on the bulging muscles of teenage boys!
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You left out the fact that Christianity caused at least three crusades in which handfuls of people were massacred… at a time. This means that in each crusade masses of people were killed in the name of Jesus Christ and his “light”.
Also, you (the author) stated that wikipedia isn’t a valid source, yet you used it yourself. Oh, not to mention the other contradictions that I see within your incredibly stupid and outrageous accusations.
Also; posting as another person simply to boast your own cause? Are you really that weak? Can’t you even defend your own argument, or do you (like most religious people before you) use lies and deceit to spread your cause?
People like you are why I left Christianity. Your “values” are so maniacally twisted and naïve that it makes me sick to my stomache.
If being a jock makes me upstanding and moral, then I am proud to be the immoral, furry heathen that I am.
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HAHAHAHA So video games were around the same time as the ancient greeks? WOW! I never knew that!
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Thank you for this wonderful laugh at the morning. I think you are just plain retarded.
While gamers actually develop their minds playing games and doing well in school, jocks go around, smoke pot and start working at Burger King.
It is a fact, when you play you develop and expand your mind. After jocks went out of high school, what do they have? A year salary which a gamer who took his studying seriously earned in two months as an engineer or something else.
The fact that you are christian isn’t making your argument better. Actually, people like you are the reason that the atheist and agnocist community is growing.
Screw you, I am not even gonna go further into this, because you just broke every boundary of stupidity. Now go fuck yourself.
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I’m getting very fed up with you angry teens posting such deliberate lies here. There are clearly so many wonderful reasons to participate in team sports. You’re just not up to the task, are you?
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“I’m getting very fed up with you angry teens posting such deliberate lies here. There are clearly so many wonderful reasons to participate in team sports. You’re just not up to the task, are you?”
Mr. Asswipe, let me ask you something. Have you ever been picked on by those testosterone driven meat heads to the point of wanting to kill yourself? Have you ever been so lonely that every night you lay your head down you think it would be easier for you to just not wake back up? The reason we are so angry with you is because of the fact that you are so far up on your high horse that you can’t see where the real problem lies.
Read this artticles, and tell me that the problem lies with us angry teens.
I don’t care that it’s wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre#Psychopathy_and_depression
Bullies tend to pick on targets they think are weak. Jocks, for example, will target geeks or nerds who are smaller than they are, along with people who look different because of race, disabilities, or fashion sense. People who appear emotionally weak may also be targeted for bullying. Bullies themselves are often jocks or students that have a superiority complex. Also, teens who have unstable home lives may take out their frustration and aggression on other students. So I really don’t see how that shit you write about is even close to the truth.
Now I will admit, I am not exactly athletic, or fit for that matter. I am a pretty big guy, but any day of the week i can truthfully say that I am able to kick anyones ass. My problem through high school was confidence from people picking on me. But now those same people don’t fuck with me anymore. You know why? Cause I can snap them like a twig. And I won’t hesitate anymore. So Billings, Is that clear enough for you?
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This article is ridiculous, so are a lot of the comments.
I’m a devoted follower of Christ, I’ve had an excellent sporting life which ended early due to knee-damage and asthma(9 premiership trophies in basketball) and I now play World of Warcraft quite competitively (well, as much as you can in an RPG). The guy that wrote this article is a crazy. So I apologise to everyone who is reading it on behalf of Christians who actually love and follow Jesus. Don’t assume that all “Christians” think like him because I can tell you right now that they don’t.
Like anything, video games can be abused, which is the message that I think the author is trying to get across, but fails to do. You can make the same argument about super-competitive ‘Jocks’ that use steroids to excel at their chosen sport, or at writers who spend all night at their desks trying to think of new stories to write so they don’t have to deal with their problematic kids (Stephenson?).
At the end of the day, getting on your high-horse about something as trivial as video games not only shows a lack of understanding about humanity, it’s also a sign of an incredibly narrow mind that refuses to see beyond the object at the end of its pointed finger.
Well Stephenson, I challenge you to turn that finger around and point it at yourself! You’re an aging man in a generation of aging men who have aged thoughts about modern things. You’re trying to grapple with a topic here that you clearly have no understanding of.
Did you ever think that video gaming could be used to PROMOTE christian love? I personally use the game as a means to spend time (even if its not face to face) with some close friends who work away from home for extended periods of time. At our churches youth group we regularly meet up for LAN events, or even SingStar nights where people come dressed as their favorite artist and battle it out vocally for a prize.
Anyway, WAKE UP mate. Video gaming is a fact. It’s wide-spread, it’s common place and its accessible. Use that mind that God gave you to figure out how to make use of it instead of giving yourself heart failure over HOW EVIL VIDEO GAMES ARE!!!!!!!!!!11 Because they’re not evil. People *can* use them for evil purposes, like anything (including your precious “Sports”).
ps. Your style of writing and narrow minded attack reminds me of the type of ‘teaching’ I’d expect to find from someone at Westboro Baptist – are you connected at all?
-Disciple of Christ
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I am very sorry to hear about your injury. It is a terrible thing to have something that gives you such pleasure ripped away from you. While we may disagree, I think you understand where I’m coming from. I may not be as young as all the kids responding here, I do know a thing or two about moral responsibility and teaching children the difference between right and wrong. I guess some of those very same children are exercising a bit of rebellion here.
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” — Psalm 18:1
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Hmmmm… could this be expanded to watching “violent” movies and tv shows as well as other undesirable activities? Probably. I’m sure there are all kinds of university “groups” waiting to politicize this.
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Yes. Because only jock males have ever been successful.
Also, forcing your kids into a stereotype and not letting them be who they are creates a few problems:
1) Low self esteem / Lack of confidence- How are children supposed to learn to be happy and confident with themselves if their parents are pigeon-holing them to be ONE kind of person. Parents should teach children morals, responsibility, and how to socially interact. They shouldn’t tell them what they should like and dislike.
2) Pushing kids too hard can cause rebellion. It’s the classic case where kids get tired of the structure and just want to do whatever they want to prove to you that you don’t have control. Structure is good, but forcing to be someone there not is just a mutiny waiting to happen.
“That way you can monitor you child’s computer use (homework!) at all times without interrupting your television viewing.”
So you are allowed to watch violent programs about investigating murders, bad language, sex, all the things that are on tv, but a child can’t use their brain on a video game in their free time? There are definitely limits to how much ANYONE should spend time doing things that aren’t constructive, but with video games there is less bad language, less sex, and the violence doesn’t even look as real. Best of all, playing video games (most of them at least) requires more thought process and motor skills than TV and is more beneficial in brain development. Online games even have a social component to the game as well as a business component with an economy and buying and trading items with fluxuating prices.
“experts warned of the likelihood of increased amounts of obesity, apathy, suicide, school violence, Satanism, masturbation, homosexuality and unemployment.”
Please link this study and where it was proven true if you want to be credible.
Also, a lot of your statements are just plain false. Some people play games as a stress relief and a way to spend your free time when you’re not working. Playing games is no worse than watching tv. Both can be addicting and equally as bad if a person has little self control. The statement that gamers are at the 12-year old maturity level is blatantly false. I have been playing video games since I was a kid and I am in my 3rd year of college as a junior on scholarship with a fiance. Video games are not evil and are not the downfall of society. Limits do need to be in place and children under certain ages cannot even buy mature games with strong themes. If you let your child watch tv, video games should be just the same.
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“A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.” — Proverbs X, v. 1.
Well, there are many links in my articles. Did you not notice them? Also, gaming is known to cause Epilepsy:
http://jnnp.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/57/8/925
And damage the brain:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article786445.ece
And Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:
http://www.time-scout.com/register/index.php?act=tv_adhd
And obesity!
http://children.webmd.com/news/20040702/video-games-tv-double-childhood-obesity-risk
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Epilepsy is not caused by videogames. It can be triggered by heavy use and abuse of videogames, but not caused. The causes are an abnormal cerebral activity. It’s a neurological condition that has nothing to do with videogames.
For brain damage, well, if you pick the console or the computer and bang your head with it, yeah, I guess it can cause brain damage. But Football can damage your brain too. Just as all other sports.
Attention Deficits and Hyperactivity Disorders are the same as Epilepsy. Not connected to videogames.
Obesity…well…obesity is caused by a bad diet with too many fried, greasy food and not enough fruit and vegetables. Not by videogames!
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Wow just wow. Mr. Billings I am a Christian and quite frankly I am ashamed to be clustered into a “group” with you. You are egotistical and quite frankly in need of help. I played sports in high school and I play video games now, and I would say that video games helped me far more towards getting my job than playing sports ever did. The arguements you are putting forward are ridiculous and foolish.
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Excellent! Someone has placed his finger directly upon the pulse of the festering vein that America’s high schools are becoming! Clearly, the insidious Satanistic terorists have implanted their video gaming culture into our youth, seeking to drain their glistening musculature from these young men and reduce them to sniveling, worthless she-men. Indeed, jocks are the core of all Western culture in the world! After all, it wasn’t a bunch of blurry-eyed, nasal-sounding nerds who founded our glorious country! No, the Founding Fathers were real men! Man’s men! Men brimming with muscles, carefully oiled muscles, sweat dripping off their immaculate bodies.
Yes! That is America! Ten men in a locker room, naked, dripping with sweat, helping each other cool off and get clean in the showers after a long, long, hard, hard game!
But these video games! These satanic tools! They would deprive our youth of their God given right to huddle together tightly in the locker room, oiled abs rubbing against each other, bodies grinding together in a ritual of pure manliness!
They must be stopped! These… nerds… filthy subhuman creatures that they are, cannot be allowed to infiltrate Christian communities! They pollute the minds of our children with their Video Gamings and their Dee Andys, whatever they are! They give the impression that INTELLECT can advance a Christian man’s status rather than the glorious manly beauty of his rock hard body! Intellect is for the weak!
No, we must stand against this threat! We must beat any of our children who dare recite the dark words of Video Gaming in our houses! Offenses against God like this must NOT be tolerated! Our children will have the freedom to become truly masculine men, and truly subservient and obedient women, and NOTHING ELSE!
That is God’s way! For men can only truly find companionship with other men, and women exist simply to bear children! That is the way of the men in the Bible, and that is the way of a Christian! And these homosexuals who would have us treat women as equals and mate with other men must be stopped!
I would say more, but I must return to the gym now, and rub oil on the wonderful bodies of my fellow, taut, muscular Christian men!
God bless you, sir, and good luck fighting this fight!
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To be honest, I cannot tell if this article is meant to be satirical or some other form of parody. However, assuming it is not I just wanted to throw my two cents in the pot.
I am currently a college student attending American University. Here I play rugby, major in journalism, and hold a 3.9gpa. I have been in the honors program since accepted and am only able to attend due to a full ride academic scholarship i received. If you dont believe me feel free to email me and I will be more than happy to provide you with transcripts and other documentation.
Now, all that is well and good. But thats no fun. Here’s the kicker: I have been playing World of Warcraft for almost 4 years. Before that I played Grand Theft Auto and halo religiously. I grew up on video games and they will always hold a special place in my heart.
My question is this: Who are you to make the claim that jocks are better people than gamers? Although I myself was a tri season athlete for 4 years straight, ending my high school career with 12 varsity letters, a beautiful girlfriend (who i will likely marry), and an offer to row at Cornell University (following my older cuisines footsteps as he was captain of their world renowned crew team for close to two years).
However, I also left highschool with something else. Thats right, you guessed it, a level 70 Restoration Druid decked out in full Sunwell Plateau epics.
And although I will be the first to admit that little world of warcraft character of mine will never bring me any material gain it has provided me with several things which I would simply not be who i am today without:
1. An opportunity to be part of a community of over 15 million users. Through WoW (and other online games) i was able to meet and get to know people from all over the world. Something like this would have been beyond impossible in the small town of 30,000 which i grew up.
2. The ability to step outside my comfort zone. By engaging in wow i was inherently dealing with a demographic of people i had not (on such a large scale) previously encountered. Thats right, i made friends with your so dreaded “nerds”.
Through WoW and other video games I was able to further my ability to interact and easily communicate and befriend people from all walks of life. I did not limit myself inside of a close nit circle of friends and essentially don blinders in order to ignore things which made me uncomfortable. By embracing that which i did not fully understand at first and even befriending it I was able to grow as an individual.
As for your argument regarding drug use etc I regret to inform you that is simply not based in any form of fact (at least that i have encountered) After wrestling for 5 years I can comfortably say that far and away the most frequent (and heavy) drug and alcohol users I have seen are straight off the football, wrestling, and lacrosse teams. Perhaps it is the fact they they (unlike me) did not have an easy way to relax after long and exhausting practices. Instead of going home and playing video games and hanging out with friends via Internet based games, they turned to pot and other heavier drugs in order to help them relax.
As for sports helping boys with girls this may or may not be true. Regardless the relevance of this decreases by the second but it brought up another issue with your argument.
Now this may be shocking but the big football high school star very rarely will take his cheerleader girlfriend out to the movies and pizza. In todays day and age a high school date generally consists of under age drinking, drug consumption, and sex (usually unprotected). This is not a theory or guess. This is fact. Believe it or not but i too (as were you) a teenager in high school once and i too was just as stupid and irresponsible as the kids today. Although they may great you during the day with a friendly and respectful smile, wave, etc. You can rest assured the limp you see in the cheerleaders step as she walks around was not caused by a bad cheer.
The vast majority of highschool athletes i have encountered are either extremely high strung do either directly or indirectly to the sport they play. Be it the pressure to perform or simply the nature of the sport rarely (once you get to know the person) do you see the “wholesome and hearty” jocks which are so commonly depicted in American Cinema.
I am not asking you to change your views as that is an unreasonable request. Just as it would be unreasonable for you to ask me to change mine. In stead I only implore you to listen more, open your eyes and realize that gamers are nothing new. They have been around long before video games even existed. Physical sports are wonderful dont get me wrong, however, they are not for everyone. Different sports are great for different types of people and for some no sport makes them the most happy.
I can say this was a relative degree of authority that comes with not my age (as you so accredit your authority) but my EXPERIENCE. Currently i play rugby for one of the strongest teams in the United States. Rugby is a sport which requires something else in a person. It is not a mental toughness or even physical prowess. There is just something in a ruggers soul that few others posses. My point here is this:
I have seen star high school football players not even make it halfway through one of our practices let alone a game. Your so called “wholesome jocks” with their toned muscles and other American cliches, sitting on the ground openly crying because they could not handle the demand of arguably the worlds most difficult contact sport.
This does not mean they are any less men, athletes, or people. It simply means that it is not for them. That is okay, and they should not be talked down to because of it.
This applies to your “nerds” as well. Simply because athletics are not for them for whatever reason does not mean that they are any less of human beings. In fact one may argue that they are actually more comfortable and self aware because they are able to determine what they do and do not enjoy. I hate to tell you this Stephenson but teenagers do not play sports so you can admire their “toned bodies”. They play because they enjoy it.
I have several other major problems with your article and myself being a practicing Christian, church member, and acolyte for almost 15 years I must say it is ignorent, fauls and otherwise offensive writings and statements like yours which put the majoirty of us in a bad light.
I hope you take the time to read my posts and if you do respond I hope we can get into a CONSTRUCTIVE discussion about your article, its intent, and other points pertaining to this piece.
Thanks for your time and I hope to hear back,
Felix
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You hold a fantastic GPA? Well, that’s just fabulous. What is your concentration, lesbian ethics or art history? I really don’t care for your giant essay of nonsense. Obviously my article spoke some deeper truths to you and you felt moved enough to respond. I respect that. You have a pleasant but anecdotal story to tell- that’s all fine– but I really don’t buy it. You’re a master Worlds of Warcraft player and you’re a wonderful athlete? Is that what your mommy told you? I know you types love to exaggerate, make yourselves out to be superheroes in real life, but honestly I know it’s not true. Stop trying to snow job me with your nonsense. I feel sorry for the dishonest person that you are.
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I’m simply tickled pink that all who contradict your “facts” with their very lives are instantly liars and charlatans.
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Well, Mr.Billings, besides the obvious pedophillic tones in this article that I won’t even begin to go into (I mean, I know that your type has an affinity for those “young firm men filling out new crisp football uniforms”),this article is ridiculous. First of all, I doubt you have done any research at all about these subjects. Do you have any proof that the supposed rise in “obesity, apathy, suicide, school violence, Satanism, masturbation, homosexuality and unemployment” have any link to video games. My, they also happen to coincide with the rise gas prices! And the rise in pollution! These things must also contribute to Satanism and unemployment. The funny thing is, not all the kids who are not jocks “failed miserably” at it. What you are really advocating, Mr.Billings, is young “firm” boys running around in tight fitting uniforms, who come to church on Sunday so that you can ogle them, as far as I can tell. You want boys who are dedicated to tormenting the “nerds.” These high school foot ball boys who are failing out of class because they were never taught the importance of anything else. But I know how “your type” disregard cognitive thought, choosing to believe in fairytales and blind faith. So you can put this in your next article, I am a seventeen year old from a small town with straight A’s, the president of a community service and substance abuse controlling group, Captain of our state championed varsity academic team, and in the top 4% of the nation academically. Meanwhile, our “wholesome” high school football team has a bet as to who can sleep with the most Freshman girls this year.
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Hi,
), am an artist (94% in Art IB! woot!) and have a boyfriend who i have been dating for a year and a half, and who I have sex with atleast twice a week for a total of atleast 3 hours a week (and i use CONDOMS!! MUAHAHAHAHA! DIE YOU HAPLOID GAMETES! DIEE!!). But, much to your dissapointment, I am not a Satanist… But I do believe in EVOLUTION!!!!
I am in gr 11, have a 95% average, am in the Gifted and Talented Education program, I am in 4 classes above my grade level, and I LOVE learning. I am also a L80 Draenei Hunter in Alleria’s top guild (that is in World of Warcraft). I am hot, dance salsa (with some dirty regaetton
Take that ignorant christian!
Deep down, you know that you were once a monkey, (you actually did have a tail when you were in the womb…)
With love,
Me
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Either this is greatest troll article ever, or 2 of the most misguided minds. I honestly can’t believe anyone could think like this completely trumped up witch hunt. Or this is just one of the ballsy trolls ever? I honestly can’t tell, Thank you Billings and Janice for making my night, you win the internet.
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After looking around this site a bit more I’m more or less 100% convinced this site is straight satire. This is truly a work of art and genius. If im really wrong please tell me but I’d put money I’m not. I’m a bit pissed i just wrote a 4 page response but whatever, i need something to do at 3pm.
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Although I’m more than sure this site is nothing but satire; in the off chance it is not could you be a doll and provide us with some reference to these “studies” and “science you keep quoting. After all every time someone says something that does not jell with you articles you just call them a liar. So could we get a little proof to back up all your statement?
Though I’m willing to guess this will get no response.
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i wrestled for 8 years. and i did very well, went to state multiple times, placed a couple times as well. was i a jock? no. i was actually picked on quite a it because i was short. i knew that at any time i could kick the crap out of them. when i was ranked best wrestler in our city and had my name mentioned on the morning announcements for my contribution to our team winning (by contribution i mean i kicked the shit out of someone form another school) they (the jocks) all started to hang out with me. honestly i was disgusted. they were so fake and insincere. i stuck with hanging out with my friends. the ones you describe here in this article for the most part, along with myself. and now we’ve graduated and are all pursuing degrees in college. ive run across some of the jocks at bars (yes im 21 now) and local party’s. for the most part they’re alcoholics and drug addicts. so much for the wholesome values youth sports teaches.
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You have a fantastic imagination! If only it were true! I’m sorry, but I really doubt your claims of being some “super” athelete. Grow up and stop trying to sell yourself as something more than you really are.
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I must say that I find it impressive how you can manage to assume that because they have posted a testimonial that contradicts your own view of the world, that they must be lying. A physically fit person who plays video games must be impossible, because in your world, all people who play video games are obese slobs.
Here’s the piece you are missing: video games are like board games, or card games, or word games, or physical games. They are used to stimulate either the body or the mind as a form of entertainment. Competitive nature exists equally in both sports and video games. Video games can generate greater hand eye coordination, increase reaction speeds, and promote logical problem solving thought patterns. These are all things which can lead to better jobs.
Sports and Video games equally promote teamwork, especially in modern times. Most video game players have access to a headset, and must learn how to communicate without body language, or eye contact, and form a cohesive team that successfully completes an objective. One might argue that due to the anonymity involved in video games, a gamer learns to work better with a team regardless of it’s members, where a jock might just work well with his buds.
When problems occur is when there is no balance, when there is no moderation between time spent in front of a screen and outside. And I agree with you that parents must be involved in this matter. However, utterly depraving their children of this common form of entertainment might be just as unhealthy as giving them unlimited access. You get curious about things when they are forbidden to you, and children have an impressive talent for sating their curiosity. If it is forbidden in your household, when they play it at their friends, it becomes an act of defiance towards you, and they won’t stop playing, so defiance towards you will become less intimidating a prospect.
I have played both team sports and video games quite often during my childhood.
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Unfortunately Kevin, you missed the entire point of my article. It really wasn’t intended for children though, it’s for your parents to read. I find it amusing that all of the hate-filled respondents here claim to be incredible jocks and top notch students themselves. Too bad the internet doesn’t allow for factchecking.
“Sports and Video games equally promote teamwork.” – this is such a hopeless falsehood. I don’t even know where to begin on that doozy. Do you really believe connecting with some dirty old men via the internet can compare to the team spirit of constant training, the thrill of a big game, the excitement of victory or the pains of defeat? In a video game you just hit reset and start over. There’s really no comparison.
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In the future, refrain from calling me a child sir.
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I choose a moderate side of this argument, where I admit there are circumstances in which video games can be a problem in this context, but also that you inflate the problem dramatically, and you respond by telling me to go play with my toys?
I thought this was a reasoned forum where voices could be heard and discussions could be made.
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This must be one of the best troll articles ever?
Theres no way this can be serious… it just can’t.
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“That way you can monitor you child’s computer use (homework!) at all times without interrupting your television viewing.”
Yeah, that’s a good way to be a parent, keep an eye on your son or daughter for a second and spend the next two hours watching trash on the TV.
That makes perfect sense!
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Judging by your article, it seems you’re fine with jocks bullying others because they’re different. Is that very Christian?
I wasn’t a jock in high school, in fact, I hated them. Why? Sure, they had lots of “friends,” but they were always getting in fights, going out to parties to get drunk, and usually had girlfriends, but most of the time, they would end up breaking up because she found out he cheated on her at a party. Is this what I was supposed to do in high school to be happy? I guess having a few good friends I hung out with at the bowling alley or at movies was a bad idea. Or some nights we’d get together and play video games for awhile, and frequently had girls that never played video games drop by, and they loved it. Sorry I chose not to be a jock asshole.
As far as being failures, most jocks from high school are still stuck back at home because their party lifestyle kept them from succeeding in college. After all, Al Bundy wasn’t created off a stereotype, am I right?
Basically, jocks are some of the least Christian people I know. They label themselves Christian, but have no idea how to follow it. It’s websites like this that make Christianity look terrible.
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Where do I say bullying is appropriate or Christian? You’re just making nonsense up. I wrote this piece as a celebration of something wonderfully American! Where would we be as a nation without the values competitive sports teaches the young? You really don’t get that alone in your basement playing fantasy land.
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You don’t promote bullying?! That is the biggest load of bullshit you’ve said so far! Am I blind, or do you not have a picture of a jock shoving a less fortunate child into a locker.
You, sir, are a moronic piece of shit.
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Why would you put up a picture of a jock bullying a smaller kid? This is a Christian website, shouldn’t it promote Christian values? You could have just as easily picked a more appropriate picture, but you chose the one showing the jock picking on a smaller kid, leading me to believe you’re ok with that kind of violence in schools.
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just because one kid is strong there is always going to be some bigger boys in school and i think your making too much out of a little fun that boys have. if they dont learn that how will they toughen up?
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THIS IS A BULLSHIT!
I’m playing wow since 2005 and, just in case you’re interested, i have social life, i do sport, i have a girlfriend and i’ve eccelents mark at school. things are nearly the same for all my friend that plays wow. between it looks like for you the perfect boy is the stereototype of the typical all muscles – no brain boy and the perfect gril is someone like paris hilton when she was going in high school. then why someone that play videogames shoul be attracted by homosexuality? or satanism? usually in a videogames you play the part of the hero.
and for an hint about how you may grow up playing videogames or role playing fantasy: bill gates was an appasionate player of D&D (for the ones that does not know one of the most famous role-playing game), and look what he is now. also another hint: richard garfield, crehator of the card game Magic, was an university math teacher. looks like being a genius of computer tecnologies or an univeristy teacher a failure? don’t think so.
sorry for any kind of grammatical error in my message but english isn’t my language
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“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.” — Psalm 37:25,26
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Janice and OP are faggots.
/thread
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Oh, but didn’t you know? Janice=OP. They are one in the same. Janice is Mr. Billings’ puppet. I’m not even kidding, Billings has sunk so low that he made another account just so he could agree with himself without seeming foolish.
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By the way, If they are so muscular, why is it taking upto 5 of the faggots to hold up their “Plaque” in the picture.
Dumbass!
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I think they’re all excited to have won their game. They’re not so weak that 5 of them are needed to support a wooden trophy.
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This is so unreasonable, I’m not sure what to say.
You’re about as far from a christian as you can possibly get. This is a clear defacing of God’s word.
You’ve thoroughly written this debacle of a textual abortion with almost exclusively baseless stereotypes. So far are they from the truth, that you’ve pushed more people away from your fake christian views than towards.
Come to think of it, random nameless article-writing nobody, I think I know why you did this. You’re trying to work up a shock value with any certain social group you choose just for the sake of getting more hits. This backwater nowhere of a website cannot draw in readers with your fabricated word of God, so it has to be done with the most extreme hook. Using things like “video-gaming” (which most people do), “threat” (everyone wants to know about THREATS), “America” (a given), and “culture”. Words like these are an opiate to the masses and exploitation is a sin.
You’re going to burn in hell. I hope you’re very aware of this.
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evan thats really not nice of you to post such things. i am a mother and i would be very angry if my child posted such angry and profanity. i hope you parents check your browser history and watch what your doing because you are really just wrong and bad. as a parent myself, i think letting kids run wild online is very bad and parents should keep a better eye on the children.
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That’s odd. You’re registered through GoDaddy.com. That’s a pretty obscene website, super christian.
You’re made of lies.
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pretty obscene website host***
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HI I SAW THAT THE POST WAS FILLED WITH MUSCULAR BOYS
CAN I HAVE SOME GAY SEX NOW?
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Listen asshole I’m not going to sit here while spew pure slander about the video gaming culture…fat nerdy and socially awkward kids have been around since the beginning of time, and your whole theory on video games indefinatly effecting the outcome of a child’s future is beyond laughable and outlandish. So from me the rest of /b/, go fuck yourself.
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I’m sorry you feel that way, Anon, but have you even tried to do any research on the subject? I guess not.
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I agree. There’s no reason to post swears. We can have a civil discussion, can’t we?
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Listen asshole I’m not going to sit here while spew pure slander about the video gaming culture…fat nerdy and socially awkward kids have been around since the beginning of time, and your whole theory on video games indefinatly effecting the outcome of a child’s future is beyond laughable and outlandish. So from me and the rest of /b/, go fuck yourself.
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Well first of Mr. Bilings. According to all the nonsense (sorry, but it’s nonsense to me) you’ve spouted out I want to be one of the first to tell you that your thoughts and beliefs are as far from Christian as Satan is from being God.
Anyway, on to your point that, basically, gamers are losers who are obese and will fail at life, where-as jocks are the best and will, without a doubt, succeed in life. . . .
Please sir, just no. I am a gamer myself, been since I was about 10 varied from Nintendo consoles to Playstation to Computer. I was on the football team for a couple of years, quit due to the mental state of your precious jocks resolve around: Drinking, smoking, fornication outside of marriage (yeah, real hero christin of ‘em) – but that’s not even the worst part of it, the thing that annoyed me the most about them is the way they treat everyone who is not on their football team, or as you would say, a loser who ain’t muscled up enough to be part of the team. Which is horrible treatment, they beat “the nerds”, bully them, make their life so intolerable some (too many) commit suicide or walk down other ill-lit roads.
Almost all of your replies to every person in here have been close to “Shut up, you’re so young and immature, I am old and got years of experience and I am oh so’ intelligent.” – First of, pride, look it up you self-proclaimed Christian man. Secondly, bashing down on people with such disrespect when people state their opinions in as much of a respectful way they can, is itself immature and childish. I could go on, but I won’t, it’s too easy and I feel bad for pointing out your flaws.
Now for me, the “loser gamer”, 25 years old – I took up swimming after I left the jocks, so my body is “muscled” and fit. I got a wide circle of close friends (who also, are gamers) all of which are drug free, got a stable job, college degree or been successful in the military. I am rather wealthy, have a steady and nice income, above the “average” yearly income. As a pilot and an educated aircraft mechanic. I enjoy spending my time with my Fiance, watching movies, playing MMO or other games either on the computer or my xbox. I meet up with my buds regularly and they have more or less the same life style as I do.
Now, if you haven’t been able to comprehend it by now, I am too, a religious man, not a fanatic as a certain someone (whose beliefs fails him in o’ so many ways), I am also rather intelligent and mature.
Now, if you’ve read through my entire wall of text, you should be able to summarize the difference in this generation of jocks compared to _most_ gamers.
Oh and to finish off, as you said to someone else. Shame on you, shame on you, hiding behind God and your ‘profession’ spouting out garbage nonstop – Open your eyes sir, look around, games not only increase language skill(s), they heighten your senses (well, shoot em up games kind of games do), gives you the chance to interact with people from different cultures, oh heck, there’s unlimited amount of knowledge that comes from games.
I have nothing more to say than, if anything, games save lives, not ruin them. If only from the bastard jocks at schoo, or from parents with the mindset and attitude such as yourself, games can offer you a time-out from all of it, whilst being a positive influence on so many aspects of your being. However, I do agree that playing 24/7, literally 24/7 is bad and un-healthy. But with the majority of gamers, that is not the case.
-Michael
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Really well said, I agree with all your points Michael, and it was a very nice read.
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I do apologize for the errors/typos in my first post, was typing haste.
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Sigh, again I made an error ^^ I obviously meant:
I do apologize for the errors/typos in my first post, was typing with haste.
Anyway, seems that Mr Billings is determined to ignore my post, was looking forward to his reply.
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Michael, who will teach us if not our elders? Don’t people of faith have a responsibility to share their wisdom with the children struggling with faithlessness and addiction? Oh, and you claim World of Warcraft will teach you French? That’s rich!
And yes, I do pay homage to the joys of jock culture because there really is so much that is wonderful there. I don’t want to quote myself but,
“This sports world teaches our children to decide between right and wrong in realistic situations. They treat their bodies as temples by exploring and mastering their physical powers. They learn to be part of a social group where the glory of the whole is based on the sacrifices of the individual. It is, in essence, incredible training for the Christianity inherent in our beautiful American boys and girls.”
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‘who will teach us if not our elders?’
The young people can teach each other when the elders are too far gone into the insanity.
You do NOT promote Chrisitianity, stop with your bible quotes. Ive shown this post to my entire church and a forum of many churches in my area and they all think your a stark raving idiot.
Enough said.
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Stephen, I think you have a lot of wonderful point here and people should apreciate the good American values of hard work and taking care of yourelf. I just dont think people like Michael really understand what your talking about. There is nothing wrong with being a athlete and being good at it. Its a great thing to play football or baseball and have all those friends. So I just think these people are jealous or something. They dont know what its like to be good at a outdoor activity and have popularity with teamates.
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“65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases”
Good old hard working americans!
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I think you want Stephenson. You do. Well Stevy….I guess you can go make her do all the work and the rest of the shit. Go make some babies and whatnot. I on the other hand am going to take my best friend, who is a young woman, and take her out to dinner for her birthday. SO have fun living your sad excuse of a life. I’m gonna go have fun.
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To the author:
I’m not going to waste time arguing with such an arrogant individual which is obviously ridiculously biased.
I’m 15, I play videogames. I’m popular at school, I am also in top classes with top marks.
In summary:
Go fucking die in a hole you idiotic, biased piece of shit.
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It saddens me that you are so young and you use such language. This article is intended for parents and other adults. Clearly, you don’t have the maturity to comprehend it, so please stay away.
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Ohh hai there billings, I don’t believe you’ve been introduced, Pot meet Kettle.
Keep your children away from this man people, or they’ll be walking like John Wayne for the rest of their lives.
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Go fuck yourself with you’re pathetic article, Not my fault if stupid american kids get fat and do nothing of their lives except playing video games; It’s because you all are dumbshits.
You are the only problem.
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It’s funny because most preacher kids or devout christian kids end up being horrible adults and end up resenting their parent…see that’s speculation that’s what you just committed sir.
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Video Games didn’t start an ancient war that is still spilling over into our childrens lifetimes you fucking coward.
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I like it how you claim learning to kick a ball will help you in the ‘real’ world when in fact most jobs these days involve little or no physical activity (apart from manual labour), where in fact technology and computer ability play a much much more important role.
I’m not saying that all ‘Jocks’ will be manual labourers but skills gained while on a computer are so much more valuable these days. How many ‘Jocks’ can type 60 words a min?
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Such a load of crap.
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THE FUCK IS THIS?
YOU BEST BE TROLL’EN.
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he must have been on crack when he wrote this article.
He claims to be Super intelligent and pretty much the man half of this is BS.
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Who says people who do sports don’t play video games? There’s no better way to unwind after a hard days work, because you all know this planet is fucked up, turn on the news and its nothing but wars, crime and occasionally the odd joyful happening (that the reporters HAVE to actually LOOK for, just to keep us all from being depressed, because if we actually cared about all those things we’d kill ourselves in despair). SO playing a game is like reading a book, you get to escape into what ever you want, wether you fancy hello kitty or zombie killing. It’s all good!
Be kind unwind!
As a note: Reading that article… wasted a few minutes of my life, which I wish I spent playing a game without retards like the OP.
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I don’t know who the “OP” is but clearly you should be spending more time on your homework than fooling around with fantasy games.
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‘Cause gamers never go outside amirite?
Please get some decent facts and proof before writing a piece of cr*p.
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Im fucking laughing my ass off here.
VIDEO GAMES CAUSED SCHOOL VIOLENCE?
NO. JOCKS DID YOU FUCKING CUNT.
JOCKS ARE THE PEOPLE WHO PUSHED DYLAN KLEBOLD AND ERIC HARRIS AROUND, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DID IN 1999 BECAUSE OF IT? YEAH THAT’S FUCKING RIGHT YOU MUPPET.
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All of the perpetrators of the horrible acts of school gun-based terrorism in the last decade or more have not been jocks, but poorly adjusted outcasts with terrible social skills. Are you not old enough to remember Virginia Tech or Columbine?
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They also listened to Marilyn Manson, so you american people made a crusade against him. And you didn’t realise that there are far more dangerous bands and singers here in Europe, or even there in the US. Try to listen to Judas Iscariot’s Albums, then you’ll tell me if Marilyn Manson is dangerous.
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Edge, that was an entirely pointless comment from you, as usual. My argument still holds true. Did you not bother to read it?
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Pointless? Don’t tell me you have forgotten the crusade that started out against Marilyn Manson when the massacre at the Columbine High happened! You took the Columbine massacre as an example, and I made another example about the same happening. I play videogames but I’ve never killed anyone, I’m not obese or what and I don’t have any sign of mental illness. Why? Can you tell me why I am perfecly sane? Because there’s no correlantion between violence and videogames! I spent my life playing violent videogames (started with Doom when I was a kid)but I have never killed anyone or act like a maniac.
The only problem here is education. If parents leave their kids in front of their computer totally uncontrolled, almost forgetting about their kids, they will start believing that the game is the real worl. If a parent teaches his kids the difference between reality and videogames, no one will ever kill anyone screaming “In the name of the Holy Light I set you free from the Scourge!”
That’s all.
Oh, by the way, even here we know that what you call “Jocks” are often insicure guys that take steroids or amphetamine to excell in their sports.
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I love this thread, it’s so full of ignorance and stupidity. One of my best friends plays Call of duty 4 (and other similar games) like crazy. He is very fit, has a beautiful girlfriend and is the goalkeeper for my country’s national soccer team (under 20). He probably plays video games like 3-4 hours a day.
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whatta stupid article..grow up man!
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I’m a Christian and a video gamer, and I want to be a lawyer. I’m also in very good shape.
If I could prove that to you, Mr. Billings’, I would. Anyway, I find your article a very interesting read.
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