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 Forum index » Updates » Press and Other Analysis
Letter to PCG (UK) issue 151
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JebJoya
Unfettered


Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 679
Location: UK

 		Letter to PCG (UK) issue 151
Joshua Kahan, in the letters page of PCG(UK)151 wrote:
Dangerous tool for terrorists
After reading your article on 'Alternative Reality Games' in PCG 148, I felt I had to write. The 'it's not a game' philosophy is potentially dangerous. While puppet masters are making fake terrorist sites with the intention of convincing people they are real, actual terrorists are out there on the internet making websites and talking in code. By putting 'too many rails on the track' games could easily get in the way of the security forces who are trying to prevent attacks.
That's not the only problem; perople who play these games are not facing up to reality. I know games are a form of escapism, but to be constantly surrounded by it cannot be healthy for a person. In a worst-case scenario, it could lead to drastic cases of people confusing reality with the make believe, potentially ruining their lives. This could be a very dangerous tool for terrorists or religious fanatics, who brainwash people to carry out their dirty work.
Something needs to be done. I believe there was a game you reviewed a while back called In Memoriam, which is similar, only it's on a CD, not spread about the internet where security forces can get mixed up with the fake terrorists' sites. I seem to remember you gave it a good rating. So I put it to you: why don't puppet masters put all the information on a CD instead of websites etc, and let people play these games without being directly or indirectly dangerous to themselves or other people.


In response, PCG wrote:
Good grief. How do you sleep at night? There's not much hope for the security services if they can't tell the difference between crack terrorists and a bunch of gamers. We just don't believe that terrorists are hiding their secret plans in forum posts, ancient Illuminati manuscripts, or the obituary section of the local paper. Though, we could be wrong.


Something to dig your teeth into and tear apart - to send in a letter to PCG email to cablesSPLATfuturenet.co.uk

Jeb
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:07 pm
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Lewis the Second
Decorated

Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 198

 		Hmm. It's not an uncommon viewpoint, I'm sure.

It is, of course, rubbish, caused mainly by ignorance of the kind of telltale signs of an ARG that people will look for.

(And his inexplicable case that terrorists are talking in code on websites. No way is that really happening.)

Meh. I'd write in but I think it'll only be the same old ground being covered as in the age-old 'videogames warp kids' minds' argument.

PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 12:35 pm
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Questioneer
Boot


Joined: 06 Jul 2005
Posts: 12
Location: Next door

 		Let's all send defensive letters to PC GAMER.

Hey... there aren't any terrorist ARGs is there? I've only seen secret agency ARGs and vampire hunting ARGs and chasing cubes ARGs, etc.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:19 am
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aliendial
Unfictologist


Joined: 29 Sep 2002
Posts: 3438
Location: Far Far Away. Nowhere Near You. Really.

 		There've been a couple. They didn't last long. Although I guess they didn't actually say "we are terrorists." But the implication was the games wanted to bring characters together to plot against the government. In the first one I recall, the potential players found the concept in such poor taste it never got going. I just left; others stayed and ragged on the concept until it went away. Someone sicced the FBI on another one (it was clearly a game, if a poor one), which was also in poor taste. ('Course we each have our terrorist sensors at whatever setting makes us comfortable, and you gotta act on things that concern you; I just try to cut inept gamers some slack.)
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 12:56 pm
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