2600 as a scapegoat for bad grades.

[liquid_sky]

I am not sure if any of you played Atari to the point of a story like this one, but here it goes...

 

I was around the age of 4th or 5th grade. I had just gotten this really cool game from a local flea market, called Jungle Hunt. I remember everything about that game, and also all the trouble it got me in. It was that dreaded time at our school; BOOK REPORT TIME. I was assigned the ungodly topic of somebook, I forget, but it was really crappy. I remember thinking "oh well, I have a few weeks" and scampering home every day after school to play the fabled Jungle Hunt. Each day I would neglect my homework like a normal person and play Jungle Hunt, day after day, time after time. It was judgement day now, one day left, and I had just perfected the strategy to get to the boss. It was him and I, all night, the book was snugly in my bookbag, collecting more dust than my copy of Name This Game. The next day at school, everyone had thier book reports, neatly piled on the teachers desk (I hated Mrs Cravens..) She then thumbed through them and I heard my name called at a shrill voice.. "TRRREEEENNNTONNNNN". I stood up and I said yeah, Im present. She then has a smarter comment to argue my smart comment. Then she asked me about the whereabouts of my paper, to which I answered, "Im sorry I lost track of the days i thought it was due tommarrow I will bring it then." That night it was time to do my business or get off the pot. I got off the pot, because I didnt want to read some book when I could swim, stab alligators, jump rocks, and duck tribesmen. Needless to say, i got an F on my paper. When I got home, I was treated to a lecture, punshished my having to eat all my salad, and all of my games were taken away as a punishment. My parents figured making me sit around the empty Atari would make me feel bad, but little did they know I had taken Jungle Hunt to school that day to show my friend Cody... so I wasent punished quite so badly, all I would have to do was close the door and mute the T.V.

 

Ah, those were the days.

[memorymoog]

This is quite out of topic for your story, but wasnt there groups against video games during the early eighties? I heard somewhere that in japan(or America), there was even an increase in crime becaue of games like asteroids and space invaders. Can anyone confirm this?

[liquid_sky]

There was some group up around DFW I think in Mesquite or something that wanted all arcades banned from their town, thats the only one i know for sure. You are always gonna have extream religious-right wingers out to get you, and those that want to censor you in everything you do (tipper gore with her Parental Advisory thing, and Joe Leiberman's (who cares if i typo hes a shmuck anyway) defence of blame the entertainment industry instead of addressing the issue that, as chris rock says "some people are just crazy"

 

[ 08-19-2001: Message edited by: liquid_sky ]

[h.e.r.o]

My P.E. teacher in Elementary always blamed my Nintendo playing for my lack of activity during his classes. Then again, he blamed horror movies on my brother...

[Nateo]

Moog,

I know that in Japan, Dragon Warrior III was released on a Friday, and kids were so excited to get it, they cut school just to buy the game. Right after that friday, the Japanese government constructed a law that said Dragon Warrior games could only be released on a sunday or a holiday (the Japanese DO have school on Saturdays). Did that make you raise an eyebrow? It did to me the first time I saw this story.

[Ze_ro]

quote:

---

Originally posted by liquid_sky:

I didnt want to read some book when I could swim, stab alligators, jump rocks, and duck tribesmen.

---

 

Strange... I always found it easier to jump over the tribesmen myself...

 

--Zero

[liquid_sky]

Ah, what can ya say... I love a challange!

[Inky]

Being a card carrying member of the religious right, I resent the fact that the public impression is that we are all out to squelch fun. The Bible clearly states that all things are permissible, but not all things are good. Too many of us have gotten the message wrong. One thing I have had a hard time agains was people telling me my music was evil because of the style. Never mind that they had positive lyrics, the style itself was evil. Well, they were just plain wrong and as such I feast on a heavy diet of Metal (Bloodgood, Bride) Punk (scaterd few, Project 86) Rap (T-Bone, Gospel Gangstaz) and everything I was told was evil but is not.

 

My point is stop stereotyping us. I love videogames (although I don't like many of the blood and guts type) and unless you call yourself a Christian I will not say a thing about what you enjoy.

 

[Inky]

As a side note, I feel some sort of rating system is a good thing. They rate movies, don't they? At least some sort of content indication so parents know what their kids are purchasing/renting.

[liquid_sky]

Im not out to insult anyone, I am just saying there will always be people out there that take things too seriously. I live in a very religious town for the most part, and I have seen overly extreame measuers put forth by some members of the churches. In America we all have freedoms but, within the last 12 months I can list some exapmles of extreams.

 

1. Making a huge petition to have all books, and movies on witchcraft, pagan rites and Native American worship removed from Hastings. They succedded.

2. City Cable decided to add BET to the station line-up. The Churches threatned to boycott the cable company, unless BET was removed from the airways. A compromise was reached, BET is scrambled to all viewers unless you purchase a descrambler.

3. All Dungeons and Dragons goods were also removed from Hastings, they fell under the "Demon Conjuring" Image of the books.

 

I have nothing wrong with religion, not a thing. I didnt mean to come off like I did. But when the ones in higher power than the comman man can dictate what can and cannot be sold, what can and cannot be viewed in a free socity, thats just wrong.