Hook, line, and sinker, man.
Hook, line, and freaking SINKER.

"U.S. Immigration authorities object to the video game because it is their view that it “trivializes” a very important issue."

Because, you know, video games ALWAYS trivialize the important issues they deal with. (cough cough)

Anyway, it's worth noting that the game "Border Patrol" release a few years ago was essentially presenting the opposite ideology of "ICED." That game, one may recall, was equally controversial and condemned - perhaps by a different subset of the non-gaming public. But there you go: games that deal with important issues, REGARDLESS of the perspective they assume, will be attacked and discussed.

BUT this is a good thing; this forces people who otherwise 1) consider the immigration issue and/or 2) consider videogames as a means of discourse on such an issue to do so. So often on GP the reaction seems to be one of "this shouldn't be controversial." On the contrary, I believe that if games are to grow as a medium (like any other), such controversy is not only welcome but necessary. This is the stuff of political discourse - held on both intellectual and facile levels as is customary for any issue in the general population. You dig?

I don't get why people always whine about due process. It's not like due process was one of the fundamental concepts behind the forming of the US to ensure the legal system would not be as unfair as that found in the UK back in the 18th century. I mean, being told what you're accused of when arrested, fair and expedient trial before a jury of your peers, the right to appeal your sentence all that bull seems highly over-rated.

I mean, I just watched Sweeney Todd and it seemed that the Judge acted responsibly in the best interests of the community. Why can't we go back to giving our law enforcement that kind of power, especially concerning the horrible danger of domestic terrorism.

@KayleL:

You are young, life has been kind to you. You will learn.

Teaches kids to reject the rule of law? Ahm... arn't the 'minutemen' a vigilante group and thus on the hazy side of the law as it is?

'Reject the Rule of law'


ha. I forgot, we live in a totalitarian society where you can never ever question the validity of a law, and to think otherwise is unpatriotic and makes you a terrorist.

/endsarcasm

@ GRIZZAM

But aren't all games made for kids? I could have sworn they were.

/sarcasm

As long as this game talks about people who does everything legally, I am just fine.

What's hilarious is that the original minutemen were formed in an attempt to expel the native americans and fulfill 'our god given task to settle this land'. Yet now, they use the same name to represent the 'native' united staters (yeah, it's a phrase :p) preventing the 'invaders'.

They could have at least chosen an accurate historical name for their rag tag band of thugs.

“deliberate attempt to manipulate the minds of children to believe it is ok to reject the rule of law,”

So "post 9/11" does mean "the new totalitarian theocracy of the United States of America".

Actually Minute Men were formed as a militia group to be ready to battle the British during the American Revolutionary War. You have the internet at your fingertips and still won't look shit up?

As for the current minutemen being a vigilante group, that would only be so "reporting a crime to the autorities" equals "taking the law into your own hands".

I'm not for the Minutemen but I'm also not for spreading bullshit. What are you guys doing, battling ignorance with further ignorance?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/patriotsday/peopleevents/p_minutemen.html

"The minute men were, quite simply, Americans, born in New England. Vast distances of time and space made British authority more of an abstraction than a reality to them. Aside from trade regulation, probably the most important government service they required was defense against the Native Americans"

While the minutemen were primarily used (and mostly remembered) for defense against the British army, until that was necessary, they did defend against native americans, whom they were essentially taking land from.

Yes, I did look shit up. Apparently you just read the Wiki that doesn't mention that part of their history. (Notice all the 'does not meet wiki standards' all over that article as well)

Yeah, people need to make sure that they're bashing their ignorant statements about the game, and not the group itself. The group, while people may disagree with their position, does little to nothing other than observe. Their primary goal is to make it easier for the proper authorities to arrest people crossing illegally. They may be doing something that you disagree with, but they are far from a vigilante group.

My comments are more of a humorous look at where they got their name from.

@ Michael

There is nothing wrong with legal immigration. The problem we have with the Minutemen is that they are misrepresenting the game. The game is not about helping illegal immigrants to avoid the law or bypass the law. The game is about people who have come here legally are treated like second rate trash and denied due process for the smallest of offenses.

Try doing some research before bashing those who are informed.

@ Zachary

"Informed" eh? =) Well, I imagine its far better than "enlightened."

Either way, if I may, I'd like to direct you to www.icedgame.com where if you hover your cursor over the second person from the right (a Mexican fellow) you can listen to what he has to say. If you don't feel like doing it, I can quote him right here:

"My parents left Mexico for el Norte when I was just 5 years old. They wanted a better life for me and my brothers. But in those years there were more ways to apply for residency after living in the US for a period of time."

Now, how do you suppose they got here if they didn't have the right to residency?

You said that the "game is not about helping illegal immigrants to avoid the law or bypass the law." Well, in the case of this particular character - yes it is. There is more to it, true, but it appears that the makers are against deportation period. They don't seem to care whether it is done to those deserving or those undeserving. As far as they are concerned all of it is undeserving, which is plain wrong.

@ Micheal

I have read the bios of the characters. But to say that that mexican kid needs to be treated like trash becasue his parents made the choice to immigrate here illegally is very ignorant. But that is only one of the characters. The rest were here legally but made some minor mistakes.

People don't deserve to be treated like trash.

I don't think the game is anti-deportation at all. I think it is against the inhumane treatment of those being deported.

There is a difference after all.

@ Zippy

I do in fact know how long it takes for a Canadian citizen to move to US where her husband lives. My friend's wife is finally arriving this weekend after quite a while.

Yes, the efficiency could be improved. Perhaps if you accepted a government job. I am sure you know that those tasked with these cases are horribly overworked. Apparently nobody wants a crummy government job, where they will have to do immigrants' paperwork for peanuts, but everyone wants to be processes fast.

@ Everyone

Moving on, I just played the game for a short while. It shows you different facts, such as this one:

"Registering to vote if you're not a citizen could possibly get you deported. Millions of immigrants who live in the U.S. and pay taxes are not allowed to vote. How is it that immigrants cannot vote, but they can fight in the Army?"

If the whole game is so bogus, I spit on it. Immigrants are not allowed to vote because they are IMMIGRANTS not CITIZENS. Voting is a privilege of a citizen. Service in the military is VOLUNTARY. Nobody has to serve if they don't want to. I served in the USMC, and at the same time couldn't vote because I had a greencard. This was my own choice, and I feel that the system is just.

Moreover, if you run a game, it gives you short profiles of all 5 characters:

1) Anna - a criminal. Smoking weed is illegal, whether we agree with it or not.
2) Suki - a visa violator. It was HIS responsibility to know the conditions of his stay here. My fife is on an F1 visa right now, and somehow she knows what she can and can't do.
3) Ayesha - the only plausible character.
4) Javier - an ILLEGAL ALIEN.
5) Marc - a weird case. It never mentions that the government is after him. Apparently he is in the US legally so WTF is the problem? Oh and it says he didn't know that joining the Army could mean he'll go to war. If so then he is a complete and utter idiot, because that is what the Army is for - to fight wars.

@ Rodrigo

People who hire illegal aliens are criminals themselves and should be punished as the law requires.

@ Zachary

I do not believe that random people must be treated badly. However, I do believe that criminals should be actively searched for. When found they should be processed and punished in accordance with the law. In this case, punishment for being in the country illegally is deportation.

You may say that Javier is not responsible for the crime his parents committed when he was five. I agree. However, if he was a honest man, he should have turned himself in once he discovered that by being here she is committing a crime.

Additionally, you said that you "don’t think the game is anti-deportation at all." I beg to differ, since the very name of the game stands for "I Can End Deportation."

The problem with people coming into the country illegally is that the people who contribute the time and effort to enter legally are trivialized. Why wait when you just jump a fence? If people just walked past the line for a console launch, who would stay and wait in line?

If you're arguing that everyone who wants to come to United States should be allowed, no questions asked, then shouldn't Americans be allowed into Mexico with citizenship? I wouldn't mind freeflow traffic just as long as I can buy some beachfront property down in Baja on the cheap, but apparently, the Mexican government isn't exactly warming up to that idea either.

"Well atleast the video game is serving its purpose, which I’m assuming was to spark discussion about immigration."

No, the purpose was to spark discussion about the inhumane treatment of immigrants (legal or illegal) during deportation proceedings.

@Michael:

I´m not seeing Minutemen fighting them, anyways. It is much fun to chase illegals on the border, perhaps.

First of all, to the people without degrees in something you cutting yourself off at the knees saying it's cool for people to immigrate illegally. They take you low skilled labor away from you and give it to the criminal enterprise who utilize unfair hiring practices.

You say Americans won't do the jobs? I say BS. Americans won't do jobs that don't pay a living wage. In this video I'm going to link is a conference dedicated to using fraudulent employment ad that Americans won't respond to so that they can hire more foreign labor.



Not only that but illegal aliens consume resources, tax dollars, land, jobs ect. without putting in their fair share.

@Pixelantes Anonymous
Ok you know what as long as illegal immigrants come over here legally I could care less about what some minuteman say about it possibly brainwashing kids. And whatever its purpose is it must be doing something.

GP, I kind of take issue with the term 'anti-immigration'. I support efforts to stop illegal immigration, but some of my best friends are legal immigrants from Mexico and Peru. The term as you used it is misleading.

That said, ignorance does not become Mr. Minuteman, and he definitely needs to learn to check his facts.

Living on the Border, I know all to well about this kinda thing. Lemme just clear up some stuff here.

1. The minute men dont act as vigilantes, they watch the boarder and call the Boarder patrol when they see illegals crossing it. They don't open fire on them or anything unless they get shot at first.

2. The issue with Illegal immigration right now has 2 major problems. One, is border enforcment, which admittedly, is getting a little better but still sucks hard. THe calls for a border fence and other measures are not because of any hatred for illegals but because there is nothing THERE right now and america, LIKE any soverign nation, has a RIGHT to defend and secure it's BORDERS.

3.. The current immigration process needs to be simplifed and STREAM lined and quickly. I've always said that we should grant people work visas and make them follow a series of rules, if they maintain it for 3 years, then they get to be permanat citizens and can also extend that ot there family. The rules would be as follows.

1. Must Work and PAY taxs for 3 years with no major felony violations. I"m not gonna prevent people from becoming citizens due to having a traffic ticket or 2.

2. THe MUST LEARN ENGLISH!! I don't fucking care what country your from, I and over 70 percent of america want ENGLISH to be the countries offical laungage. You can speak whatever yo like but you have to LEARN english.

3. To prevent illegals from sending the bulk of there money home, they must pay a 5 to 10 percent higher tax rate then citizens, with drops after each year till they become citizens. That would not only keep there money here where they earned it, but also would help improve the economy and help with the nation budget.

Thats all I really think they should be required to do. IT seems fairly reasonable to me. No long process of applications, no big up front payments. The government gives them a work visa. They keep there nose clean, pay there taxs and learn english, and BAM, there in clean as citizens in 3 years. Lot better then the 10 year systems we currently use eh?

Ok, thats it. I'm done.

I just played the game, and I could see some problems. The biggest problem was when I was just walking around, I got a message saying that there was a woman that was being beaten up. I chosen to call the cops, but I lost points and said that I was bringing attention to myself.

If I did nothing illegal, and just did a good deed, I don't think the US government would kick me out.

There was a immigrant that was selling bootleg movies. They were explaining that immigrants are force to go to situations that they have to do illegal activity. Saying that is like saying that you are so desperate that you have to rob a bank, or kill a person. There are other legal alternatives in life, you just have to look.

They explained how immigrants would be deported if they did something illegal. I don't what they say, but if someone is stealing, making fake IDs, or killing, I want them out of the country. I understand the games point if it's a minor crime such as a first time traffic violation, but that isn't the case.

Even though Minuteman is blowing way out of proportions, there are still some concerning messages in it.

Maybe the KKK should make a game of their own to counter this one, they could call it "We don't take kindly to your TYPE round here". It could be a first person harass-em-up where you get pitchforks, flaming torches and the occasional shotgun to run out of town whatever TYPE is specified by the intolerance-o-matic 2000 (I'm thinking a redneck version of SHODAN)

@William
No, they really have no bushiness chasing people down. For one thing, God forbid the person they're chasing has a weapon.
I've got no issues with them having issues with illegal immigration. I don't like it either. But, them running around like goddamned cowboys and risking people getting hurt only makes matters worse.
And as I said earlier, the motivating factor for a lot of these guys is hate. Not patriotism or a desire to uphold the law. And I can tell you that from expierence.
And as for this comment:
"And perhaps it is officers/border agents like you that are part of the problem.

“Hey Jose! 100 bucks? Sure!….. Nope, I didn’t see nobody illegally cross the border .> Nothing to see here but desert.” "
Don't ever question my integrity as a police officer. I have never once taken a bribe, or turned the other way when an obvious crime was being committed.

As of 2000 the Census Bureau issued press release that stated that one in five people speak a language other than English at home, the release also said that 92% of the population over five has no difficulty with English. The "learn English" refrain is largely silly. The vast majority of immigrants do learn English, it is impossible to function within the U.S without a grasp of the language. And yes I am fully aware the census only works so far as people actually report, so those trying to stay under the radar aren't going to report. Then again this has less to do with illegal immigration than my general irritation at the whole "English should be the official language" issue. It already is, 1 in five people don't speak it at home but 92% have no trouble with it.

Again this really has nothing to do with the issue of illegal immigrants learning the language, and more with the fact that I don't see much point in making something already De Facto, De Jure when it would be needlessly expensive and time consuming when the government could be doing other things than simply saying "yeah this how stuff is anyway but were going to make a pointless bill filled with pork and unnecessary riders because it will make people vote for us".

Err sorry for the rant guys; and the slight derailing of the topic.

@Dante:

You said: "‘Fraid you’re wrong on the Minutemen not chasing people. I watched groups of them pursue, harass, and assault people in the name of “the rule of law”. I’ve had the rather immense pleasure of locking up more than a few of them."

Now correct me if I am wrong, shouldn't you have been the one chasing those people instead of the Minutemen? Why would you stand back and take such a passive role? From a comment like that, how can I NOT question your integrity as an officer?

Sure they can put themselves in more danger, but I still stand by the fact that if officers aren't DOING their job (hence you just sitting back, watching people cross the border, and not doing anything until the Minutemen start chasing them....) then it is a citizens DUTY to do something about it, even if they are a bunch of stupid rednecks. Weather their motivation be hate or patriotic feelings, I don't blame them.

I'm not racists, but I am so damn tired of all these F****ing illegal immigrants coming into our country and draining our systems, economy, and our way of life. Anytime a large group of Illegal Immigrants move into a community, crime rates sky rocket, believe what you want, but it is no coincidence. I had Illegal Immigrants as neighbors before and they did not speak ANY English, they were my neighbors for 6 months. Guess what, apparently they decided not to pay their rent for their car or house, b/c they moved out in the middle of the night to Texas and never came back, next week, Forclosure sign on the house, yeah, that really made MY neighborhood look good.

It's funny how illegal immigration only applies to people south of the border too. If you've ever done any public health work, you'll find lots of people from europe or former soviet block countries who have expired visas, and may even try to get deported by turning themselves in, however immigration doesn't have time to deport these people. Why are we wasting so much time and money trying to police token stretches of land and tolerating vigilantes when we should be fixing the root of the problem? These band-aid solutions will only last for so long. Illegal Immigration is the symptom, not the disease. We need to assist with some serious economic improvements in Mexico.

Jay13x
thats the way the US government works ^^
they have to pander for votes and then spend billions to pander more.

After reading this article, I decided to see for myself about the game, and for once the company in charge of the software is wrong. Let's look at the quote:

>> ICED… is a video game about the lack of due process in the immigration system as it applies to legal permanent residents, asylum seekers and people who are here on valid visas - it’s not about illegal immigrants - as anyone who’s actually bothered to play the game would quickly realize.

Breakthrough created ICED – I Can End Deportation - to underscore the need for the US to uphold the rule of law and respect the ideals of basic human rights such as due process and the right to be free from imprisonment without just cause. For example, we believe that our government should stop forcing judges to automatically deport US residents, including legal residents and asylum seekers, without considering the circumstances of their situation. Play the game at www.icedgame.com.

I am a legal immigrant which is now a citizen. For 5 years I was supposed to get a permenant green card rather than a temporary one, but the immigration department lost it every time I went to their offices and spent the WHOLE DAY standing in lines to get my temporary one prolonged and ask about my permenant one. It came a week before I took the citizenship exam...

I am for fixing the immigration system which is inefficient and in many places broken so I do support this game and its general message.

It should be easier to come to this country legally.

I am also against mistreatment of legal aliens.

Illegal aliens on the other hand should ALL be expelled from the country...
I support the minutemen.

I PLAYED THIS GAME AND HERE ARE SOME INTERESTING BITS:
While most of the game focuses on legal aliens, this game in some places supports illegal aliens such as the "millions of undocumented aliens can't even apply for citizenship..." and "undocumented immigrants have to keep on the down-low" OR "people who illegally come here as children can be deported many years later" or "why can immigrants join the army but can't vote" or "working with fake ids or fake social security can get you deported, is this fair?" or "illegal aliens are forced to sell bootleg dvds and do other crimes cause its hard for them to find jobs" or "homeland security targets people of color on trains and in airports to check their immigration status is this fair?(I remember one day in New York when I wished to god they had been doing this since the millenium started... I also remember some immigrants of color celebrating with fireworks in their neighborhoods on that particular day... I'll give you a hint, it was in 2001 and the school year had just started...)" so the game does have some moments when it says oh those poor 'innocent' illegal aliens, oh wait...

There is plenty to complain about in this game... because it does clearly support illegal immigrants while focusing on the terrible things the system does to legal residents...

Of course the system is often unjust to natural born citizens as well so this is mainly a problem with the legal system and has less to do with deportation specifically... Ever heard of the 3 strike policy in California? liter 3 times and you may get 20 years... Being serious here...

I'm all for freedom of ttnet vitamin speech and allowing rent a car game makers to put whatever they want in games, but there's one thing about this app that has me scratching my head.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but from araç kiralama the previous article araba kiralama on this I gathered that players can use Google maps in-game to find the other (real-life?) dealers in their area.  If this is the case, has travesti anyone considered what's stopping someone from using this app to actually move drugs between hands for reals?

But majority araba kiralama of their outrage araç kiralama stems from what it could DO TO children, not the content itself.  Talk to one of these people and you'll find they don't think any books kiralık araba should be banned from children.  Mention American Psycho and they talk about kiralık araç the redeeming value of using imagination to construct a story.  Reading, no matter what the content, is largely viewed as a consequenceless activity for people of any age.  The reason why I mention American Psycho is because of the content itself.  Gaming never has and likely never will have any scenes where someone has sex with a severed head.  Not gonna happen.  Yet despite this, they'll fight tooth and nail to protect their children from two boys kissing in Bully but whatever they read is harmless... yeah.

The entire arguement is kiralık oto based upon a social normality inflicted by luddites who can't figure out the controls for Halo so it's frightening and terrifying and obviously the cause of youth violence on the rise even though, in reality, it's in decline (which is actually a HUGE suprise given minibüs kiralama the economies status).  In  a perfect world, we would have parents that actually parent.  The idea of sales restrictions on media on oto kiralama any form to accomidate parental unwillingness to get involved with their child's life is the real problem to me.  Here I am, 32 years old, and being held up at a self-scan rent a car needing to show ID before I can buy a $10 M rated game all because Soccer Momthra can't be bothered to look at the crap Billy Genericallystupidson does in his free time.  It's too hard for her, so I have to suffer?