Thai Newspaper Urges Attack on Computer Game Menace
Thai Newspaper Urges Attack on Computer Game Menace
October 6, 2008
In Thailand, video games have been under government attack ever since the August slaying of a taxi driver by a 19-year-old man who reportedly told police he was re-enacting a scene from Grand Theft Auto.
In today's edition of Bangkok newspaper The Nation, an editorial terms games "a menace":
A number of Thai children have become addicted to computer games, which can be destructive not only to their social behaviour but also their studies.
There have been a series of cases of some children unknowingly committing violent acts because they were imitating scenes they have seen on computer games, some of which contain graphic images...
A survey from the Culture Ministry revealed that Thai children spent around 2 hours a day playing computer games. About 80 per cent of them choose the combat-style, action-packed games, some of which come with graphic and violent images. The addiction can affect their personality as they become more prone to bursts of anger and violence. Without proper guidance, some are unable to distinguish between fantasy and the real world.
GP: As GamePolitics reported last month, the Thai Ministry of Culture banned five games.
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Posted 03/18/10 at 08:04pm
Flamespeak: I never understood why someone should work hard to get a lot of money, just to be punished with more taxes for doing so.
Flamespeak: I never understood why someone should work hard to get a lot of money, just to be punished with more taxes for doing so.
Posted 03/18/10 at 06:44pm
hayabusa75: Isn't the upper class supposed to be footing most of this bill?
hayabusa75: Isn't the upper class supposed to be footing most of this bill?
Posted 03/18/10 at 06:05pm
Austin_Lewis: Of course, that ignores the fact that for the next 4 years, the people will be taxed without 'benefit' from the bill.
Austin_Lewis: Of course, that ignores the fact that for the next 4 years, the people will be taxed without 'benefit' from the bill.
Posted 03/18/10 at 06:04pm
Austin_Lewis: If we go by the CBO's past estimation failures, they're about 300% short on the actual cost.
Austin_Lewis: If we go by the CBO's past estimation failures, they're about 300% short on the actual cost.
Posted 03/18/10 at 05:21pm
ZippyDSMlee: *punt*Roll call, whos on and how are you doing?
ZippyDSMlee: *punt*Roll call, whos on and how are you doing?
Posted 03/18/10 at 12:07pm
JDKJ: No, I did you the favor and said it for you.
JDKJ: No, I did you the favor and said it for you.
Posted 03/18/10 at 12:06pm
Valdearg: What I said was while I may have implied long term accuraccy, and that might have been incorrect, my greater point that the CBO report calculated reduced deficits, expanded coverage, and lower costs is still 100% accurate. :D
Valdearg: What I said was while I may have implied long term accuraccy, and that might have been incorrect, my greater point that the CBO report calculated reduced deficits, expanded coverage, and lower costs is still 100% accurate. :D
Posted 03/18/10 at 12:06pm
Valdearg: Like any good politician, I don't believe I said "I was incorrect." :P
Valdearg: Like any good politician, I don't believe I said "I was incorrect." :P
Posted 03/18/10 at 12:02pm
JDKJ: If you'd said "I was incorrect" 10 shouts ago, I'd have quit twisting your arm to get you see the obvious 10 shouts ago.
JDKJ: If you'd said "I was incorrect" 10 shouts ago, I'd have quit twisting your arm to get you see the obvious 10 shouts ago.
Posted 03/18/10 at 12:00pm
JDKJ: You were they one assuming 100% accuracy. In all caps, no less.
JDKJ: You were they one assuming 100% accuracy. In all caps, no less.
Posted 03/18/10 at 11:59am
Valdearg: Yes, my implication that the long term estimates were facts was incorrect, but the short term calculations are absolutely facts, and even the long term estimates are still useful in attempting to determine exactly what will happen with the bill.
Valdearg: Yes, my implication that the long term estimates were facts was incorrect, but the short term calculations are absolutely facts, and even the long term estimates are still useful in attempting to determine exactly what will happen with the bill.
Posted 03/18/10 at 11:58am
Valdearg: I do. The Short term costs are actually calculated facts. The long term estimates aren't necessarily 100% accurate, but to assume that they can't possibly be accurate because someone said they might not be 100% accurate is also wrong.
Valdearg: I do. The Short term costs are actually calculated facts. The long term estimates aren't necessarily 100% accurate, but to assume that they can't possibly be accurate because someone said they might not be 100% accurate is also wrong.
Posted 03/18/10 at 11:57am
JDKJ: When someone says, "I could be wrong but, as best as I can tell, X," X ain't a fact.
JDKJ: When someone says, "I could be wrong but, as best as I can tell, X," X ain't a fact.
Posted 03/18/10 at 11:53am
JDKJ: It's too early in the morning for you to be deaf, blind, and dumb drunk. A "my best guestimate" can't be a fact. Don't you understand the difference between the two?
JDKJ: It's too early in the morning for you to be deaf, blind, and dumb drunk. A "my best guestimate" can't be a fact. Don't you understand the difference between the two?
Posted 03/18/10 at 11:41am
Valdearg: By how much depends on variables that can't necessarily be predicted at this point in time. And yes, those Facts are accurate only so far into the future, but those estimates can certainly be used to support this measure.
Valdearg: By how much depends on variables that can't necessarily be predicted at this point in time. And yes, those Facts are accurate only so far into the future, but those estimates can certainly be used to support this measure.
Posted 03/18/10 at 11:40am
Valdearg: And I'm saying, as far as the CBO report goes, the facts that it does put forward are deficit reduction, reducing costs, and expanding costs. Those ARE facts.
Valdearg: And I'm saying, as far as the CBO report goes, the facts that it does put forward are deficit reduction, reducing costs, and expanding costs. Those ARE facts.
Posted 03/18/10 at 11:30am
JDKJ: You were the one championing a qualified estimate as an indisputable fact. I'm merely pointing out that it's far from indisputable. So says the estimator.
JDKJ: You were the one championing a qualified estimate as an indisputable fact. I'm merely pointing out that it's far from indisputable. So says the estimator.
Posted 03/18/10 at 11:27am
Valdearg: Or are you only breaking that argument out because the CBO says that this bill is a good thing for our deficit?
Valdearg: Or are you only breaking that argument out because the CBO says that this bill is a good thing for our deficit?
Posted 03/18/10 at 11:27am
JDKJ: The CBO says that, to the extent it is possible to accurately predict defict reduction over the long term, it is likely to reduce the deficit. That's your idea of "a fact that don't lie?"
JDKJ: The CBO says that, to the extent it is possible to accurately predict defict reduction over the long term, it is likely to reduce the deficit. That's your idea of "a fact that don't lie?"
Posted 03/18/10 at 11:26am
Valdearg: Would you be singing the same tune if the CBO came back saying that the bill will likely double the deficit in 20 years??
Valdearg: Would you be singing the same tune if the CBO came back saying that the bill will likely double the deficit in 20 years??
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Comments
Oh God. I just facepalm'd so hard.
Wait, I thought we were supposed to accept the decisions of other countries no matter what. Real Politik and all of that? Why the attack on the Thai Ministry of Culture? I'm sure the Thai people are in as much support of it as the British people are in of the BBFC.
-Ultimately what will do in mankind is a person's fear of their own freedom-
We aren't all in favor of the BBFC.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Un-educated luddite Thai parents: Maybe
Educated 18 year old Thai gamer: Definately no
Incomming message from Thailand Government to Parents in Thailand.
"You no longer have to raise your kids, we're going to do it for you."
"We are experts at micromanagement."
"We promise we are not trying to raise your kids to get them to sign up for the military later on in life. We just care about what is best for them, and figure we can raise them better than you... I mean, take the burden off of you to raise your children."
Hey, I just had a dream that cheeseburgers cause racism.
Can I write that factually-based piece of non-spuriousness into a newspaper article too?
There is no point of pointing out the flaws. We know we can't win, the government doesn't have common sense. All we can do is make sure that they looks like idiots so other countries don't follow.
OH NO! Kids spend 2 WHOLE HOURS A DAY in front of a game! They only spend 8 hours sleeping, 7 hours in school, and 7 hours doing other tasks like hygiene, chores, etc. What are we ever going to do?
yeah, it's odd to hear them bash a persons choice of entertainment. OH NO, GAMES. Maybe they should go play Hockey, it costs way more, has the potential to cause bodily injury, encourages violence between players (the real kind of violence, not button mashing).... oh why do I bother. The people who need to read this never will.
It really is the taxicab gunshot heard around the world!
Something tells me that the Thai government had it in for the gaming industry all along- they were just waiting for an appropriate spark to incite them to take action.
This, definitly this. It's definitly like ya said, this was just the kinda thing that they were waiting for it seems.
Is it just me, or does it seem like Thailand is just catching up to the west in the cultural introduction of games?
I mean, this was a popularized point of view, say, 10 years ago or so. Games are ruining children's school lives, games are making kids violent, games are blurring the line between reality and fiction to children.
Hell, a lot of this kind of garbage gets repeated over here still, so maybe they're not all that far behind.
Wait, wait..."unkowingly" causing violence? Strange, I thought that 19 year old (not a minor, not that it matters...) was able to reconstruct the crime scene for the police.
Two hours constitutes addiction now? Jeez. I'm on my way to TV addiction then with the whole hour and a half of Adult Swim that I watch.
Yeah it's not my country or government. Still this whole situation is so suspicious and the logic is...well, there's not much logic to go by.
Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death! Little Red Cook-book! Little Red Cook-book!
Until Thai gamers fight for their right to play games, I refuse to feel bad for them.
--- Official Protector of Videoland!
So let me get this straight, they unknowingly commit these so called acts? Pft, what, were they sleep crime committing or something?
They spend a whopping two hours playing these games, and this gameplay alters their brains and make them unknowingly commit heinous acts, like killing people (and later re-creating the scene for police, despite unkowingly commiting the act...), and writing god awful newspapers filled with more bullshit than a bulls bowels.
Oh, and Thailand...stop fucking children and I'll try to understand what the fuck you're talking about.
-Remember kids, personal responsibility is for losers!
Having been to Thailand many times. In Bangkok, there is this inner city called "Patpong" which SHAMES other boys towns like Tiajuana or Matamoras or Del Rio. It is seriously the SIN CITY capital of the world.
How they can focus in on computer games while completely ignoring Patpong is beyond me.
Google "Patpong" and learn the hypocrisy of their morality.
Side note: I had a BLAST in Patpong. ;-)
It's called a political smokescreen. You basically stir up one controversy to cover the stench of another, thereby making people think you're doing something, when in fact you're just making yourself look good. Standard politics, though its use becomes more frequent as the gov't becomes more corrupt. Digging for excuses so to speak.
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
Just wanted to share something I found on Wikipedia about this Thai newspaper The Nation ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nation_(Thailand) ) :
"Its editorial line has been described as "rabidly" critical of the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, and highly royalist and supportive of the Council for National Security military junta."
Furthermore, the Nation Multimedia Group, that owns this newspaper, was the subject of many controversies.