zach.:
Kevin,

unfortunately this has become a favorite game of politicians and pundits from both sides of the aisle. YES, there are things that are inappropriate for children. YES, those things should be clearly labeled. But ultimately an adult should be allowed to make their own decisions and parents should be responsible enough (not to mention invested enough to be interested!) to police the media their children are consuming.
1.14.2008 3:58pm
capital L (mail):
"Right here in River City.
Trouble with a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "P" and that stands for pool!
Now, I know all you folks are the right kinda parents.
I'm gonna be perfectly frank.
Would ya like to know what kinda conversation goes
On while they're loafin' around that Hall?
They're tryin' out Bevo, tryin' out cubebs,
Tryin' out Tailor Mades like Cigarette Feends!
And braggin' all about
How they're gonna cover up a tell-tale breath with Sen-Sen.
One fine night, they leave the pool hall,
Headin' for the dance at the Arm'ry!
Libertine men and Scarlet women!
And Rag-time, shameless music
That'll grab your son and your daughter
With the arms of a jungle animal instink!
Mass-staria!
Friends, the idle brain is the devil's playground!" - Meredith Willson

Next thing you know they'll be reading dime novels!! Heaven help us.
1.14.2008 4:26pm
Scott Kirwin (mail) (www):
New media, same old arguments.

Nice post capital-L.
1.14.2008 4:43pm
Valjean (mail):
EDITED BY KEVIN D.

Knock it off with with personal attacks or every comment you place on my threads will be removed.

This is your only warning.
1.14.2008 4:49pm
Kevin D (mail) (www):
Yes, in case there is any confusion, I edited Valjean's comment. It had nothing to do with the topic of this thread and was simply a personal attacked aimed at me.

I am tired of his schtick. If he wants to disagree with me that's fine. But keep it on topic and keep it from being personal. Otherwise I have no problem removing each and every word he writes.

I won't allow him to threadjack with his bile.
1.14.2008 5:13pm
Elisha Feger (mail) (www):
Just remember, everytime you edit one of Valjean's comments, the NSA bumps you up a little higher on their "ruin life" list.

Anyway, I'm too jaded about people flying off their handle about the "latest" evil their kids are doing.

I guess what we need is a Michael Stackpole to write a Pulling Report for this generation.
1.14.2008 5:17pm
Martin L. Shoemaker (www):
Kevin,

I couldn't read past the third or fourth excerpted paragraph. Nothing against you; you just had me persuaded already, and the remaining paragraphs would only make me angrier.

I don't play video games. I have no interest in this game. But I play real RPGs (yes, I'm a paper-and-pencil snob, but I like what I like), and the same attacks could be and have been leveled there. And there, since the imagination is the game system, the man's complaints are arguably more accurate. And I just don't care: the censorship efforts are wrong, period.

The computer gaming industry has a rating system so parents can decide what's appropriate for their kids. Adults can make their own choices. Any attempt to impose choices on us is wrong, period.
1.14.2008 5:18pm
Kevin D (mail) (www):
Martin,

Hey, I chuck dice too! In fact, I'm running a Battlestar Galactica RPG every other week.
1.14.2008 5:26pm
Martin L. Shoemaker (www):
Kevin,

Threadjack: How is BSG? What's the system like?

Don't answer if you'd rather stay on topic here. But I was curious when I saw it in the store last week; and I'm a little too broke right now to pick up a game just for curiosity's sake.
1.14.2008 5:32pm
Elisha Feger (mail) (www):
A discussion of RPG systems would make a nice stand-alone post.
1.14.2008 5:32pm
Martin L. Shoemaker (www):
But I should add: dice are quaint. Haven't rolled a die in probably four years. I always GM with my Tablet PC these days; and like many a geek, I've written my own die-rolling program. With the d20 SRD, mapping software, die-rolling software, MS Office, and a WiFi connection to the Internet, I've got practically no need for anything but my Tablet.
1.14.2008 5:35pm
Kevin D (mail) (www):
Elisha is right. I'll make a post about RPG systems on the front page. I'll talk about the BSG RPG.
1.14.2008 6:20pm
Jesse Hill (mail):
ITEM ONE:
Kevin, this makes me EXTREMELY angry, also. I'm also considering going into video game design (been looking into the Guild Hall, actually, to get my masters) and I just finished MASS EFFECT. Great game. This guy is a frakin' moron but, unfortunately, some people will listen to him. What can we do? Hopefully as video games become even more mainstream people like this guy will find themselves in a shrinking minority.

ITEM TWO:
I am also a "dice chucker" as you put it! I run a GURPS game in my own setting bi-weekly. I was also doing a LORD OF THE RINGS game using Riddle Of Steel rules (set in the 4th Age), but it is on hiatus for a few weeks.

ITEM THREE:
You're running BSG!? I have the game book, but haven't played it yet. You're in L.A. right? (hint, hint, hint....)
1.14.2008 9:33pm
jaymaster (mail):
So Kevin becomes “Mr. First Amendment Defender” and “Mr. I’ll Decide What You Read” all in the same post.

Interesting.
1.14.2008 9:55pm
Jesse Hill (mail):
If it was indeed a personal attack, jay, (and I have no reason to doubt him) then he was right to delete it.
1.14.2008 10:05pm
Elisha Feger (mail) (www):
A private blog is not protected by the First Amendment.
1.14.2008 10:08pm
jaymaster (mail):
For the record, I think valjean is an asshole.

But now the evidence of her stupidity and irrelevance is gone.

So it’s “he said, she said” from here on out, and valjean can play the martyr and no one questioning her take will ever be the wiser.
1.14.2008 10:14pm
Jesse Hill (mail):
Ok, I get that jay -- But I imagine Kevin didn't want a distraction from his post.
1.14.2008 10:33pm
Acksiom (mail) (www):
Well, not including those of us who read the post before its deletion, that is.

And while I don't know about 'personally attacking', I wouldn't disagree with it being characterized as counterproductive trolling, and removed on that basis.

Also, I enjoy daydreaming about making up a list of the public feedback eddresses for the entities advertising in rotation on that page, and then moseying on over to the Penny Arcade forums and posting it there along with the suggestion of everybody mass-emailing them all to state that if this guy or Hewitt/Townhall doesn't apologize toot-sweet for such blatant Beauchampery, one is going to blame them as accessories and hurt their business as feedback, so they just might want to consider putting some pressure on Hewitt et. al. to clean up their cirkin' act themselves.
1.14.2008 10:45pm
Kevin D (mail) (www):

So it’s “he said, she said” from here on out, and valjean can play the martyr and no one questioning her take will ever be the wiser.

Let him. He already did on a thread below by Dean (who wasn't talking about him) so anything I do isn't going to change the poor kid's attitude.

I'm tired of his shit. If he wants to say something constructive fine. But I'm sick and tired of the personal attacks and I will not allow it on my threads.

Jesse,

You're running BSG!? I have the game book, but haven't played it yet. You're in L.A. right? (hint, hint, hint....)

Actually, I put in for a job with Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine. That near L.A.?
1.14.2008 10:54pm
B. Durbin (www):
Geographically, yes. In terms of commute, nowhere in the LA Sprawl is "near."

Incidentally, make sure you run the cost-of-living comparisons before deciding to move. SoCal is brutally expensive.
1.14.2008 11:43pm
Kunin (mail):

For the record, I think valjean is an asshole.


Yes, but everyone who knows me has a different opinion. Kevin D is perhaps the biggest hypocrite and fucking prick I've ever had the dishonor to read. Dean's a giant asshole, but Kevin puts him to shame. Fuck you and the role-playing magic unicorn you rode in on.

Kevin claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ yet he plays violent role playing shooter games. He pretends to be some video game hero and a tough guy, but he's just a piece of garbage. He'll delete this post, but it's true.

If you have any guts, you'll keep this post to prove what an asshole I really am.

Dean banned Mark Adams, then Ara, then shep, then a few others, but he tolerates people who insult his family.
1.15.2008 1:08am
John B. Irving (mail):
I'd love an ignore feature, so we can put useless wastes of space like Valjean and Kunin on it, let them rant into the ether, and real conversations continue.

Mass Effect is a work of art. Not an exaggeration, the storyline is excellent, the visuals are stunning, and the characters are real and respond realistically and rationally to player decisions.

Incidentally, while not being religious, and having been known to tweak Kevin once or twice, I can safely say that in no version of the Bible have I found a prohibition against video games, fantasy, or any other such thing. The wannabe censor is the issue here, not Kevin's particular faith.

Kevin, these assholes want to hate the version of you they have constructed in their minds. It's simpler than actually responding to you. Of course, they're pretty simple to being with, complex personalities are a little beyond them. . .
1.15.2008 1:57am
Jesse Hill (mail):
Irvine is down near Costa Mesa and about 45 miles from where I live in L.A.

...But I damn well might make that trip for a BSG game. :)

Don't let cost of living keep you from moving out here. Find a few roommates and it's completely affordable.... And Irvine ain't that bad anyway.
1.15.2008 2:33am
Martin L. Shoemaker (www):
1.15.2008 4:45am
Kevin D (mail) (www):
Kunin and valjean are the same person? I did not know that.

Kunin,

If you have any guts, you'll keep this post to prove what an asshole I really am.

I will keep your post up, but not for the reasons you'd like.

I'm going to talk to Dean about banning you. If he disagrees, as is his right, I will then edit your post. Chase after Naftali or something. He at least seems willing to entertain you. I am not.
1.15.2008 6:34am
Kunin (mail):
Ban me please.
1.15.2008 11:28am
RyanR (www):
DW w/o Valjean? No more condescending insults about my occupation from someone who doesn't know squat about me or what I actually do for a living? No more random, profane insults because he disagrees with me? Somebody pinch me!

Ryan
1.15.2008 11:50am
Mike (mail):
Masochist: "Beat Me!"
Sadist: "No."

Kunin: "Ban me so that I can play martyr!"
Seriously - get a life kid.

On topic - The opinion writer is an idiot, but that's a given. Anyone who walks away from a computer game thinking "I can kill anyone I want!" or "I can rape any woman I want!" probaly has problems with Road Runner cartoons and the Three Stooges also.

In Re: RPG's. I haven't chucked dice in a long time, years actually.
1.15.2008 12:26pm
Jerry Kondraciuk:
I kinda started a thread on the Queen's site for all the folks banned from here. Matoko brought up Second Life. If the idiot at Town Hall were to replace the words "Mass Effect" with "Second Life", his article would be spot on..
1.15.2008 1:03pm
TallDave (mail) (www):
Just wait till this guy finds out about Virtual Hottie 2.
1.15.2008 3:12pm
Kevin D (mail) (www):
Kunin has been banned. We'll get to if the two birds weren't killed by the same stone.
1.15.2008 7:46pm
Kevin D (mail) (www):

We'll get to Valjean if the two birds weren't killed by the same stone.

Edit.
1.15.2008 7:48pm
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Commenting on Dean's World is a privilege, not a right. Dean is your host, you are his guest, and you should behave in that fashion. Dean is not your babysitter, nor is he your punching bag. Please remember this. In general, you are free to disagree with anyone on any subject you wish, but abusive behavior will not be tolerated.

Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.

Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.