An Introduction to Online Gaming

Counter-Strike

The first thing I noticed after downloading the game Counter Strike was a shocking realization that it was obviously trying to feed off the September 11th tragedy. Players pose as terrorists and are encouraged to bomb a variety of targets such as aircraft, houses and crates as well as killing hostages. The game starts with each player choosing real life weapons from a giant armory, then players are encouraged to use these weapons on unarmed hostages and on each other. Like me, you are probably thinking that doesn't sound much of a game. Any normal person would agree but the types who play "Counter Strike" are not normal.

The truth is that the average Counter-Strike player is affected by the same low self-esteem and social unpopularity that your typical geek is. They try to make up for their inadequacies and lack of real life courage by fantasizing that they are macho counter terrorists with big guns. Another personality trait of a "Counter Strike" player is a preference to cheat. On many of my information collecting sessions I overheard players talking about such cheats as "aimbots", "wallhacks" and "camping". In fact, I learnt that cheating is so widespread and encouraged in "Counter Strike" that the new release of the game includes a command which lets players see through walls.

In allowing these sort of impressionable and immature people to play such violent games you are simply breeding killers. Several times I witnessed players getting excited when one of them got a "headshot", it was probably sexual excitement. I was rather surprised at the number of people who play this sick game online. I estimate there must be about 10,000 people around the world who play this game regularly. That's 10,000 people who enjoy using firearms and have serious mental instabilities. One of these people could be living on your street. Already, one of these sickos has gone on a killing spree and unless something is done, I expect there to be more such tragedies in the future. Its all very well when our government spends time and money shutting down terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, but they should also be looking closer to home and shutting down these online training camps for killers.

Quake I

There are actually three different games of Quake making up a triology. I tried "Quake 1" first and was appalled at the Satanic theme of the game. The walls in the level are often covered in blood and demonic images are abundant. So you can imagine the type of twisted people who play this game. At one point, one of the players even asked me if I wanted to join his "clan". I didn't ask what that implied but I wouldn't be surprised if they meet up in real life to perform rituals or animal sacrifices. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed and moved hastily on to "Quake 2".

Quake II

I was rather relieved to find that "Quake 2" had dropped the evil theme of its predecessor and had instead taken on a alien vs marine sci-fi feel. No doubt people had reacted badly to the demonic theme of "Quake 1" and it hadn't sold well. Another triumpth of the consumer over evil. But despite the new theme, I found "Quake 2" to be worrying in several other ways. An online game of "Quake 2" simply involves running around and shooting people. A normal person wouldn't consider playing such a repetitive and mindlessly violent game, but the regulars of "Quake 2" play it for hours on end. In fact I saw one server up as late as 3am!

The game simulates blood and gore with a variety of sick features such as corpses which can be blown apart. Many of the players of "Quake 2" are simply psychopaths. They don't seem to have any feelings for the killings which they are simulating. They discuss "Frakking" (killing) each other like a normal person would discuss the weather. Even so, there seems to be a level of honor in "Quake 2", often players will resort to fighting each other with the Rail gun which is apparently a skilled weapon to use and is treated with respect. Also it is considered bad form to shoot people before they have weapons and unlike "Counter Strike" players, "Quake" players are totally against cheating. If anyone uses the "Camping" cheat (hiding somewhere so your gun is more powerful) all the players shout insults at them and even "kick" them off the server. You might have noticed that the "Quake" community has its own made up language - words like "Frakking" (explained above), "lag" (an insult they shout at each other) and "lpb" (low ping bastard).

Another positive point is that the game doesn't have realistic weapons and so unlike "Counter Strike" players, the players of "Quake 2" might get the urge to kill in real life but they wouldn't know how.

Quake III

I finally moved on to "Quake 3". I had to do my research on a friend's computer because mine couldn't do the graphics. I found there isn't much to talk about "Quake 3". It's exactly the same as "Quake 2" but with more realistic blood and violence. I was a bit worried to see that the satanic theme from "Quake 1" was back again. Although not as pronounced this time, it was still clearly making a comeback. I imagine the game makers are trying to sneak their demonic messages back into their games bit by bit.

Red Alert

Unlike "Counter Strike" and "Quake", Red Alert isnt 3D and involves you building and commanding an army of tanks and soldiers into battle against your opponent. The game takes part during the cold war and gives the player two sides to choose from - Allies and Soviets. However, unlike a good tactical board game, "Red Alert" instead bases itself on violence and the familiar blood and gore. Dead soldiers don't simply disappear from the playing field but instead explode into a fountain of blood. I found, that unlike normal people, the players of Red Alert are devoid of human compassion and feeling. A normal person would build up a defensive position for his army and value the lives of his troops. However, "Red Alert" players simply refer to their loyal soldiers as "units" and quite often, drive large groups of them into a suicide attack. These sort of people are no different from the battlefield commanders of World War I.

Worrying Finding

As I watched the players typing to each other, I saw a reference to another game called "JDoom". Wanting to learn more I downloaded "JDoom". The graphics were bad because it is such an old game but the content was even worse. The demonic theme was stronger than ever and after 10 minutes I quit and uninstalled it. It turns out that "JDoom" is even older than "Quake" and was quite popular when it came out. It was at this point that I realized what this implied - that "JDoom" is the cause of the masses of violent games we see today. But who made "JDoom"? It turns out that a company called ID software made it. Now for the startling revelation. I also found out that "ID software" made "Quake" too! Coincidence? Furthermore I was told by one player that "Counter Strike" was actually made from "Quake 1" by running its engine! This is turning out to be quite a conspiracy.

More investigation revealed a name - "John Carmak". I had heard the name mentioned before while in a "Quake 3" game. Online game players seem to worship this man like a god and ive found out why! He is the programmer for "ID Software", he wrote "Quake" and "JDoom" and his work lead to "Counter Strike". No wonder all these violent people worship him in their sick way.

Conclusion

While us normal people have always ignored online games, my findings show that we now need to take immediate action against this menace. The violent and twisted nature of these games are no doubt corrupting the minds of unsuspecting children and teenagers. I propose that we don't necessarily need to ban the games but instead should change their content to be more suitable. We should first ask John Carmak to change the content of the games he makes to be less violent. In fact we could ask him to put more educational information into games too.

I propose that "Counter Strike" could simply be redesigned into a paintballing game. Instead of bullets, players would fire paintballs at each other. When players get hit with paint they would disappear off the screen until the next round. Warning labels should be placed on the menu screen telling players that it isn't real life. The terrorist theme should also be removed. It's not good to allow players to roleplay as terrorists as that sort of thing could imprint on impressionable minds and make teenagers think that terrorism is okay. I think the same paintballing idea could be applied to "Quake" as well as removing the demonic imagery.

I hope you found this story informative.

	To the Editors (none / 0) (#2)
	by hauntedattics on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 08:29:13 AM PST

	Is there a way to reduce the frequency of Mr. Error's diary entries to a respectable minimum? Please?

	Frequency? (5.00 / 1) (#4)
	by RobotSlave on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 10:54:45 AM PST

	Though it galls me to defend (the new) Mr. PotatoError, I must in all fairness point out the fact that he is sticking to the "one diary entry per day" guideline. When you say PotatoError's diary entries are "frequent," it is only by comparison to those of other users, who seem to have no need to make use of the Diary section at all of late. I would like to thank Mr. PotatoError for (perhaps unintentionally) providing a bit of motivation to the rest of The Adequacy. © 2002, RobotSlave. You may not reproduce this material, in whole or in part, without written permission of the owner.

	hey monkey man... (none / 0) (#5)
	by PotatoError on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 11:27:57 AM PST

	..want a bannnananana? <<JUMP! POGO POGO POGO BOUNCE! POGO POGO POGO>>

	No (5.00 / 2) (#3)
	by Right Hand Man on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 10:25:02 AM PST

	Of course I am no fan of electronic games, particularly for children, but there are some significant errors and overstatements in this diary entry. Children are much better off learning to set a fence post, or identify the non-poisonous varieties of wild mushrooms as opposed to fiddling around in front of a glorified television, learning no useful skills. Which brings up the following: violent games you are simply breeding killers. There is far more to becoming a killer than playing a game. For instance, you might have to stand up and move about once in a while. Your muscles will need to be conditioned enough to actually steady a rifle at your shoulder instead of tapping away at a device meant for tapping. You'll also need to learn a bit about your chosen weapon system outside of the programmed abilities it has in an electronic world. Evidence of this can be seen in the numerous school shootings perpetrated by young people. Most of these foolish 'gamers' shoot up their school with military surplus hardball ammunition. Hardball certainly has its place, namely being resistant to the elements and its ability to penetrate, but it is not designed to kill, only maim. Had these young people chooses a quality hunting bullet their kill ratio would have been much higher. Coupled with a willing media that refers to these sorts of attacks as 'well planned', children continue to receive the impression that electronic games prepare them for battle. It certainly breeds a strong bloodlust but it certainly does little for their tactical skills. each player choosing real life weapons from a giant armory No. This is an electronic game. No real life weapons are available. Rea life weapons are made of steel, polymers, or some other similar material. Electronic game weapons are made of small dots of light. Regardless, I agree with your assertion that all young people would do well to steer themselves clear of electronic games. ------------------------- "Keep your bible open and your powder dry."

	..LOL! (none / 0) (#6)
	by Anonymous Reader on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 12:49:23 PM PST

	Take a trip to the gaming society, find out more about the attitudes, humor and interpretations of these games. You obviously have just been watching in-game talks. Geeks and social misfits, yes.. about 60% of them. The rest, no. They have lives, they have friends, oh yes - they can be adults also. Oh yes, about those insults: "lag" (an insult they shout at each other) ROTFLMFAO! Lag is where someone has a high ping, and is having a slow response to the server they are connected too. It's a way of informing team members that they have it. "Frakking" (killing) BWUHAH! It's actually fragging, and it just means that you're going around killing people in-game, not an insult. "lpb" (low ping bastard) *DIES* This is a joke, not an insult. A low ping is good, it is a way of saying "i'm jealous", with humor. You obviously have no idea what goes on in the gaming society these days, and do not know who plays them. Visit 3DActionPlanet - Then, look through all the hosted game sites. Click on forums, you'll find out a lot more about the gaming society. An example would be PlanetWolfenstein - This game was based from the 1993 version, Wolfenstein 3d. This game is the prequel. It's setting is WW2, and in MultiPlayer, you go around doing objectives against your opposition - a team work game, like Counter Strike. Although you can't buy weapons, you get what is set in your class (Soldier, Medic, Engineer and Lieutenant). Check out the forums (General Discussion and Off-Topic), and you'll find that there are a lot more mature teenagers, and adults there than I expect you would. Your review also includes many sexual references. Sad, immature. Aren't you an adult? Go learn some more about online gaming before you try discriminating any games or societies, this attempt has failed.

	Ur fooling noone (4.00 / 1) (#7)
	by PotatoError on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 01:47:11 PM PST

	Sticking up for these violent games by lying out your teeth. If what you say is true then why all the satanic imagery in the game????? Exactly. I know about it - Ive BEEN there for over a week. I reckon you don't know what you are talking about. As for the sexual references..just the site editors having a bit of a laugh at me :/ <<JUMP! POGO POGO POGO BOUNCE! POGO POGO POGO>>

	Eh? Lying (none / 0) (#8)
	by Anonymous Reader on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 02:37:12 PM PST

	The satanic imagery is merely a theme in the game, a way of adding some plot. Obviously you're against this. Lying? Right. Since there have been so many sexual references in your post, it's been unacceptable to link on PW Forums. Click! There have been many more replies there about your thread, go read them. Why would I bother taking my time to do that? All you're looking for is flames, and don't want kids discovering what can be real. So, you've been where for a week? Seriously? It doesn't seem like that. The concept of CS is realistic, Terrorists and all, and I agree it shouldn't be shown to under 12s. Any above, they realise what is wrong and what is not.

	Oh my God (none / 0) (#10)
	by mfk on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 03:36:56 PM PST

	What right do you think you have to go and post Mr. PotatoError's copyrighted works? In the United States of America, copyright law explicitly states that a work shall remain copyrighted 90 years from date of creation. Yet, in a blatant disregard for Mr. PotatoError's copyright, you go and post the entire article to your forum. People like you disgust me. Furthermore, the satanic imagery does not add any semblance of a plot to a game. You don't see other companies adding pentagrams and skulls to their FPS games, so why must you try and defend Quake's blatant pagan roots with such a lame excuse?

	mfk, read (none / 0) (#11)
	by Anonymous Reader on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 04:43:49 PM PST

	I didn't post that. It was another fellow forumer, and he put the whole diary up there instead of just linking it to the page because the diary has links to sexual references on it, which is against the ForumPlanet FAQ. They even discussed the copyright, if you read down. Contact Hummer if you want him to edit his post. Hummer was merely trying to create discussion about PotatoError's diary entry. About Quake.. Skulls.. eh. You could of started this thread 10 years ago, or even 20. There have been hundreds of games before this featuring Satanic themes, battling as a good guy against the "forces of evil", why bitch about it now? Because it's online? So what if it features something religious? It's a game, games can be anything and are only there for playing with imagination. I don't care if you're any religion, as no games have any laws against them stating that they can't use any religious material. They shouldn't have to label their work either. If you're so against games with violence, then don't play them. It's the same with movies, if it has a rating over Universal, don't watch it. But don't interrupt other's entertainment. And no, they won't grow up to go and kill people thinking they're a virtual marine, or what not. Too many people blame games for in-real-life violence nowadays, and they have no good excuses for it. The games that you talk of, Counter-Strike, Quake, all have labels on them featuring age restrictions. It's up to the Parents to make sure the kids don't get ahold of it, unless the Parents know and trust their kids.

	Copyright violation (4.50 / 2) (#13)
	by iat on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 04:59:59 PM PST

	he put the whole diary up there instead of just linking it to the page because the diary has links to sexual references on it, which is against the ForumPlanet FAQ. They even discussed the copyright, if you read down. Contact Hummer if you want him to edit his post. Copyright law takes precedence over "ForumPlanet"'s Terms & Conditions. It is therefore unacceptable to break the law by stealing PotatoError's intellectual property simply to satisfy "ForumPlanet"'s prudish rules. Unfortunately, the copyright on this article belongs to PotatoError and I suspect he doesn't care if his IP is stolen, since I don't think he even recognises the validity of copyright law. Rest assured that if Adequacy.org did own the copyright to this article, we wouldn't be contacting "Hummer" to ask him to "edit" his post - we'd be sending a strongly-worded cease and desist letter to "ForumPlanet"'s ISP, ordering them to remove the offending post under the terms of the DMCA. Adequacy.org - love it or leave it.

	In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king (none / 0) (#12)
	by because it isnt on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 04:55:33 PM PST

	I can't believe it! They fell for it! How stupid do you have to be to be duped by PotatoError!!?!?!!!!!1! adequacy.org -- because it isn't

	Unbelievable (none / 0) (#25)
	by walwyn on Tue Jun 4th, 2002 at 12:32:01 PM PST

	A 15 year old hovers over links which are recognised as pr0n. I congratulate your parents on the diet of bromide they feed you.

	re: Maturity (none / 0) (#20)
	by iat on Tue Jun 4th, 2002 at 04:52:40 AM PST

	I'm 15 That statement says it all. At 15, you are immature - intellectually, emotionally and physically. You are not welcome here. Feel free to come back in 3 years time (or preferably 5 years time, after you've graduated from university). Adequacy.org - love it or leave it.

	RE: Game newbies (none / 0) (#23)
	by Anonymous Reader on Tue Jun 4th, 2002 at 09:59:56 AM PST

	What would there be to reply to? Their message would be: "U SUX0RZ N R FUL OF BULL$HIT", or something along those lines. It's pointless for him to reply to them.

	RE: Copyright violation (none / 0) (#16)
	by Anonymous Reader on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 05:18:48 PM PST

	IP, stolen? What? Remove the offending post It wasn't offending, Quote from Hummer - "I hope you found this story informative". And he offered to give people the source, and had the link there the first time. It's not like he wanted any conflict, and took the credit of making it. He stated it was from a source. But I can't see a warning to inform people that there will be sexual reference on his diary entry, which should be included as any child may be reading this site.

	You have some bizarre ideas (none / 0) (#19)
	by iat on Tue Jun 4th, 2002 at 04:49:30 AM PST

	It wasn't offending, Quote from Hummer - "I hope you found this story informative". And he offered to give people the source, and had the link there the first time. It's not like he wanted any conflict, and took the credit of making it. He stated it was from a source. "Hummer"'s post broke the law by reproducing PotatoError's article in its entirety. Although "fair use" allows excerpts from copyrighted material to be reproduced for certain purposes, it does not extend to allowing an entire article to be reproduced on a website in this manner. "Hummer" broke the law. Furthermore, "Hummer" didn't even have the decency to attribute the source of the article. Not that attributing the article would have made his actions any less illegal or reprehensible, but it would have been polite. But I can't see a warning to inform people that there will be sexual reference on his diary entry, which should be included as any child may be reading this site. Children are not supposed to be reading Adequacy.org, they are not our intended audience. Our "News for Grown-Ups" slogan should make this obvious. You have a particularly bizarre set of values if you believe that theft of copyrighted material is more acceptable than having hyperlinks to "adult" websites. If you don't like adult material, don't follow the hyperlinks! Adequacy.org - love it or leave it.

	Maturity (4.00 / 1) (#14)
	by iat on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 05:04:01 PM PST

	Your review also includes many sexual references. Sad, immature. Aren't you an adult? I find those words quite ironic when spoken by someone who plays online computer games (or any form of computer games for that matter). Mr. Pot, meet Mr. Kettle. Adequacy.org - love it or leave it.

	RE: Maturity (none / 0) (#15)
	by Anonymous Reader on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 05:12:23 PM PST

	I'm 15, I enjoy video games. I don't enjoy reading, it bores me. Though I do it, for educational purposes. I was merely calling him immature because I assumed he put those links up, when it was some others. But I thought this site was meant for adults, which usually act mature.

	This site clearly states that it is for adults (none / 0) (#17)
	by walwyn on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 05:24:14 PM PST

	You should be ashamed of yourself going about sneaking a peak at adult sites. If you have any respect you would either immediately make a visit to your local church and ask for guidence, or explain your problems to your parents.

	Wrong, walwyn (none / 0) (#18)
	by Anonymous Reader on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 06:04:45 PM PST

	Okay, here's what happened.. a thread was POSTED by a forumer, which had a LINK to this site. As I read through the diary entry, I hovered over the links and saw that they were links to PORN sites. I'm not looking around adult sites. By the way, it says "News for grown-ups", which could consist of anyone with a mature intellect.

	Porn. (none / 0) (#26)
	by Anonymous Reader on Fri Jun 7th, 2002 at 07:04:59 AM PST

	So when I click the link for http://www.bigcocksex.com, it won't be porn?

	Age (none / 0) (#21)
	by Anonymous Reader on Tue Jun 4th, 2002 at 06:09:58 AM PST

	Age doesn't always count for maturity, Iat. I'm trying to bring up some points to why PotatoError's entry makes false accusations about Online Gaming. You should be lucky that "game newbies" haven't found this article. They would blatantly spam away, attempting to insult PotatoError for his hatred for online gaming. Sure, there'll always be immature gamers, but there will be mature ones also. If you don't want me here because of my age, then ban my IP from entry to this site. Even though I thought this site was for people speaking out. But then I read the mission statement - Amusing, to say the least.

	Game newbies? (none / 0) (#22)
	by T Reginald Gibbons on Tue Jun 4th, 2002 at 07:35:26 AM PST

	Bring 'em on. PotatoError's a big boy. I'm sure he can take it. If his opinions are invalid, he'd certainly benefit from peer review. If you think this article is so deserving of criticism, why don't you make good on your threats and post a link to this article at every game site you know? Adequacy's record of unflinching commentary and accurate research can stand up to any level of scrutiny.

	lol (none / 0) (#24)
	by Anonymous Reader on Tue Jun 4th, 2002 at 10:04:50 AM PST

	"Adequacy's record of unflinching commentary and accurate research can stand up to any level of scrutiny." Accurate research? Yeah right!! I recall a time when I mentioned MIB2(a movie), one of you guys said it was a hacking program according to their research. Your research is as accurate as an armless blindman playing darts :\| Indy^_^

	Once again this damn idiot has posted shit (none / 0) (#9)
	by Narcissus on Mon Jun 3rd, 2002 at 02:50:05 PM PST

	I hope the good Lord strikes you down for trying to influence everyone with your very ill-informed musings. First off I am an avid player of Counter-Strike and have been since long before the very sad misfortunes of 9/11. Secondly I believe that if the people who birth these children you are talking about, who kill others, would just be parents and teach their kids how to develop common sense and help establish a conscience in them then there would be far fewer problems with todays youth. Instead they leave them at home to their computers and television and do nothing to help them grow as people socially or mentally. The games have violent themes, I'll give you that one, but they don't preach violence on others; they merely encourage hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills. If the parents would teach the difference between right and wrong then these unfortunate souls could distinguish reality from fiction. -------------------------------- Ok, who picked the flower???