My anti-terrorist tax dollars are spent on MMOs?

[Tharzon]

But there is still a -vast- difference between

"This game simulates some aspects of firing a gun, such that people being trained to fire a gun might find this game helpful in that regard"

and

"This game is a murder simulator that teaches people to want to kill, and teaches them how to kill"

Which is not an uncommon statement to hear about these kinds of games in today's society.

[Darion]

You generally can't teach a person to want to kill (not just with a videogame, anyway), but densitization to violence as well as a good grounding in the fundamentals of shooting probably doesn't hurt. Besides, the original point of the article was that Second Life was being used for a method of communication, not that the game interface itself was actually being utilized as an insurgent trainer.

[leira]

Originally posted by Darion
Besides, the original point of the article was that Second Life was being used for a method of communication, not that the game interface itself was actually being utilized as an insurgent trainer.

You might want to go back and re-read the article, because they actually are saying that people are using Second Life as a terrorist trainer. Here's a quote straight from the article:

Originally posted by theaustralian
With the game taking such a sinister turn, terrorism experts are warning that SL attacks have ramifications for the real world. Just as September 11 terrorists practised flying planes on simulators in preparation for their deadly assault on US buildings, law enforcement agencies believe some of those behind the Second Life attacks are home-grown Australian jihadists who are rehearsing for strikes against real targets.

Surprisingly, that's not even the stupidest thing they said in the article. Check this out:

Originally posted by theaustralian
Kevin Zuccato, head of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre in Canberra, says terrorists can gain training in games such as World of Warcraft in a simulated environment, using weapons that are identical to real-world armaments.

I sincerely hope this is a case of somebody being misquoted by a sensationalistic reporter trying to make something sound dangerous. If not, Malacasta has a right to be extremely pissed off at the way her tax money is being spent. The utter cluelessness of the above quote is mind boggling.

This story is at least 3/4s gameophobic bullshit on the level that Jack Thompson spews. It makes it hard for me to take seriously the other 1/4 that -might- have some accuracy.

[Riek]

Having had several professional discussions with Zuccato, I would have to say probably not, Leira. He's not exactly a tech savvy type of fellow. "A cop working in a technology area" would be a fair assessment.

[leira]

Well, on the bright side, once terrorists start launching attacks with a six foot long glowing sword that shoots lightning bolts in each hand, the Australian police are going to be ready for it.

[Darion]

Fair enough, I was apparently sidetracked by the discussion about translation and language and did not go back to re-read the original article. I will agree that it is incredibly stupid. Incredibly.

[Dalaena]

What exactly are we supposed to learn from World of Warcraft that assists in terrorist training? I guess it helps with coordination on Vent or TS. ("Group 1, 3, and 5 left. Watch the whelps!") Couldn't that be argued with ANY team sports? Winning a game of basketball or football is much, much tougher and requires much more critical thinking than downing a boss in that game.

It sounds like these people are talking out of their butts and just jumping on the "violence in videogames" bandwagon. I bet the movie industry is funding this research!!