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The Internet was originally conceived by the US Military as a communication network that could withstand a thermonuclear war. Thankfully, and rather obviously, that never happened and the Internet now has more mundane uses. Ask many people and you'll hear the same phrases; "It's educational" "Great for learning" "Brought people closer together" and more politically correct generally untrue statements like that, you know what I mean.
At first it seems a great idea. Everyone with a console or a pc gets online and we all play games against each other in a friendly but competitive fashion. Where ever you are in the world is irrelevant 'cause online we're all in the same place. Gamers will form communitie, leagues that will include all and bring gaming further into the mainstream....
Are you falling asleep yet, because that lot up above sound's a bit like Tony Blair doesn't it ?
It is not true, and will never be true.
Internet gaming immediately divides gamers into those who play online and those who don't. Then within those who are online another divide, those who play for fun, and those who think that being #1 league team is something to stick on the old CV. Leagues are formed which bar all but the best in many cases, gaming online communities tend to find it hard to accept and integrate new members, and keep them. Look at these forums, loads of people are registered with Special Reserve but how many stay for any time ? 50% probably, at best. As for playing other people from other countries...lets change that to playing Americans.... nothing wrong with that of crouse but it's hardly a multinational commuity is it ? Sony's network plans are so disjointed that, in the best situation, 3 communities of PS2 users will exist and rarely interact - Europe (Hell the UK really) USA and Japan. Same with Microsoft and, if it happens, Nintendo.
As for bringing gaming further mainstream accepatance...rubbish again. Th world is finally waking up to the fact that the Internet isn't what they believed it to be. It's not a bright, fun filled safe learning environment, it's looking darker every day. What little respect the 'net' gained in the 90's is dying under masses of porn, viruses and e-commerce gone mad. Many now consider it to be of little actual value. The information it contains is largely unfiltered and inconsistent, anyone can write anything and someone will believe it. Instead of bringing the world closer together it's made groups of people form their own little metaphorical stockades. Every group, no matter how small or daft, has it's own community online. So much useless junk is accumulated every day that finding the truths and useful info is next to impossible - you want real information ? Go read a book, yknow, go out to a library, or buy some books instead of a game for once. The Internet has also been the most exploitative tool in human history since the slave trade of the 18th-19th century. Under the guise of free speech, trade and taking advantage of a lack of law enforcement, company's businesses and individuals have exploited (and worse....) the most vulnerable and easily influenced. Email, has become a mass marketing tool instead of instant communication. You get real junk mail through your letter box and it tkaes a minute to in it, you get tons of email junk and irrelevant rubbish from people you speak to every day and it takes an hour to sort. Yes, people form relationships across countries by email, messaging e.t.c. but so what ? Why not go out and see real people and talk...or is it harder when its real instead of behind monitors, safe in the knowledge you'll probably never meet ? Information is freely avialable, but what information and controlled ultimately by whom, and should it all be so available to anyone ?
Freedom of speech is important, but so is safety and protecting people - do I really need to know how to make a dirty bomb or how to make biological agents ? No ! Pornogrpahy - if it's legal then okay, but the Internet has allowed under age people access and allowed the spread of illegal material and also provided an in-place ditribution network for it. That is indisputable, and its bad. It needn't have been this way, but it is and the internet is to blame. Sure, some say blame people, but the internet is the ultimate culprit as it provides annonymity and fast untraceable (mainly) data transfer.
Internet gaming is a mistake, the Internet is perhaps the biggest mistake ever, and yes it's ironic I'm posting this on the Internet.
The Internet cannot be controlled in anyway, it cannot be destroyed in any way, it is largely controlled by business whose aim is to seel more products for a higher profit. Isn't it a bad idea to create something so invulnerable and, now, unstoppable ?
Where did it all go wrong ? Who knows. Sure, the Internet has benefits, very few, the main benefits are to those with something to sell, those with illegal intentions/activities, organised crime, and extremists. Freedom of speech is hilarious - if you go against a mainstream idea on a site or topic then you're mainly sworn at, and ignored, very few are interested in anything outside their existing ideas.
Still, we're stuck with it now, so we may as well use the stupid thing....
~~Belldandy~~
At first it seems a great idea. Everyone with a console or a pc gets online and we all play games against each other in a friendly but competitive fashion. Where ever you are in the world is irrelevant 'cause online we're all in the same place. Gamers will form communitie, leagues that will include all and bring gaming further into the mainstream....
Are you falling asleep yet, because that lot up above sound's a bit like Tony Blair doesn't it ?
It is not true, and will never be true.
Internet gaming immediately divides gamers into those who play online and those who don't. Then within those who are online another divide, those who play for fun, and those who think that being #1 league team is something to stick on the old CV. Leagues are formed which bar all but the best in many cases, gaming online communities tend to find it hard to accept and integrate new members, and keep them. Look at these forums, loads of people are registered with Special Reserve but how many stay for any time ? 50% probably, at best. As for playing other people from other countries...lets change that to playing Americans.... nothing wrong with that of crouse but it's hardly a multinational commuity is it ? Sony's network plans are so disjointed that, in the best situation, 3 communities of PS2 users will exist and rarely interact - Europe (Hell the UK really) USA and Japan. Same with Microsoft and, if it happens, Nintendo.
As for bringing gaming further mainstream accepatance...rubbish again. Th world is finally waking up to the fact that the Internet isn't what they believed it to be. It's not a bright, fun filled safe learning environment, it's looking darker every day. What little respect the 'net' gained in the 90's is dying under masses of porn, viruses and e-commerce gone mad. Many now consider it to be of little actual value. The information it contains is largely unfiltered and inconsistent, anyone can write anything and someone will believe it. Instead of bringing the world closer together it's made groups of people form their own little metaphorical stockades. Every group, no matter how small or daft, has it's own community online. So much useless junk is accumulated every day that finding the truths and useful info is next to impossible - you want real information ? Go read a book, yknow, go out to a library, or buy some books instead of a game for once. The Internet has also been the most exploitative tool in human history since the slave trade of the 18th-19th century. Under the guise of free speech, trade and taking advantage of a lack of law enforcement, company's businesses and individuals have exploited (and worse....) the most vulnerable and easily influenced. Email, has become a mass marketing tool instead of instant communication. You get real junk mail through your letter box and it tkaes a minute to in it, you get tons of email junk and irrelevant rubbish from people you speak to every day and it takes an hour to sort. Yes, people form relationships across countries by email, messaging e.t.c. but so what ? Why not go out and see real people and talk...or is it harder when its real instead of behind monitors, safe in the knowledge you'll probably never meet ? Information is freely avialable, but what information and controlled ultimately by whom, and should it all be so available to anyone ?
Freedom of speech is important, but so is safety and protecting people - do I really need to know how to make a dirty bomb or how to make biological agents ? No ! Pornogrpahy - if it's legal then okay, but the Internet has allowed under age people access and allowed the spread of illegal material and also provided an in-place ditribution network for it. That is indisputable, and its bad. It needn't have been this way, but it is and the internet is to blame. Sure, some say blame people, but the internet is the ultimate culprit as it provides annonymity and fast untraceable (mainly) data transfer.
Internet gaming is a mistake, the Internet is perhaps the biggest mistake ever, and yes it's ironic I'm posting this on the Internet.
The Internet cannot be controlled in anyway, it cannot be destroyed in any way, it is largely controlled by business whose aim is to seel more products for a higher profit. Isn't it a bad idea to create something so invulnerable and, now, unstoppable ?
Where did it all go wrong ? Who knows. Sure, the Internet has benefits, very few, the main benefits are to those with something to sell, those with illegal intentions/activities, organised crime, and extremists. Freedom of speech is hilarious - if you go against a mainstream idea on a site or topic then you're mainly sworn at, and ignored, very few are interested in anything outside their existing ideas.
Still, we're stuck with it now, so we may as well use the stupid thing....
~~Belldandy~~
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
The Internet was originally conceived by the US Military as a communication network that could withstand a thermonuclear war. Thankfully, and rather obviously, that never happened and the Internet now has more mundane uses. Ask many people and you'll hear the same phrases; "It's educational" "Great for learning" "Brought people closer together" and more politically correct generally untrue statements like that, you know what I mean.
At first it seems a great idea. Everyone with a console or a pc gets online and we all play games against each other in a friendly but competitive fashion. Where ever you are in the world is irrelevant 'cause online we're all in the same place. Gamers will form communitie, leagues that will include all and bring gaming further into the mainstream....
Are you falling asleep yet, because that lot up above sound's a bit like Tony Blair doesn't it ?
It is not true, and will never be true.
Internet gaming immediately divides gamers into those who play online and those who don't. Then within those who are online another divide, those who play for fun, and those who think that being #1 league team is something to stick on the old CV. Leagues are formed which bar all but the best in many cases, gaming online communities tend to find it hard to accept and integrate new members, and keep them. Look at these forums, loads of people are registered with Special Reserve but how many stay for any time ? 50% probably, at best. As for playing other people from other countries...lets change that to playing Americans.... nothing wrong with that of crouse but it's hardly a multinational commuity is it ? Sony's network plans are so disjointed that, in the best situation, 3 communities of PS2 users will exist and rarely interact - Europe (Hell the UK really) USA and Japan. Same with Microsoft and, if it happens, Nintendo.
As for bringing gaming further mainstream accepatance...rubbish again. Th world is finally waking up to the fact that the Internet isn't what they believed it to be. It's not a bright, fun filled safe learning environment, it's looking darker every day. What little respect the 'net' gained in the 90's is dying under masses of porn, viruses and e-commerce gone mad. Many now consider it to be of little actual value. The information it contains is largely unfiltered and inconsistent, anyone can write anything and someone will believe it. Instead of bringing the world closer together it's made groups of people form their own little metaphorical stockades. Every group, no matter how small or daft, has it's own community online. So much useless junk is accumulated every day that finding the truths and useful info is next to impossible - you want real information ? Go read a book, yknow, go out to a library, or buy some books instead of a game for once. The Internet has also been the most exploitative tool in human history since the slave trade of the 18th-19th century. Under the guise of free speech, trade and taking advantage of a lack of law enforcement, company's businesses and individuals have exploited (and worse....) the most vulnerable and easily influenced. Email, has become a mass marketing tool instead of instant communication. You get real junk mail through your letter box and it tkaes a minute to in it, you get tons of email junk and irrelevant rubbish from people you speak to every day and it takes an hour to sort. Yes, people form relationships across countries by email, messaging e.t.c. but so what ? Why not go out and see real people and talk...or is it harder when its real instead of behind monitors, safe in the knowledge you'll probably never meet ? Information is freely avialable, but what information and controlled ultimately by whom, and should it all be so available to anyone ?
Freedom of speech is important, but so is safety and protecting people - do I really need to know how to make a dirty bomb or how to make biological agents ? No ! Pornogrpahy - if it's legal then okay, but the Internet has allowed under age people access and allowed the spread of illegal material and also provided an in-place ditribution network for it. That is indisputable, and its bad. It needn't have been this way, but it is and the internet is to blame. Sure, some say blame people, but the internet is the ultimate culprit as it provides annonymity and fast untraceable (mainly) data transfer.
Internet gaming is a mistake, the Internet is perhaps the biggest mistake ever, and yes it's ironic I'm posting this on the Internet.
The Internet cannot be controlled in anyway, it cannot be destroyed in any way, it is largely controlled by business whose aim is to seel more products for a higher profit. Isn't it a bad idea to create something so invulnerable and, now, unstoppable ?
Where did it all go wrong ? Who knows. Sure, the Internet has benefits, very few, the main benefits are to those with something to sell, those with illegal intentions/activities, organised crime, and extremists. Freedom of speech is hilarious - if you go against a mainstream idea on a site or topic then you're mainly sworn at, and ignored, very few are interested in anything outside their existing ideas.
Still, we're stuck with it now, so we may as well use the stupid thing....
~~Belldandy~~
At first it seems a great idea. Everyone with a console or a pc gets online and we all play games against each other in a friendly but competitive fashion. Where ever you are in the world is irrelevant 'cause online we're all in the same place. Gamers will form communitie, leagues that will include all and bring gaming further into the mainstream....
Are you falling asleep yet, because that lot up above sound's a bit like Tony Blair doesn't it ?
It is not true, and will never be true.
Internet gaming immediately divides gamers into those who play online and those who don't. Then within those who are online another divide, those who play for fun, and those who think that being #1 league team is something to stick on the old CV. Leagues are formed which bar all but the best in many cases, gaming online communities tend to find it hard to accept and integrate new members, and keep them. Look at these forums, loads of people are registered with Special Reserve but how many stay for any time ? 50% probably, at best. As for playing other people from other countries...lets change that to playing Americans.... nothing wrong with that of crouse but it's hardly a multinational commuity is it ? Sony's network plans are so disjointed that, in the best situation, 3 communities of PS2 users will exist and rarely interact - Europe (Hell the UK really) USA and Japan. Same with Microsoft and, if it happens, Nintendo.
As for bringing gaming further mainstream accepatance...rubbish again. Th world is finally waking up to the fact that the Internet isn't what they believed it to be. It's not a bright, fun filled safe learning environment, it's looking darker every day. What little respect the 'net' gained in the 90's is dying under masses of porn, viruses and e-commerce gone mad. Many now consider it to be of little actual value. The information it contains is largely unfiltered and inconsistent, anyone can write anything and someone will believe it. Instead of bringing the world closer together it's made groups of people form their own little metaphorical stockades. Every group, no matter how small or daft, has it's own community online. So much useless junk is accumulated every day that finding the truths and useful info is next to impossible - you want real information ? Go read a book, yknow, go out to a library, or buy some books instead of a game for once. The Internet has also been the most exploitative tool in human history since the slave trade of the 18th-19th century. Under the guise of free speech, trade and taking advantage of a lack of law enforcement, company's businesses and individuals have exploited (and worse....) the most vulnerable and easily influenced. Email, has become a mass marketing tool instead of instant communication. You get real junk mail through your letter box and it tkaes a minute to in it, you get tons of email junk and irrelevant rubbish from people you speak to every day and it takes an hour to sort. Yes, people form relationships across countries by email, messaging e.t.c. but so what ? Why not go out and see real people and talk...or is it harder when its real instead of behind monitors, safe in the knowledge you'll probably never meet ? Information is freely avialable, but what information and controlled ultimately by whom, and should it all be so available to anyone ?
Freedom of speech is important, but so is safety and protecting people - do I really need to know how to make a dirty bomb or how to make biological agents ? No ! Pornogrpahy - if it's legal then okay, but the Internet has allowed under age people access and allowed the spread of illegal material and also provided an in-place ditribution network for it. That is indisputable, and its bad. It needn't have been this way, but it is and the internet is to blame. Sure, some say blame people, but the internet is the ultimate culprit as it provides annonymity and fast untraceable (mainly) data transfer.
Internet gaming is a mistake, the Internet is perhaps the biggest mistake ever, and yes it's ironic I'm posting this on the Internet.
The Internet cannot be controlled in anyway, it cannot be destroyed in any way, it is largely controlled by business whose aim is to seel more products for a higher profit. Isn't it a bad idea to create something so invulnerable and, now, unstoppable ?
Where did it all go wrong ? Who knows. Sure, the Internet has benefits, very few, the main benefits are to those with something to sell, those with illegal intentions/activities, organised crime, and extremists. Freedom of speech is hilarious - if you go against a mainstream idea on a site or topic then you're mainly sworn at, and ignored, very few are interested in anything outside their existing ideas.
Still, we're stuck with it now, so we may as well use the stupid thing....
~~Belldandy~~