# Cop: Only pedophiles play Animal Crossing... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 18, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854 "2009-03-18T05:24:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/1 "2009-03-18T05:24:25Z")
[At least, if you’re an adult.](http://www.kmiz.com/news/story.php?id=13725) Rather than waste time swearing, I have to wonder: as the first generation of video gamers get older, and game companies expand their demographics to keep up with the economy and said aging, how far will attitudes like these recede? I won’t pretend they’ll vanish entirely, but really, I can’t see how it can’t get better, at least a little… ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/2 "2009-03-18T12:11:07Z")
The hell? “We don’t have the money to buy gaming systems, nor the time to investigate this issue. So, we’ll just say that adults playing these games are perverts and child molesters, and leave it at that”. > [@Leaper](#): > > …how far will attitudes like these recede? One more generation should do it. The nitwit in the video looked to be in his mid-40’s – right around the cutoff for growing up Atari. Most people coming up since will have a much different attitude. However, note I said “most” – there will _always_ be those who think video games are time-wasters at best, and…well, hell, some people won’t be able to imagine a bottom floor for how bad they think they are. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/3 "2009-03-18T12:45:00Z")
Huh, guess I’m a pedophile then. After all, the reason I have this game can’t possibly be that it’s fun. That would be far too simple. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/4 "2009-03-18T13:47:39Z")
Is that reprinted from the Onion? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/5 "2009-03-18T14:01:05Z")
The article brings up a valid point. Parents have spent the last decade warning their kids about strangers contacting them via their computers. To most, I’d venture to say, their video game systems weren’t even a consideration – after all, they are only toys. Now that pretty much all next-gen consoles come complete with internet browsers and most games (on-line games) come with easy to use communication tools … parents should be vigilant. However … > [@](#): > > _From the linked article_ > “There is no reason an adult should have this game,” says Andy Anderson, Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force. … Andy is dipshit. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/6 "2009-03-18T14:09:44Z")
I totally thought this was a game for SHOOTING animals. And my first thought was, “Luring in kids by shooting animals? Okay. Sure.” Okay, it is pretty cutesy now that I look at it, but c’mon. Stick to searching their computers for ACTUAL evidence of pedophilia, not this. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/7 "2009-03-18T14:14:46Z")
I wonder when someone’s going to claim that people, especially men, shouldn’t be allowed to have children at all. I mean, can you imagine the sheer _perversity_ of having a child _living in your own home_? :eek: Who knows what evil you could get up to behind closed doors. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/8 "2009-03-18T14:18:22Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > I wonder when someone’s going to claim that people, especially men, shouldn’t be allowed to have children at all. I mean, can you imagine the sheer _perversity_ of having a child _living in your own home_? :eek: Who knows what evil you could get up to behind closed doors. :mad: It’s sad but I know at least one of my relatives who claims that no child should be left alone with any male, period. Not even their own father. (No, this person does not have kids, thank god.) I’ve seen other people on these very boards say stuff like, how they won’t let their child be in any situation alone with a male they don’t know. So that precludes sleepovers where fathers/brothers of friends might be present. I’m not sure how they get around teachers. I suppose compared to not letting your kid be alone with his/her own father, this is reasonable, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Joe_Meager)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/9 "2009-03-18T14:19:20Z")
But… “Can you help me find my lost puppy?” works so \*well \*in this game. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/10 "2009-03-18T14:20:37Z")
This is like a public park, kids can come across pedophiles there. In New York you are not allowed on playgrounds without a kid. Sure that punishes every adult who just wants to swing on the swings, but that’s because people are concerned about pedophiles. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/11 "2009-03-18T14:32:00Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > This is like a public park, kids can come across pedophiles there. In New York you are not allowed on playgrounds without a kid. Sure that punishes every adult who just wants to swing on the swings, but that’s because people are concerned about pedophiles. So you’re proposing… what? A ban on sales of kid-friendly video games to adults? A reverse rating system? ---
**Author:** ![Zany\_Zeolite\_Zipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4af34b/32.png) [@Zany\_Zeolite\_Zipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zany_Zeolite_Zipper)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/12 "2009-03-18T14:36:06Z")
At the very least they should ban the wii sodomy controller. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/13 "2009-03-18T14:52:27Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > It’s sad but I know at least one of my relatives who claims that no child should be left alone with any male, period. Not even their own father. (No, this person does not have kids, thank god.) Well, she’s right. When I was alone with my boys, I’d been known to remove their pants, and wipe their genitals and anus with a moist cloth. I’m such a perv. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/14 "2009-03-18T14:52:31Z")
> [@Zany\_Zeolite\_Zipper](#): > > At the very least they should ban the wii sodomy controller. Thread winner. When are they going to crack down on all those adults playing Lord of the Rings online, forming all those ‘fellowships’ with people of all ages. I was suborned by one player, who I later discovered to be 13, into his ‘guild’. And now he wants to go ‘raiding’.:dubious: He’s probably a cop. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/15 "2009-03-18T14:54:51Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > However … > > > [@](#): > > > > _From the linked article_ > > “There is no reason an adult should have this game,” says Andy Anderson, Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force. > > … Andy is dipshit. Know what? After reading this guy’s [background and training](http://mmictaskforce.com/Coordinator.aspx), I’m going to cut him some slack. Yes, that was absolutely a dipshit statement, but after 2,000 hours of training relating to sex crimes and computer forensics, plus all the crap this guy has seen that _wasn’t_ a knee-jerk overreaction, it becomes pretty clear – this guy has turned into a hammer in world of nails. After 20 years of this, he probably sees pedophilia in his breakfast cereal. Shame, really… Scary thought: could you imagine being his kid? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/16 "2009-03-18T14:58:05Z")
> [@badbadrubberpiggy](#): > > Huh, guess I’m a pedophile then. > > After all, the reason I have this game can’t possibly be that it’s fun. That would be far too simple. I saw a commercial for this game, showing two adult women playing this game in separate homes while talking to each other over the phone or chat or something. Honestly, I couldn’t figure out the appeal of it. Is it interesting for grownups? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/17 "2009-03-18T15:02:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I saw a commercial for this game, showing two adult women playing this game in separate homes while talking to each other over the phone or chat or something. Honestly, I couldn’t figure out the appeal of it. Is it interesting for grownups? From what I can tell, it’s like an easier, cartoony-er, one-character version of The Sims. Plenty of adults play that game, so I don’t see why not. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/18 "2009-03-18T15:06:32Z")
My wife wants this game because all of her friends have it and they want to be able to get together and chat on line through it (as opposed to the facebooking, phonecalls and in-person get togethers they already do). In fact, I don’t think I know anyone who has Animal Crossing that is under 30 so I either know a lot of female pedophiles or the hypothosis of the poeple in the article is a little skewed. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/19 "2009-03-18T15:10:41Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > From what I can tell, it’s like an easier, cartoony-er, one-character version of The Sims. Plenty of adults play that game, so I don’t see why not. Actually, I was a huge fan of SimCity so when The Sims came out, I bought it right away, but couldn’t get into it. The urban planning nerdiness of SimCity was appealing to me but not the household management nerdiness of The Sims. So my guess is that I wouldn’t like Animal Crossing either. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/20 "2009-03-18T15:13:42Z")
I’ll cut this guy some slack too. I don’t think he meant to imply that all video games were for kids. But, let’s be fair, someone seeing Animal Crossing for the first time, and knowing nothing about it, would figure it was a game for small children. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854.md?page=2)