# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/21 "2009-03-18T15:28:40Z")
You can’t just run into random people in Animal Crossing. It requires you to exchange a code unique to your copy of the game with somebody before you can chat with or visit them. So if your kid is talking to a pedophile in the game, it means they were talking to them somewhere else before that in order to exchange friend codes. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/22 "2009-03-18T15:41:34Z")
I really, really like the parting shot of the article. It’s the zeitgeist to a T : " Anderson says this is not something to be paranoid about, but to be aware." So… what ? Don’t freak out honey, but don’t let your kids play videogames cause thar be pervs about ? Pitchforks are OK but it’s still early for torches ? I’m confused. [QUOTE=omgzebras] You can’t just run into random people in Animal Crossing. It requires you to exchange a code unique to your copy of the game with somebody before you can chat with or visit them. So if your kid is talking to a pedophile in the game, it means they were talking to them somewhere else before that in order to exchange friend codes. [/QUOTE] Oi ! You ! Don’t you try and weasel your facts into this perfectly legit moral panic. You’ve been warned. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/23 "2009-03-18T15:53:19Z")
> [@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. C’mon! Adults aren’t supposed to have fun. Didn’t you get the memo? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/24 "2009-03-18T15:56:42Z")
So if there is no good reason for an adult to have this game then how do the children get it? Or am I behind the times and 10 year olds have credit cards now? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/25 "2009-03-18T15:58:10Z")
> [@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 don’t play it, so I guess I’m OK. Whew! That’s a relief 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/26 "2009-03-18T16:04:36Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Scary thought: could you imagine being his kid? Scarier thought: Could you imagine being an adult who has to work with his kid? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/27 "2009-03-18T16:11:41Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > 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. Well, IOKIAWDI. ---
**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, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/28 "2009-03-18T16:22:15Z")
😕 > [@Tahssa](#): > > So if there is no good reason for an adult to have this game then how do the children get it? Or am I behind the times and 10 year olds have credit cards now? Adults buy video games for kids. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/29 "2009-03-18T16:31:52Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 😕 > Adults buy video games for kids. I was trying to make a funny. Andy said, "“There is no reason an adult should have this game,” To me that means that if an adult buys the game even for the kid then the adult will have the game. The only way for the kid to have the game but not the adult would mean the kid bought the game for themselves with out the parents knowledge. Or something like that. Anyways it was a pretty weak funny. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/30 "2009-03-18T16:33:36Z")
> [@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? It’s a fun, cute, no-pressure, free-form little game. There isn’t really a lot to do, but you can still end up wasting hours on it. It’s a game that appeals to people who like collecting things, or who can come up with their own little projects. There are a lot of cute surprises. Like the whole game is real-time, so there are things that only happen at certain times or seasons. Or when you “write letters” to your friends, their reply can reflect what you wrote. It’s a stretch to even call it a game, really. I find playing it to be calming, almost meditative. And, until you get bored of it, it can be immensely addictive. ---
**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, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/31 "2009-03-18T16:41:41Z")
> [@Caveat\_lector\_1](#): > > Scarier thought: Could you imagine being an adult who has to work with his kid? Scarier still: Could you imagine being an adult who happen to stop near their house and ask his kid directions? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/32 "2009-03-18T16:46:17Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > After 20 years of this, he probably sees pedophilia in his breakfast cereal. He should really stop buying the porn flakes. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/33 "2009-03-18T16:48:36Z")
> [@Zany\_Zeolite\_Zipper](#): > > At the very least they should ban the wii sodomy controller. …when they pry it from my cold dead… ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/34 "2009-03-18T16:58:21Z")
That cop needs to read this: > **[Gaming and Video Game News & Reviews | Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/gaming/)** > > Find in-depth gaming news and hands-on reviews of the latest video games, video consoles and accessories. To see how wrong he is. [http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/animal-crossing-story-makes-us-sob-like-little-babies-update-1/](http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/animal-crossing-story-makes-us-sob-like-little-babies-update-1/) > [@](#): > > Spending all day at home in a wheel chair bored her, so the relief Animal Crossing provided her was kind of amazing. She’d spend so much time playing it, that it became something of an obsession. She played it so much that she was constantly getting kidded by the family. > > She payed off her house in the game, she collected all the fossils, etc. Whenever I saw her playing, I thought that the game must have long since stopped being interesting to her, yet she kept playing- even after me and my brother had long since stopped. > > Her condition got progressively worse, and she eventually stopped playing. About a year ago, she passed away. > > I had forgotten about Animal Crossing, I hadn’t played it in over a year and a half. Today, however, I decided to visit the village again and see what was up. Weeds had grown everywhere, the villagers wondered where my mom and I had gone. > > Then I came to my mailbox, it was full of letters with presents- all from my mom. Every letter was pretty much the same. “Thinking of you. Thought you’d like this present. Love, Mom” Even though I’d stopped playing, she continued to send me presents. I look back now at how I made fun of her for playing even after she’d done everything, and I realize now that she was probably spending her time getting presents for me. > > Anyway, I know it’s probably cheesy, but I was just amazed at how much this affected me and I thought I’d share. Show your parents as much love as you can, while you still can guys. ---
**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, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/35 "2009-03-18T17:10:24Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > He should really stop buying the porn flakes. New Sugar Frosted Bugger-O’s, from Kellogg. ---
**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, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/36 "2009-03-18T17:34:26Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > That cop needs to read this: > > [Gaming and Video Game News & Reviews | Engadget](http://www.joystiq.com/media/2007/11/animalcrossing.jpg) > > To see how wrong he is. I…errr…just have something in my eye is all… ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/37 "2009-03-18T17:38:30Z")
Actually, I’m kind of grateful: all this time, and I didn’t have a clue that I was a pervert. Only problem is, when I tried to turn myself in, the police officers didn’t seem interested — all they wanted to do was talk about lost items and somebody called Crazy Redd. The streets will never be safe until this sort of bureaucratic obstruction is addressed. ---
**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, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/38 "2009-03-18T17:41:53Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > C’mon! Adults aren’t supposed to have fun. Didn’t you get the memo? Maybe _that’s_ why pedophiles exist - someone forgot to send them the adult memo! They don’t even realize they’ve grown up! 😃 ---
**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, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/39 "2009-03-18T17:48:33Z")
> [@omgzebras](#): > > You can’t just run into random people in Animal Crossing. It requires you to exchange a code unique to your copy of the game with somebody before you can chat with or visit them. So if your kid is talking to a pedophile in the game, it means they were talking to them somewhere else before that in order to exchange friend codes. Exactly. We don’t even have other people visiting our town (and vice-versa) because we don’t have anyone’s friend codes, we’ve been lazy about exchanging them with the people we know who also own the game. It sounds like people are thinking this is like an online game like World of Warcraft, where you’re automatically connected to whoever is playing at the time, and can meet people and talk. Animal Crossing doesn’t work like that, you’re completely on your own in your town (well, aside from the animals that live there) unless you already know someone else’s code, or they know yours. You can’t simply meet someone just from playing the game at home. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854/40 "2009-03-18T17:49:06Z")
> [@Zany\_Zeolite\_Zipper](#): > > At the very least they should ban the wii sodomy controller. At my house, _every_ controller is a sodomy controller. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-only-pedophiles-play-animal-crossing/489854.md?page=3)