Do you really care about video games?

[Inazuma]

Explain how it is cheating. You are acquiring the items from someone who had the item drop for them. At no time did you do anything to compromise the Battle.net servers to give yourself the item illicitly. It is no more cheating than it would be cheating for your buddy to give you this awesome item that dropped for him that he doesn't need.

If it's against the rules and you do it, that's cheating. Games have their own set of rules, and as gamers, it's our job to do our best within those rules. If you don't agree with the rules, go play a different game.

If you actually stop and think it through, you should be able to figure out why it is important to ban RMT in online games.

[Inazuma]

Are you kidding me? He went on a mad rampage slinging insults and you feel bad for how he is treated? I didnt insult him, but merely made a few comments vaguely referring some political stances, then he has a venemous response.

You are also on some moral high horse. I love how we have all these moral crusaders sitting around bitching about people on a video game forum instead of 'saving the world' or 'enlightening the sheep'.

I consider myself a very intelligent person who processes information and fully thinks for himself thank you very much. Just because people have different life experiences and believe differently than you or tornadocreator are automatically idiots, morons, sheep and on and on, without considering people just have different perspectives on life.

Not everyone wants to believe in this nihilistic philosophy and the oh we are doomed mentality. I feel bad for you two as you both must go around life all the time as miserable people.

I have a question for you.

Suppose that there was a man named Joe Blow, and he is ignorant. This is true. He really is.

Now would it be OK for someone to say "Joe Blow is ignorant."?

[BoringSupreez]

I wish I could find the video on YouTube now of the anti-"obama-care" Republican rally where a bunch of right wing thugs are threatening a bunch of disabled people silently protesting with signs saying things like "Why should I suffer?" and "Universal healthcare could save my life". The thugs where shouting at them saying how they should "hurry up and die", "stop spending our money", "you're all worthless leaching scum" and the like. There's a 30 second segment of a guy with a think southern drawl shouting "why should I pay for leaches like you" and spitting on a blind man in a wheelchair while all his Republican friends laugh, (and yes they're waving around Republican banners etc).... yeah, I believe that Republicans are sick, selfish people without any compassion whatsoever. I honestly think if I was in America people would just watch me die and not care, and people wonder why I don't like America.

You're kind of making broad generalizations based on a handful of people's actions. Although the actions you describe are deplorable, they hardly represent the behavior of all Americans or even all Republicans.

I've been to two Republican rallies in my life, one for a national campaign, one for a state level campaign. They were both perfectly well behaved; don't make assumptions about us Americans &/or Republicans all from just one video. There are bad Republicans, but human nature makes it impossible to avoid that sort of thing.

[Jmustang1968]

Are you kidding me? He went on a mad rampage slinging insults and you feel bad for how he is treated? I didnt insult him, but merely made a few comments vaguely referring some political stances, then he has a venemous response.

You are also on some moral high horse. I love how we have all these moral crusaders sitting around bitching about people on a video game forum instead of 'saving the world' or 'enlightening the sheep'.

I consider myself a very intelligent person who processes information and fully thinks for himself thank you very much. Just because people have different life experiences and believe differently than you or tornadocreator are automatically idiots, morons, sheep and on and on, without considering people just have different perspectives on life.

Not everyone wants to believe in this nihilistic philosophy and the oh we are doomed mentality. I feel bad for you two as you both must go around life all the time as miserable people.

I have a question for you.

Suppose that there was a man named Joe Blow, and he is ignorant. This is true. He really is.

Now would it be OK for someone to say "Joe Blow is ignorant."?

yes, ignorance isn't an insult but a description of someone's lack of knowledge. What angle are you trying to take with this?

[MrPopo]

Explain how it is cheating. You are acquiring the items from someone who had the item drop for them. At no time did you do anything to compromise the Battle.net servers to give yourself the item illicitly. It is no more cheating than it would be cheating for your buddy to give you this awesome item that dropped for him that he doesn't need.

If it's against the rules and you do it, that's cheating. Games have their own set of rules, and as gamers, it's our job to do our best within those rules. If you don't agree with the rules, go play a different game.

If you actually stop and think it through, you should be able to figure out why it is important to ban RMT in online games.

What rule are we talking about? The rules of the game? Those aren't broken by real money transactions. The rules allow uneven trades and out-and-out gifts. The rules of the EULA for Battle.net? Sure, but that is so easy to get around that it's meaningless. I just give you some money and then at some point later you gift me the item in game.

I have stopped to think about it. And I do think it is important to not allow players to simply be able to purchase power. However, that is not the case here. The Sword of Badassry will drop every 100 game hours. That might be 100 people playing for one hour, or one person playing for 100 hours. People trading that item for real money does not change the fact that 100 game hours have to elapse before it exists. Now, if Blizzard was willing to sell the item to you by conjuring it out of the electrical ether when you send them money that would be a problem. But that's not the case here.

[Inazuma]

yes, ignorance isn't an insult but a description of someone's lack of knowledge. What angle are you trying to take with this?

What if someone was a complete fucking idiot? Would it be OK to call them a complete fucking idiot?

Same thing for someone who is evil, selfish, foolish, deceptive, etc. Is it OK to call someone these things if they are true?

What is an insult anyway? If it's untrue, why would it bother anyone? It's not true, so it should have no power, no weight behind it. If it's actually true, then why is it so horrible to say it? Regardless of it is said or not, it is still there.

[TornadoCreator]

If you truly believe this, you are uninformed and delusional.

I wish I could find the video on YouTube now of the anti-"obama-care" Republican rally where a bunch of right wing thugs are threatening a bunch of disabled people silently protesting with signs saying things like "Why should I suffer?" and "Universal healthcare could save my life". The thugs where shouting at them saying how they should "hurry up and die", "stop spending our money", "you're all worthless leaching scum" and the like. There's a 30 second segment of a guy with a think southern drawl shouting "why should I pay for leaches like you" and spitting on a blind man in a wheelchair while all his Republican friends laugh, (and yes they're waving around Republican banners etc).... yeah, I believe that Republicans are sick, selfish people without any compassion whatsoever. I honestly think if I was in America people would just watch me die and not care, and people wonder why I don't like America.

you are then making the assumption that all Americans are represented by these people. Thats like me seeing a British serial killer or rapist on youtube and then saying well you are like him as well.

You are the king of straw man arguments

I'm not basing my opinion on a small group, that's called an example. I'm basing my opinion on the tens of thousands of people who protest in USA and vote for stupid things. The fact that gay rights is even an issue. The fact that more than 50% of USA denies evolution. The fact that over 100 million people voted for George W. Bush. The frankly disgusting things said on Fox News on a regular basis, the most watched news source in the country. The fact that there's actually a conspiracy group concerned with the birth certificate of Obama because there too cowardly to just say they want him out because he's black, and the fact that there's enough racism in USA to make a black president so special. Are these things not shameful enough for you.

This is the problem you've got here. You assume I'm making baseless assumptions about USA but outside of my own country, USA is the country I know the most about. I probably know more about USA than most Americans and the reason for this is I have nothing to do but read, watch and absorb information all day. I can't work. I spend my days online and watching TV, and the vast majority of TV, websites, music and media in general is made in USA. It's the most exported culture in the world. I don't hate China, but from what I know of it, I'd probably find it's politics and media offensive too. I am a firm believer in free speech and civil liberty which China is most definately against. But with USA, I know everything already and I KNOW I don't like it.

Here's a little insight for the Americans reading and it's not just me who thinks this. Everyone I know in person feels the same way, my parents, my extended family, my friends, their families... everyone I know in real life feels this way and believes this stereotype.

USA is a self-absorbed country filled with arrogant people convinced their country is "number 1". They're generally uneducated, racist, extremely homophobic and the further south you go the more stupid, racist and homophobic they get. They seem to think communism is evil, even though most of them have no idea what it is. All the working class vote Republican even though that party clearly stabs the poor in the back. They're ignorant of foreign cultures and customs, obsessed with an isolating USA only mentality and they're extremely xenophobic. They prop up sports like Basketball, Baseball and NFL which no-one outside USA gives a shit about whilst ignoring international sports like Football which they simply don't understand. They disrespect other peoples media, expecting us to buy hollywood blockbusters but remaking every foreign film and TV show because they're convinced they can do them better, which they never do. To top it all off, they're rediculously, even offensively Christian saying things like "God bless America" as if they're the only people in the world who are worth considering. They're rediculously ignorant, they deny evolution, refuse sex education and insist on inserting God into everything. They treat Atheists like they're cultists and treat other religions like they're delusional yet expect us to always respect Jesus. Lastly USA is filled with liars. They have universities devoted to "creation science", psychics, alternative medicine and endless superstitions and conspiracy theories. Everyones opinion is expected to be treated as though it's "equal" and science if given no respect, unless your opinion is "liberal" at which point your ignored and labelled anti-American. Their scientists are never reliable, their politicians are always scapegoats and their news-media is purposefully dishonest to the point of propaganda.

This is how I, and many others see America, and I'm not trying to be horrible here. I'm just being honest. If you want the international opinion of USA to change only you can change it. You could choose to pretend I'm an anomoly, assume my opinion isn't the norm and that I'm not telling the truth. You can chant "We're number 1" and label me a "hater" or a "troll" if you want. But there's enough Americans out there who are decent that this isn't the way it has to be. I have loads of American friends who are not the stereotype I named above... but you know what, a fair few of them will pretend to be Canadian when they're in Europe because they just can't handle the stigma, doesn't that tell you something.

[Jmustang1968]

yes, ignorance isn't an insult but a description of someone's lack of knowledge. What angle are you trying to take with this?

What if someone was a complete fucking idiot? Would it be OK to call them a complete fucking idiot?

Same thing for someone who is evil, selfish, foolish, deceptive, etc. Is it OK to call someone these things if they are true?

What is an insult anyway? If it's untrue, why would it bother anyone? It's not true, so it should have no power, no weight behind it. If it's actually true, then why is it so horrible to say it? Regardless of it is said or not, it is still there.

It is called a level of respect and behavior expected in social interactions. It is the meanings behind them. You are also making the mistake by equating facts with personal opinions. If someone is truly ignorant, than he is, he lacks knowledge on a subject. Calling someone a fucking idiot is personal vehemence meant to anger, insult, and shame the other person based completely on a personal opinion and the sole point of it is to insult.

The insult is true because the other person thinks it is true as they have that opinion of you.

Now I am not going to dig down into the elementary details of social interaction, you know this shit already. Now you are just being pedantic.

[Inazuma]

What rule are we talking about? The rules of the game? Those aren't broken by real money transactions. The rules allow uneven trades and out-and-out gifts. The rules of the EULA for Battle.net? Sure, but that is so easy to get around that it's meaningless. I just give you some money and then at some point later you gift me the item in game.

I have stopped to think about it. And I do think it is important to not allow players to simply be able to purchase power. However, that is not the case here. The Sword of Badassry will drop every 100 game hours. That might be 100 people playing for one hour, or one person playing for 100 hours. People trading that item for real money does not change the fact that 100 game hours have to elapse before it exists. Now, if Blizzard was willing to sell the item to you by conjuring it out of the electrical ether when you send them money that would be a problem. But that's not the case here.

Before game companies started doing RMT themselves, it was against the rules. They didn't care about friends giving or even selling items to each other. The rule was there to prevent the Chinese from infesting their game with spammers, hackers, bots, etc. It could easily start to affect the game's economy as well, to the point where you have to buy gold to keep up with it, eventually making the game into pay to win. It could have a massive negative impact on the game for everyone.

[Jmustang1968]

you are then making the assumption that all Americans are represented by these people. Thats like me seeing a British serial killer or rapist on youtube and then saying well you are like him as well.

You are the king of straw man arguments

I'm not basing my opinion on a small group, that's called an example. I'm basing my opinion on the tens of thousands of people who protest in USA and vote for stupid things. The fact that gay rights is even an issue. The fact that more than 50% of USA denies evolution. The fact that over 100 million people voted for George W. Bush. The frankly disgusting things said on Fox News on a regular basis, the most watched news source in the country. The fact that there's actually a conspiracy group concerned with the birth certificate of Obama because there too cowardly to just say they want him out because he's black, and the fact that there's enough racism in USA to make a black president so special. Are these things not shameful enough for you.

This is the problem you've got here. You assume I'm making baseless assumptions about USA but outside of my own country, USA is the country I know the most about. I probably know more about USA than most Americans and the reason for this is I have nothing to do but read, watch and absorb information all day. I can't work. I spend my days online and watching TV, and the vast majority of TV, websites, music and media in general is made in USA. It's the most exported culture in the world. I don't hate China, but from what I know of it, I'd probably find it's politics and media offensive too. I am a firm believer in free speech and civil liberty which China is most definately against. But with USA, I know everything already and I KNOW I don't like it.

Here's a little insight for the Americans reading and it's not just me who thinks this. Everyone I know in person feels the same way, my parents, my extended family, my friends, their families... everyone I know in real life feels this way and believes this stereotype.

USA is a self-absorbed country filled with arrogant people convinced their country is "number 1". They're generally uneducated, racist, extremely homophobic and the further south you go the more stupid, racist and homophobic they get. They seem to think communism is evil, even though most of them have no idea what it is. All the working class vote Republican even though that party clearly stabs the poor in the back. They're ignorant of foreign cultures and customs, obsessed with an isolating USA only mentality and they're extremely xenophobic. They prop up sports like Basketball, Baseball and NFL which no-one outside USA gives a shit about whilst ignoring international sports like Football which they simply don't understand. They disrespect other peoples media, expecting us to buy hollywood blockbusters but remaking every foreign film and TV show because they're convinced they can do them better, which they never do. To top it all off, they're rediculously, even offensively Christian saying things like "God bless America" as if they're the only people in the world who are worth considering. They're rediculously ignorant, they deny evolution, refuse sex education and insist on inserting God into everything. They treat Atheists like they're cultists and treat other religions like they're delusional yet expect us to always respect Jesus. Lastly USA is filled with liars. They have universities devoted to "creation science", psychics, alternative medicine and endless superstitions and conspiracy theories. Everyones opinion is expected to be treated as though it's "equal" and science if given no respect, unless your opinion is "liberal" at which point your ignored and labelled anti-American. Their scientists are never reliable, their politicians are always scapegoats and their news-media is purposefully dishonest to the point of propaganda.

This is how I, and many others see America, and I'm not trying to be horrible here. I'm just being honest. If you want the international opinion of USA to change only you can change it. You could choose to pretend I'm an anomoly, assume my opinion isn't the norm and that I'm not telling the truth. You can chant "We're number 1" and label me a "hater" or a "troll" if you want. But there's enough Americans out there who are decent that this isn't the way it has to be. I have loads of American friends who are not the stereotype I named above... but you know what, a fair few of them will pretend to be Canadian when they're in Europe because they just can't handle the stigma, doesn't that tell you something.

But see this is all way off base. Some things are true in some instances but not as a whole. I would argue that not over 50% deny evolution. And dont even get me started about racism and the UK...

And actually, I dont give a shit what you think about me or my country really. I know of our shortcomings and our good, and from what you say, I can tell you are uniformed and are baseless on a lot of things from actually living here and experiencing life here.

You talk about civil liberties... the UK is a nanny state. The government digs into your personal freedoms and tries to control so many aspects of peoples personal and every day lives.