Wed Oct 13, 2004 10:50 pm
Gees, I'm only a few thousand miles away from Australia (I live in NZ) and I was oblivious to the whole Neopets/Mcds issue till now 
I started playing neo when I was 16, I'm 18 now, and I don't rush out to Sky city every week to gamble just because I've won 10,000 NP from the Fruit Machine 
Those people in Auzzie need to GET A LIFE!!
In fact, playiing neo has ensured me to NEVER gamble in reality because I have horrible, horrible luck with them
If I've already lost tens and thousands of NP on just WOE and other things on neopets, what are the odds that I'll win a REAL lotto? I think the luck games actually teach you NOT to gamble in the long run...
I might be going over to Aus next year for university, oh joy......
I started playing neo when I was 16, I'm 18 now, and I don't rush out to Sky city every week to gamble just because I've won 10,000 NP from the Fruit Machine Those people in Auzzie need to GET A LIFE!!
In fact, playiing neo has ensured me to NEVER gamble in reality because I have horrible, horrible luck with them
If I've already lost tens and thousands of NP on just WOE and other things on neopets, what are the odds that I'll win a REAL lotto? I think the luck games actually teach you NOT to gamble in the long run...
I might be going over to Aus next year for university, oh joy......
I wrote to the editor.
Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:04 pm
I find your article "Not McHappy with blackjack for kids" very lopsided. That is, there are a lot of harsh words to start off the article and all the defense of Neopets at the bottom. Such "top heavy" stories screams Yellow Journalism to me. I do thank you for bringing such an overlooked topic to notice. More popular than video games or trading cards today; children are playing poker during thier free time at school. Some blame reality TV and others sites such as Neopets. I think that parental involvement and explaination in thier children's activities is the cure to any ills related to virtual pet web pages. Knowing what your children, watch on tv, do while surfing the web, and social in play will prevail while senseless accusations of ignorant corperations will not. Neopets (a site developed for college students) should not be held responsible for gambling or other social problems. They exist outside of such contexts. McDonald's affiliation with the site can not be faulted. Neopets works hard (sometimes too hard) to make thier site family oriented. They have taken DRASTIC steps to not offend the Australian populace, making ALL games of chance unavailable to people in the pacific rim. Maybe this would not help. It doesn't stop Aussie Neopians from chaning thier nationality setting to continue to play. One cannot stop the determined. I say that an eight year old accessing Neopets (and any games of chance found there) is still an eight year old child...who should be supervised by a responsible adult.
Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:29 pm
While ranting to my dad about this (I'm 19 btw, so legally an adult in aus), I asked him the question, "At what age did you teach me how to play poker? Remember, we were betting with toothpicks and sultanas?"
After a minutes thought, he replied it was when I was five or six.
Then does anyone remember pogs/tazos? The games where you got to keep any that you flipped over if you won? or, yes, even the Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh card games, where the kids sometimes play for 'keeps', putting a rare card on the line - in the cartoon, actually, there was a promotion of gambling - from 'star chips' in the duelist kingdom to rare cards in the move - and more young children probably watched that movie in Australia than play Neopets.
Keeping children ignorant about gambling will not make it go away.
I was allowed free reign of the internet since I was about eight. No, my parents were not neglective or bad parents - they simply trusted me to do the right thing on the internet. Of course, there were a lot less 'bad' sites around back then, so I guess that's a point I need to take into consideration.
I agree that Neopets could age-lock the blatant gambling games such as Poker and Blackjack, and I would support that move. But blocking ALL Australians, even adults, from playing the Tombola and Fruit Machine because of some stupid media hype is rediculous.
...end rant from uni computers. >.>;;
After a minutes thought, he replied it was when I was five or six.
Then does anyone remember pogs/tazos? The games where you got to keep any that you flipped over if you won? or, yes, even the Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh card games, where the kids sometimes play for 'keeps', putting a rare card on the line - in the cartoon, actually, there was a promotion of gambling - from 'star chips' in the duelist kingdom to rare cards in the move - and more young children probably watched that movie in Australia than play Neopets.
Keeping children ignorant about gambling will not make it go away.
I was allowed free reign of the internet since I was about eight. No, my parents were not neglective or bad parents - they simply trusted me to do the right thing on the internet. Of course, there were a lot less 'bad' sites around back then, so I guess that's a point I need to take into consideration.
I agree that Neopets could age-lock the blatant gambling games such as Poker and Blackjack, and I would support that move. But blocking ALL Australians, even adults, from playing the Tombola and Fruit Machine because of some stupid media hype is rediculous.
...end rant from uni computers. >.>;;
Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:47 pm
Ledi wrote:Come on Australia! Let's revolt against these Media hounds in force and get them to take back the idioticd things they've said!
Believe me, I will.
Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:54 pm
Meh, I'm an Australian... and basically the media sensationalism is quite embarassing.
I seem to remember TNT answering a question about the gambling games in the Neopian Times Editorial aaages ago... I think they said that the gambling games teach kids about the risks of gambling. Take the Neopian Lottery for example. I think everyone's probably tries it once, but quickly realises that there's hardly a chance of winning and it's a waste of money, so they never try it again! And it's the same with many of the other "luck/chance" games.
If that's not teaching kids that gambling is bad, I don't know what is! You learn best through experience.. and neopets allows you that, without the real-world repercussions.
I seem to remember TNT answering a question about the gambling games in the Neopian Times Editorial aaages ago... I think they said that the gambling games teach kids about the risks of gambling. Take the Neopian Lottery for example. I think everyone's probably tries it once, but quickly realises that there's hardly a chance of winning and it's a waste of money, so they never try it again! And it's the same with many of the other "luck/chance" games.
If that's not teaching kids that gambling is bad, I don't know what is! You learn best through experience.. and neopets allows you that, without the real-world repercussions.
Thu Oct 14, 2004 12:25 am
Most "gambling" games- the ones that mean you have to pay to play- arent profitable anyway...
Excuse me, im going to destroy my room in a fit of rage.
Excuse me, im going to destroy my room in a fit of rage.
Thu Oct 14, 2004 12:56 am
That "Today Tonight" article is just ridiculous. They have so many typo's it's not even funny.
"I don't think there would be any parents in Australian who would be very happy to know that Ronald McDonald is getting into the casino business
Thu Oct 14, 2004 1:13 am
I'm amazed at the support the letter is already getting from the front page of PPT (Kudos to Cae for posting it).
I'm planning on emailing the Herald Sun tonight, and I'm also considering contacting A Current Affair about this. Has anyone got any other avenues that I could persue with this issue? If possible, I'd like to get our side of the story out before it spreads more >.<
I'm planning on emailing the Herald Sun tonight, and I'm also considering contacting A Current Affair about this. Has anyone got any other avenues that I could persue with this issue? If possible, I'd like to get our side of the story out before it spreads more >.<
Thu Oct 14, 2004 1:53 am
Alex wrote:I'm amazed at the support the letter is already getting from the front page of PPT (Kudos to Cae for posting it).
I'm planning on emailing the Herald Sun tonight, and I'm also considering contacting A Current Affair about this. Has anyone got any other avenues that I could persue with this issue? If possible, I'd like to get our side of the story out before it spreads more >.<
*Eats the kudos bar*
Have you tried contacting Neopets about this yet? (I haven't read through all of these six pages yet, so I apologize if this has been mentioned)
Thu Oct 14, 2004 1:55 am
Anybody know if this was on Today Tonight in Adelaide last night? It is not in the Advertiser (newspaper) so I'm just wondering if the SA media has picked it up.
Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:21 am
Cae - not yet. I might email TNT after I finish writing to the Herald Sun though.
cyleigh - I'd assume it was, as it was on in Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane.
cyleigh - I'd assume it was, as it was on in Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane.
Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:24 am
what annoys me most is how short sighted it is. As a kid I gambled in real life more than any of you hear I can make a bet, because my best friends mum owned a race horse and worked at a pub with pokies. At the age of 12 I was putting a couple of dollars in poker machines for the heck of it, no one ever stopped me, we'd go the races and I'd get adults to place bets on horses for me. Not only that I went to funny money night (you buy fake money and bet on games and at the end of the night their is a charity auction and you bid with the fake money) at least once a year between the ages of 8 and 15, and played roulete. Yet today I never gamble. Once every two years I MIGHT put a bet on the Melbourne cup (which I might add is an Australian institution to do, and they even have bets in primary schools on it for chocolate and that kind of thing). Gambling on a sight that is a GAME does not teach kids to gamble, they learn that else where, what gets people addicted to that kind of thing is a whole bunch of other factors, that I cant even be bothered listing. Before anyone starts to say what do I know (if anyone was thinking it) I am a psych major at the ANU (australians equivilant of Oxford or Harvard) so I think I am a little read up on the issue.
Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:19 am
smudgeoffudge wrote:Well they need to change the gambling age to twenty one then. I think eighteen is too young. And why not just outlaw gambling if you have a problem with it? Why waste your time, money, and energy fighting about pixels when you can take on what is really bothering you. I mean, if gambling is the problem, why take on a simulation of it?
18 isn't too young in my opinion. I mean, by the time you're 18 you can do everything legally - drink, vote, gamble and *ahem*. It's a matter of being responsible, and the majority of young Australians are.
Strangely enough, studies have shown that those young people who do develop problems related to gambling and drink etc, actually come from families where their freedom was repressed.
I'm 23 and my parents never ever forced any restrictions on me. I very rarely drink, I put $1 in a poker-machine once in a blue-moon, and I live my life responsibly and healthily.
Once again, it all comes down to the parents. They choose what their children look at, and how it is policed. And, despite what Today Tonight says, I think the majority of parents wouldn't have a problem with the site.
Edit: Incidentally, I signed Shellie's petition. I think we need it - that, and as many people as possible to write in with complaints.
Also, if anyone's interested, the transcript of the Today Tonight report can be found here: http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/story/?id=16887
Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:29 am
Regardless of what anyone thinks about children playing fake gambling games, there's no excuse for stopping adults playing them. Adults are adults - they should be able to do whatever they want to within the confines of the law, and I think it's crazy that they're banned from something so harmless. Especially when you consider that no one's stopping anyone looking at pornography - why aren't the people "policing" neopets trying to solve real problems instead of wasting time repressing people?
Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:03 am
So this explains why I couldnt play Tombola or Fruit Machine yesterday. Bear with me, I just heard about all of this. I missed the Today Tonight in which this was shown.
Alex, I'd just like to say that I'm proud of you for taking a stand and showing "them" how inaccurate information can affect other people. Thanks.
As for this whole gambling thing, I agree with jasujo. It seems that the media thinks that young kids are dumb. I severely doubt that. There may be few that do not know what they are dealing with from time to time, but they seem to be implying that Neopets is some sort of strictly gambling website for young children to be exploited is wrong.
Instead of focusing on the things Neopets can do for people, like provide entertainment and show them how a stock market works, they make up an inaccurate report. Sad. Truly sad.
Alex, I'd just like to say that I'm proud of you for taking a stand and showing "them" how inaccurate information can affect other people. Thanks.
As for this whole gambling thing, I agree with jasujo. It seems that the media thinks that young kids are dumb. I severely doubt that. There may be few that do not know what they are dealing with from time to time, but they seem to be implying that Neopets is some sort of strictly gambling website for young children to be exploited is wrong.
Instead of focusing on the things Neopets can do for people, like provide entertainment and show them how a stock market works, they make up an inaccurate report. Sad. Truly sad.