::Rant disclaimer::


After being reminded of Shawn Woolley via the story this morning I decided to try and dig up a bit of truth behind him and his struggle. I won't get into the details of Shawn and his mother working together to overcome his previous emotional struggles and how easy it would be to draw a conclusion that one of the only reasons Everquest was onscreen may have been becaause of the same reasons why other suicide victims play favorite songs, read favorite passages, etc before going through with the act.

Instead I'd like to draw your attention to this page.
It is a section of a website for "Kjos Ministries" wherein readers write in for advice involving issues and conflicts that arise when christians are confronted with non-christian themes in entertainment, specificly video games.

The first dialogue between a reader and Peter, the advice coloumnist, shows more of an example of what I'd view as active parenting instead of rampant paranoia and is the only reason I continued to read. I may not agree with the religeous views of either of them but as a new father I can appreciate the effort a mother put forth in researching the game in question(which was Fable if you're curious).

Sadly, this was the exception to the norm as was proved by the other letters presented in this segment.

The final straw for me was this;

"Dear Mom,
This is a sad sad story. I have to tell you that your son is learning occult magick in your Christian home. ...Pokeman is a card game developed by Wizards of the Coast (devoted occultists) accidentally marketed to too young an audience"

Pokemon is evil? Are you serious? Fuckuing pikachu?... He's a paganistic druid!! He casts Lightning bolt! lllliiightning bolt!!

As a new father and an avid, sometimes rabbid gamer who enjoys all mediums of gaming it pains me to see such ignorance blanketing anything that isn't Chutes and Ladders as evil.
I mean Candyland must be some sort of diabolical lure conceived in the pits of hades since it has that dookie monster camping out in the molasses swamp!! And just look at that lord licorice, he's obviously the devil dressed up as a muskateer bent on pimping out queen frostine!!!

If they can blame videogames, I can blame Jesus.